Mark Margolis talks about his role in “American Horror Story: Asylum”

Mark Margolis talks about his role in “American Horror Story: Asylum” playing the role of Sam Goodman. He appeared as a Nazi hunter introduce in the episode “I Am Anne Frank, Part 2”.  Mark is also known for his role of Tito in “Breaking Bad”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Mark about his role on the show.

Adam Lawton: How did working on this set of “American Horror Story” compare to maybe the work you did on “Breaking Bad” or one of the other series that you’ve been involved with?
Mark Margolis: Well, they took the bell away from me.
AL: Ding, ding.
MM: I had to actually speak, so that was tough. They soon discovered that the guy is better with a bell, but it was too late because they had already employed me. I mean, Breaking Bad is a whole other thing. It’s in a whole other locale, in New Mexico, which is a whole other feeling and this was a strange 1964 kind of shabby motel room. It was just a whole other–it was something about working in American Horror Story; everything was very brown and gray, which is the complete opposite of New Mexico, even though my character in New Mexico was sometimes in a grim nursing home; whatever. It was completely different. It was a whole other kind of man with a whole other demeanor, a whole other world, and had come from a whole other world etc., etc.

AL: Do you find the character of Tio being–obviously it had to be a little bit more of a challenge without speaking much compared to the Sam Goodman character?
MM: Not really because all of it is–in both cases, it’s just like in life, we’re responding to what’s coming at us. Even though Tio can’t speak, his mind works well, and he’s responding to what’s coming at him. In this case, my character was able to speak and respond. There is an equivalence in that area of acting, I guess I would say.

AL: What was it about maybe portraying a Nazi hunter, what lured you to the role of “Sam Goodman”?
MM: Nazi hunters are kind of fascinating characters. I was actually–about a year and a half ago, I was up for a film with Sean Penn, the part of a Nazi hunter, and it was a marvelous character. I think the film is coming out in a couple of months called This Must Be the Place. The part eventually went to Judd Hirsch, but I was really hot to do it. Those are fascinating characters. I’ve read over the years–I’ve read a great deal about Simon Wiesenthal, who is probably the world’s most famous Nazi hunter. I think he’s the one that located Eichman in Argentina, or he’s located others. They’re fascinating people with a certain kind of a mission of devoting their lives to catching these people who are aging and dying–I think that world is almost disappearing at this point. If there’s anybody left, they’re in their 90s. When I heard that it was a Nazi hunter, I was quite excited about that.

AL: What is the reason why people really enjoy “American Horror Story”? Maybe it’s the format, or maybe it’s just something inside of us that we just love to be subjected to this kind of visual trauma?
MM: Well, it’s got wonderful actors on it, the principles. The regulars on the show are quite incredible. I mean Jessica Lange is amazing. Cromwell is amazing. There’s a whole group of them that are quite terrific; the regulars. I’ve never seen a show like that. I worked in all of Darren Aronofsky’s films. On some level I find a lot of the way that they cut from one thing to another to an eyeball. They’re always going to eyeballs. It’s very reminiscent of what Aronofsky did in his first film Pi where there were these very quick cuts. You know; you’d see a needle, an arm, and then an eyeball expand. They seem to have–I mean I don’t know, they seemed to have gotten some inspiration from the way that Aronofsky’s films cut from one thing to another. That also used in other films of his, but I don’t know, I’m sure there are other people that have possibly done what Aronofsky did, and that kind of movement is pretty exciting I think in a way as opposed to things that go on for five minutes and nothing much changes. It’s kind of exciting. It’s a jump from one thing to another thing to another thing; it’s like pop, pop, pop.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: american, asylum, horror, margolis, mark, role, ...

Brahm Wenger talks about creating music for “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”

Brahm Wenger is the composer and writer of the original music for Disney’s “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”.  He has been working within this franchise since “Air Bud”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Brahm about working on this series and it’s latest installment “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”.

Mike Gencarelli: With “Santa Buddies”, “The Search for Santa Paws” and now “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”, you’ve not only composed the score but also written original songs; tell us about that aspect?
Brahm Wenger: Well the difference about when you write songs for a film is that it effectively then becomes a musical. The biggest difference is that you start before they start filming. You start when the script is written and you work with the director to find where the story will be best served with a song. When you write the score, you wait for them to finish the film and then you write the score. When you do films like “Santa Buddies”, “The Search for Santa Paws” and now “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”, you are in from the minute they finish the scripts. You start by writing the songs. You are part of the casting process, since you have to write the songs to fit the people singing. They have to be able to perform it. If there are dance sequences, then you have to work with the choreographer. Then you are also working with them at the set level, so you are involved with the assistant director, the director etc. It is a real collaborative effort.

MG: Where do you get the inspiration for the Christmas music, specifically in “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”?BW: I think the inspiration comes first from the script. Once you see the story, you can see what you are trying to accomplish. The beauty of doing music and writing songs is that you can say so much more with a song that you can with dialogue. There is a famous lyricist that one said “a page of lyrics is equal to ten pages of script”. It is just so much more effective. So the inspiration is from the story and you find what they are trying to say in that particular moment and then you nail it as a song.

MG: How long did it take create the eight original songs for “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups”?
BW: We started about 9 months before they started shooting the film and once the script was done. Not only do you have to write them adapt to the singer, you also have to please the director and the writers etc. It has to work and also has to be in sync for everybody.

MG: How was it working at London’s famed Abbey Road Studio for these scores?
BW: Abbey Road also has a sister studio in London called Air Studios. It was started by the famous Beatles producer George Martin. Sometimes we go to Abbey Road and sometimes we go to Air Studios. It really depends on the feeling. Air has a bit of a warmer sound. It is like a 300-400 year old church. Abbey Road is more of an industrial strength room. It feels a little brassier. So we go back and worth but they both work beautifully.

MG: You’ve been working with the Disney Buddies series since the beginning with “Air Bud”, how has the series evolved?
BW: It is very different. They come from the same genesis but are so completely different. “Air Bud” series focuses on his playing various different sports. He would figure out, how to play a sport and then have some sort of a championship game and go on win it. With the “Air Buddies” franchise, it is completely different because they dogs talk and that opens up a whole new avenue. There are also five of them instead of just one. And it is also a continuing adventure so in when they went to Alaska for the dog sled. The Alaskan theme of the great north is completely different from when they went to Egypt in “Treasure Buddies”. As a composer it is like one minute you are writing the Duke of the North and then the next minute you are working for Indiana Jones. There is no connection. When we did “Santa Buddies” or “Santa Paws 2”, it is straight forward Christmas music but here it is completely different. The next one is “Super Buddies”, which is a superhero movie and again that is completely different. It is really a challenge to start each time with a fresh format.

MG: So “Super Buddies” is next for you then?
BW: Yep, that is next now. We are working on it right now as we speak. They are just about finished shooting that. Then I should be seeing a cut in the next few weeks. So I am looking forward to starting on that one next.

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: 2, brahm, creating, music, paws, pups, ...

Ashley Eckstein talks about “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”, “Sofia the First” and Her Universe

Ashley Eckstein is known best for voicing Ahsoka Tano in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”. She is also voicing the role of Mia the Bluebird in Disney Junior’s “Sofia the First”. Ashley also is behind Her Universe, which features sci-fi clothing lines for “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” and most recently “Doctor Who”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Ashley about her voice over work, as well as what she has planned for Her Universe.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about working on Disney Junior’s “Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess”?
Ashley Eckstein: It is really going to be a great show. I wish I had a show like this when I was a little girl. They are really going to hit it big with this one. I have smaller supporting role as Mia the Bluebird. But just to be a part of a show with Disney’s new princess is great. You know me, I am such a Disney nut and I have to pinch myself. I think girls are just going to love it…and the guys. It is just classic Disney and I think that factor transcends gender too.

MG: Can we expect Mia the Bluebird in the series next spring?
AE: Oh absolutely! We have already recorded the first season. It is really exciting. For me it is just classic Disney. Plus Mia the Bluebird gets to sing. So to be able to sing in a Disney project…oh my gosh…check it off the bucket list [laughs].

MG: This season in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” has been great, what has been your favorite arc?
AE: It would have to be what we are watching right now, the Youngling arc. It is funny, I keep using the word classic but it is very classic “Star Wars”. It teaches, probably the most frequently asked question that I get from fans, which is “Where does Ahsoka get her light saber from and how?” This arc addresses that question, which I think is a big question for any kid. Every Jedi has their own unique light saber. So that lends to the question, where did they get it and how? And why is it unique? This arc also just teaches such valuable lessons and morals. I think “Star Wars” is for all ages and that’s what is so nice about it. Especially where we are in “The Clone Wars” getting so closer to “Episode III”, the stories tends to get darker and darker. But we also have a very young audience and the Youngling arc is not for just kids, it is for all ages. There is something for that young Padawan – that Youngling – that just has these questions about the force and the basics about “Star Wars”. You get some really nice answers in this arc. I also like to see Ahsoka more as a teacher and a mentor. I think that is an interesting role for her.

MG: Since you are involved with both LucasFilm and Disney, what is your take on the recent news?
AE: I wrote a blog recently on starwars.com and anyone can see that I am over the moon because I am such a Disney nut. For me, I do not think that there is a better company to have bought out LucasFilm than Disney. I have worked with them for the last four years during Star Wars Weekends. I have seen firsthand the level of commitment and detail as well as perfection and expertise that Disney puts into the “Star Wars” brand. I know they are planning to continue that. So I am really excited.

MG: Since you launched Her Universe with your “Star Wars” line, since then you have expanded to “Star Trek” and now “Doctor Who”, tell us about that?
AE: It has definitely been an exciting year to be able to add now “Star Trek” and “Doctor Who”. I have been a fan of both franchises. “Star Trek” is so iconic and I grew up watching episodes my whole life, “Doctor Who” has been a new obsession for me that I have started since the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, has been on the air. Now I am going back watching the previous Doctors because I am just obsessed with it. It is really excited. I feel like we have a lot of the classics – again with the word classics – of the sci-fi genre with “Star Wars”, “Star Trek”, “Doctor Who” and even “Battlestar Galactica”.

MG: Speaking of “Doctor Who”, did you get to meet David Tennant during his work on “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”?
AE: You know, I am so bummed. We did not. He recorded from London. He plays such a cool character in the show. He is just such a great actor and I wish I could have had the chance to work with him.

MG: Tell us about Her Universe’s expansion into Hot Topic and Think Geek?
AE: Hot Topic has been another AMAZING partner. I think a thing that is really important for fans to know about Hot Topic is that they really care about their fans. They are big on social media and constantly listening to what their fans want. They base their merchandise off the fans needs and requests. I promise not all the companies are like that. I would use the word ‘legit’ with Hot Topic. They are legit. They really care about their fans. The same thing goes for Think Geek. They are on the ground level with their fans, talking with them and figuring out what the fans what. I think that is very important for any brand.

MG: Have you ever considered doing a Disney line with Her Universe? Would love to see your take on “Alice in Wonderland”?
AE: Oh man, that would just be a dream come true [laughs]. I can’t say we are doing that right now but any opportunity I would get to design for Disney literally would be – check it off the bucket list! It would be a dream come true. We got to work with Disney with selling Her Universe during Star Wars Weekends. But if I ever got to do anything with the Disney character…oh…my…gosh!

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: ashley, clone, eckstein, sofia, star, talks, ...

William Joyce talks about the film “Rise of the Guardians” and book series “The Guardians of Childhood”

William Joyce is the author of the “The Guardians of Childhood” series, which is being made into the film, “Rise of the Guardians”. William also served as executive producer on the film. William recently released the third novel in “The Guardians of the Childhood” series, called “Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies” and also a picture book “Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies”. Media Mikes had a chance to ask William a few questions about turning his series into a film and chatted about his new books.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your work on DreamWorks Animation’s “Rise of the Guardians”?
William Joyce: The upcoming DreamWorks Animation “Rise of the Guardians”, set for release on November 21, is based on my book series “The Guardians of Childhood.” It takes place 200 years after the team’s formation in the books; it tells the story of Jack’s recruitment to the team and centers around four of the guardians; Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Jack Frost and the Easter Bunny. The Guardians of Childhood book series tells a sweeping tale of the ongoing battle between Pitch, lord of nightmares, and the eponymous guardians, consisting of figures such as the Man in the Moon, Nicolas St. North, the Tooth Fairy, Bunnymund the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, Mother Goose, and Jack Frost. I also worked as the executive producer, so I collaborated on all aspects of the film. Design, story, and casting.

MG: What was the most challenging aspect of bringing “The Guardians of Childhood” to screen?
WJ: Narrowing the story down to a 90 minute film, then bringing that story to the screen. Animated feature films are titanic endeavors, and take years to realize.

MG: Tell us about the next novel in the series “Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies”?
WJ: Toothania, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies, is the third and the newest in The Guardian series. It delves into the secret world of the third Guardian, the mysterious Tooth Fairy. This third chapter book presents you to Her Royal Highness, Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairies. There’s a lot more to her than has been previously understood.

MG: How many other book do you have planned in this series?
WJ: The Guardians of Childhood Series and The Guardians series will consist in total of thirteen books; the seven picture books in The Guardians of Childhood series and six chapter books in the Guardians of Childhood series.

MG: How did the idea for picture book “The Sandman: The Story of Sanderson Mansnoozie” come about?
WJ: I’ve been working on a unified mythology for the icons of childhood since my daughter asked me if Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy knew each other. As a parent, I felt that Santa Claus, the Man in the Moon, all of them had become a little diminished. They deserve to be thought of as grand. Heroic. Epic. If Spider-Man has an origins mythology, then why not the characters we actually believed in? Creating a voice for their stories became my mission.

MG: Tell us about the road to “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” winning the Best Animated Short in 2011 Oscars?
WJ: We started Moonbot Studios three years ago, in my hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. It’s an unlikely place to have an animation studio. We are, I believe, the 104th largest city in the United States. But we love it. Shreveport is home. To do the short we had to mortgage our houses and hunt for every nickel we could rub together. It was a huge risk. But we believed in ourselves and the story. Most of our employees were fresh out of college. Working at Moonbot was their first job. When we won, the whole city, the entire state of Louisiana, went nuts. It was like a Frank Capra movie come to life. They gave us a ticker tape parade, a key to the city, and sang for he’s a jolly good fellow. Our lives became like the movies we’d been inspired by and loved. It was surreal, unspeakably happy and perfect. But now our employees are totally spoiled.

MG: What can you tell us about your next film “Epic”?
WJ: Epic is an upcoming 3D computer animated fantasy-adventure film based on my children’s book “The Leaf Men.” It’s an epic adventure that just happens to be in the secret world of a teenage girl’s backyard. A race o tiny beings threatened by an ancient evil. I like to think of it as an intimate epic. It’s being produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Chris Wedge, the director of Ice Age (2002) and Robots (2005). It stars the voices of Beyoncé Knowles, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Knoxville, Aziz Ansari, Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis, and Steven Tyler. The film is scheduled to be released on May 24, 2013.

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Filed Under: Author Interviews, Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: book, childhood, film, guardians, joyce, rise, ...

Author Dallas Clayton talks about new book “Make Magic! Do Good!” and being called the new Dr. Seuss

Dallas Clayton is a children’s book author of “An Awesome Book” series, as well as his new book “Make Magic! Do Good!”. He is also being called the new Dr. Seuss. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Dallas about his work and what we can expect next.

Mike Gencarelli: What is it about being a children’s author that drives you?
Dallas Clayton: I like being able to share ideas with people who are open, welcoming and in many ways innocent. Also I like having maximum fun at all times.

MG: How does it feel to be considered the new Dr. Seuss?
DC: Flattering. A bit overwhelming at points, but ultimately exciting. I mean, really that’s something I’m never going to be, that dude was a massive force not unlike the Beatles or Jordan. I can only hope to be the best version of myself.

MG: Tell us where you got inspiration for latest book “Make Magic! Do Good!”?
DC:  Make Magic! is just about sharing small simple inspirational silly poems with kids and adults. It’s a real mixed bag of fun thoughts that swirl up in my head coupled with colorful drawings that maybe in some small way can make people’s days a bit brighter.

MG: How does “Make Magic! Do Good!” differ from “An Awesome Book” series?
DC:  Make Magic! is a collection of poems, 50 poems whereas the books in the Awesome Book series are just linear books. One poem vs. 50 poems. When you think of it that way, it’s a steal really!

MG: Tell us what we can expect from upcoming “Awesome Book of Love!”?
DC: Mega radness? I dunno, it’s a book about the idea of love. The concept of what it means to be in love. Ultimately my love poem to the world.

MG: What else do you have in the cards upcoming?
DC: Two books over the next two months, plus three books next year, touring, working on a ton of film and TV stuff, just making as much as possible and trying to hug everyone everywhere.

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Interviews Tagged With: author, book, called, clayton, dallas, dr, ...

Ericka Hunter talks about performing on Broadway and on NBC’s “Smash”

Ericka Hunter is a Broadway performer and co-star on NBC’s “Smash”. She has performed on Broadway in plays such as “Rock of Ages” and she even started out as a Radio City Rockette. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Ericka about her Broadway work and also working on NBC’s “Smash”.

Mike Gencarelli: Give us some background on your music singles and when can we expect more?
Ericka Hunter: It’s so funny and seems so backwards that I’ve made this transition into Electronic Dance Music, but it’s a HUGE passion of mine. I’ve spent my entire adult life growing up in NYC I found myself with so much energy after performing nightly on Broadway, that I would go out to nightclubs and dance! That’s where I really grew to love that club culture. I started writing and recording a few years back and it’s been such an amazing outlet for me. Recently, as well as working on my solo singing career, I’ve been collaborating with some incredible DJ’s; Cedric Gervais, Vice, Betatraxx and Kemal Golden, to name a few. My most current single was released in France with a well known DJ, Morgan Nagoya. It’s called Promised Land and you can find it on iTunes France. I will be releasing some new collaborations in the new few months which I’m super amped about. I always announce those on my website and through ALL the social media outlets!

MG: What do you enjoy most about working on Broadway?
EH: What I enjoy about Broadway may actually be what other people hate. The schedule. 8 shows a week is tough, but the reward is amazing. Standing ovations every night are priceless and the appreciation the audiences show for your hard work can be pretty mind blowing. Really, at the end of the day, it’s a privilege. And the reason I was in dance and singing lessons 4 hours or more a day

MG:The music in “Rock of Ages” is so charged and fun, tell us about performing on this show?growing up!
EH: YES! The music in Rock Of Ages is definitely a huge reason the show is so successful! 80’s rock music is like a religion for some people! It’s actually really fun to look out into the audience and see people singing along, sometimes even loud enough for us to hear on stage! This show is unlike any other show I’ve ever been a part of and the patrons have a lot to do with it. They get so involved in the story and music. We have so much fun onstage and getting to play and flirt with the audience. A lot of other shows I’ve been in don’t allow for that kind of interaction. It’s definitely a super cool thing.

MG:What has been your most challenging role on Broadway?
EH: I’d say my most challenging role is to be an understudy of a role! Early on in my career, I did a lot of understudying. It’s essentially being “on call” for a role or many roles that you don’t normally play and you can be called to go in on a moments notice. It’s pretty intense and can be scary, but with my experience it’s always been really rewarding.

MG:Tell us about how to was going from broadway to TV in NBC’s “Smash”?
EH: SMASH is a really cool experience. It is so similar to doing a Broadway show, yet you’re performing for cameras! I’ve always wanted to do TV and I’m so happy a show like this came along that allows us Broadway folk to reach more than just the seats in a theater. I also think the viewers really enjoying a backstage look at what goes on behind the curtain, because it’s pretty darn entertaining!

MG:Tell us about your experience being a Radio City Rockette?
EH: Being a Radio City Rockette is unlike any other job I’ve ever had. It was especially unique for me because I was 18 and it was my first professional dancing job. Also, the title of “Rockette” isn’t one they just hand out. It’s a prestigious and coveted job that I was SO lucky to have. It’s no joke though! Haha. Rehearsals are grueling so the precision is on point. It’s like the army for dancers. I have to say, I love being a part of something that felt like a real team. You had to be on your game and your mark or you’d be letting all the other girls down. It’s a wonderful thing to be a part of. Even though I haven’t been a the show for a few years, I go to Radio City every year during the holidays to cheer the Rockettes on!

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Filed Under: TV Interviews Tagged With: broadway, ericka, hunter, nbcs, performing, smash, ...

Michaelbrent Collings talks about writing WWE’s “Barricade”

Michaelbrent Collings is the writer of the latest film from WWE Studios, “Barricade”. The film was released on DVD on September 25th and I recommend it highly. Michaelbrent is also a black-belt martial artist and in his past life was an attorney. Currently, he is focusing on writing full-time not just screenplays but also novels. His latest novels are called “Apparition” and “Billy: Seeker of Powers”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Michaelbrent about his his work with WWE on “Barricade” and also what else he has planned next.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you go from black-belt martial artist to attorney to writer?
Michaelbrent Collings: Geez, there’s a question whose answer could go on FOREVER. Short answers: I’ve been involved in martial arts for much of my life, dating back to the day I realized that a teen who weighed all of one hundred pounds was going to have a full life working as a doormat for bigger kids. Also, I realized that girls did not, as a rule, dig guys that they could out-bench press. Martial arts seemed like a good way to both take better care of myself and build up some seriously lacking strength. Thus I became the towering colossus of manliness I am today. As for the attorney to writer thing, I always liked writing, but never liked the idea of being “that guy.” You know, the guy who’s 40 years old and still living in his parents’ basement while trying desperately to convince girls he’s “just waiting for his big break.” So I went to law school, the last refuge of the incompetent. And as soon I started making money as a writer, I was pretty much out of there (the law thing, that is). So now I’m no longer a lawyer, just a writer. And my wife and family both assure me I’m much happier because of it.

MG: How did you get involved writing the screenplay for WWE Studios’ “Barricade”?
MBC:It was actually an original script that I took to them. I had written this ghost script called BARRICADE, and a lot of people in Hollywood liked it. It ended up going to WWE Studios, where Richard Lowell and Sharyn Steele, two of the producers there, got their hands on it. They loved it, but it wasn’t right for the studio at the time. Sharyn (who is still a great friend of mine and a peach of a gal) ended up going her own way, but Richard stayed at WWE Studios. A couple years later there was a management change at WWE Studios. The new VP walked in and told Richard that they wanted to do a ghost movie. Richard, it turned out, had more or less kept BARRICADE on his desk for the intervening years, and handed it right to the VP (another really cool guy named Steve Barnett). Steve loved it, so Richard called me in to the production company’s offices and I met with him and Steve. I think they’d probably already decided that they wanted the script at that point, but wanted to make sure I was someone they could work with. Well I already liked Richard, and Steve and I hit it off really well, so the next day I got a call that they wanted to option the script. They did so, and then they purchased it a bit later, and voila!

MG:How does the film compare to the page?
MBC:It’s different in a lot of ways. I mean, for one thing it’s a surreal experience to go from a hundred or so printed pages to an hour and a half of film that cost millions to put together. Not only that, but everyone who works on it puts their imprint on it. So when WWE Studios purchased my original script, the first thing that happened was they hired me to do a rewrite to accommodate some of the producers’ “visions” of the piece. The ending was changed a lot, due to a belief on their part that the ending I had (which was quite dark) wouldn’t be something American audiences would like. Then they hired a director, and I understand he pushed the script more toward the psychological thriller aspect, when originally it had been a 50/50 blend of psychological thriller AND ghost story. And then there were changes to accommodate production scheduling, location issues, editing, etc. etc. etc. So in the end it was nearly as much of a surprise for me to watch the finished product as it would have been for anyone else in the world.

MG:Tell us about your next film “Darkroom”?
MBC:DARKROOM is a really cool script I did that deals with a girl getting out of prison. She’s young, went to jail on a manslaughter charge, and now she lives in a halfway house during parole. As part of her parole she has to get a job, and lands as a gofer at a real estate photography company. She shows up to work on day one (the company is shooting a gloomy mansion, of course), and is told that the model they were counting on didn’t show up so she’s got to fill in. The photo people give her a change of clothes, she changes in the bathroom… and when she comes out she’s been locked into the mansion. Turns out the photo company is owned and staffed by a group of crazy siblings who tortured and killed their own mother, and now intend to reenact the fun with her. So it’s basically one of those “feel good” movie for the whole family flicks you’ll probably see on the Disney channel at some point. Ha!

MG:You have written many novels, how does it compare to doing film?
MBC:It’s totally different. I love doing both, but the way I describe it is that they’re like two different languages. Screenwriting requires an extremely high level of precision and clarity because there are only a very few words to describe characters, location, action, and dialogue. But at the same time, books are tough because you have to keep an audience’s attention for many hours of reading, as opposed to just one or two for a script. Some stories lend themselves to one or the other. I like stories that work for both, because I love to write novels of scripts and vice-versa.

MG:Tell us about your latest and upcoming novels?
MBC: My latest novels are called APPARITION and BILLY: SEEKER OF POWERS. APPARITION is a crazy-scary book about a family where the mother tries to stabe her two kids to death. The dad saves them, and the mother then turns the knife on herself. A year later, Dad and the two kids are still putting their family back together… and he starts fantasizing about killing his children. Turns out there is an otherworldly entity at work, one that feeds on the blood and death of children, and one that possesses the kids’ own parents to do the dirty work. BILLY is the other end of the spectrum: it’s a young adult fantasy that’s the second book in my bestselling BILLY SAGA. It’s about a misfit kid who discovers that his favorite teacher is a wizard and that he (the kid) may be the key to a war between two factions of magic-users. The kid may also be a weapon that destroys the entire world, so it’s definitely a high-stakes book, but with lots of fun and humor as well. And upcoming… I have a novel called HOOKED that I’m working on and it should be out before too much longer. I can’t say too much about the plot because it’s THAT fun, but I will say I hope it will be kind of the anti-TWILIGHT: teen vampires done right. No sparkles.

 

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: barricade, collings, michaelbrent, talks, writing, wwes, ...

Craig Gerber talks about creating Disney Junior’s “Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess”

Craig Gerber is the co-executive producer/writer of Disney Junior’s “Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess”. Disney will introduce its first little girl princess with the debut of “Sofia the First: Once Upon A Princess,” an enchanting, music-filled animated Disney Junior television movie for the whole family, Sunday November 18 on Disney Channel and Thursday and November 22 on Disney Junior, the 24-hour channel. The primetime television movie special stars Ariel Winter (“Modern Family”) as the voice of Sofia, Sara Ramirez (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as her mother, Queen Miranda; Wayne Brady (“Let’s Make A Deal”) as Clover, a wise-talking Rabbit; and Tim Gunn (“Project Runway”) as Baileywick, the family’s Royal Steward. A television series of “Sofia the First”  will debut in early 2013 on Disney Junior, as well. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Craig about how this show was created and what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how “Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess” was born?
Craig Gerber: A few years ago, I was approached by Nancy Kanter at Disney Junior because they were looking to create a TV show centered around a princess for 2-7 year old children. She asked me flat out if I had any ideas, so I said I would think about it. So I got in my car and was stuck in traffic, I guess that is where you do your best thinking in Los Angeles. I started thinking about my own childhood. I grew up in a blended family. My parents divorced. My dad remarried. I have a half-brother. It occurred to me that it would be great to create a fairy tale story that the modern family can relate to. For there, I thought it would also be wonderful to have a princess character that children could closely identify with. I just had my first child at the time and I was watching him experiencing new things and how to get along in the world. I saw him emulating fantasy characters. Fantasy has always been a great way to tell stories and to impart lessons. I thought wouldn’t it be great for kids to be able to use those fantasy stories to provide life lessons to them as they grow up. With all that in mind, I thought “What if, there was an ordinary girl that lived in an enchanted village and her mother fell in love and married the king overnight, which made this young little girl a princess overnight.” She has to learn how to be royal and get to know her step-family. The idea of this blended royal family in an enchanted world is the heart of the show.

MG: What is a princess movie without great songs…tell us about that aspect?
CG: It is funny because I never intended it to be a musical. I got to a part in the script for the TV movie, when Sofia gets the power to talk with animals due to this emulate and they have a chance to give her their piece of mind. Her rabbit friend Clover wants to tell her why woodland creatures have been helping princesses all these years. I thought wouldn’t it be great if they just broke out into song. Like this was the first time that anyone has ever thought about that [laughs]. So I wrote lyrics to the song that would become “A Little Bit of Food”. We find out these furry woodland creatures are helping out princesses since that is where all the great food is. For there the response from the network was so great that they asked me to write three or four more songs. So it became a musical just like that! And I got to tell you…it is one of the best parts.

MG: How was it incorporating classic characters like Flora, Fauna and Merryweather from “Sleeping Beauty” and Cinderella?
CG: It is daunting. It is wonderful. That has been the fun of the show is embracing the Disney legacy and the Disney fairy tale storyboard world. And taking the decades of films and characters and creating our own unique kingdom while still incorporating those characters and elements into our show. To be able to put Flora, Fauna and Merryweather in the show and make them the head mistresses of Royal Prep, the school where Sofia and all the princesses all over the world go, is just great fun. They are great characters and children know them from “Sleeping Beauty”. It is just a blast to be able to have them show up and be a part of our world. When you bring in a classic Disney princess like Cinderella, who makes a cameo appearance to give some princess advise to Sofia, which is really…just an honor.

MG: Tell us about the amazing voice cast including Ariel Winter, Wayne Brady and Tim Gunn?
CG: The voice cast is not only supremely talented but they are genuinely excited to be working on this show. It is partially because they love the characters, the world and the legacy of Disney storytelling. Ariel Winter is a wonderful young actress from “Modern Family” and she breathes life into Sofia. She captured the character immediately. Wayne Brady is hilarious. He has brought a lot of humor both written and unwritten [laughs] to the character of Clover the Rabbit. Tim Gunn, who I believe has had limited if any voice over experience, has really embodied the character of Baileywick, the kings right-hand man. We also have Sara Ramirez from “Grey’s Anatomy”, who is a talent actress and singer. Overall, we just have such a wonderful cast who have come in and brought so much creativity and enthusiasm to the show. It has really elevated everything we done.

MG: This TV movie is set as the pilot to the upcoming animated series, when/what can we expect?
CG: The TV movie follows Sofia’s first two days in the castle, her debut ball and also getting along we her new step-sister Amber. Then in the series, which will launch early next year, will follow her continued adventures being a princess in this royal world. The show at its essence is about Sofia learning that being truly royal is about how you behave and the person you are inside. A lot of the episodes show Sofia learning these lessons or showing others how to learn these as well, especially her step-sister Amber. There are also a bunch of fun adventures that Sofia goes on and a lot of new fun characters we meet. So there are a lot of great things in store for her.

COPYRIGHT ©2012 Disney Junior. All photography is copyrighted material and is for editorial use only. Images are not to be archived, altered, duplicated, resold, retransmitted or used for any other purposes without written permission of Disney. Images are distributed to the press in order to publicize current programming. Any other usage must be licensed.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: craig, creating, disney, gerber, juniors, princess, ...

The Dude Designs’ Thomas Hodge talks creating art for the horror genre

Thomas Hodge is the man behind The Dude Designs (thedudedesigns.blogspot.com). He is a
freelance film poster art director, designer and illustrator for such films as “Hobo With a Shotgun”, “The Innkeepers”, “Fathers Day!”, Arrow Video Covers: “Savage Streets”, “Jaguar Lives” and many others. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Thomas about his work and his love for the horror genre.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your got started with The Dude Designs?
Thomas Hodge: It was creative frustration and a passion for film. I’ve been in the design industry for over twelve years now, going through all types of design from corporate business to in-store promo for toys & DVD’s, general design agencies and have spent quite a few years in and out the games industry, creating key art for packaging etc. Creatively I felt I was always held back from producing something which would standout. so I rediscovered my love of old video cover art and that sent the old cogs grinding and i started experimenting more with styles and design to tap into that classic vain, in a market i felt was running dry creatively.  I suppose the initial inspiration was for an intoxicated night at the midnight movies screening of the grindhouse film. I was over there with a bunch of mates and they had silly draw a grindhouse poster so I entered my drunken scrawl for a poster of DUDE! Which I then later worked up into one of my early video cover experiments:

MG: How did you get involved doing film posters and DVD/Blu-ray covers?
TH: Like I said I started experimenting creating flyers for midnight movies night. It’s easier to start the wheels in motion design wise (I find) if you have a purpose, so doing the flyers on the side gave me that initial push (i was still working full time creatively) but it made me experiment with my passion of film as the medium, if you will. Creating the blog then gave me a platform to get this work out there for people to see. So from there I then was starting an art project creating old video nasty covers really getting wrapped up in all the little design niches that I loved, I was still working more with photographic imagery so to really capture that inspiration essence which excited me about this type of art I needed to push it further, and I worked on a self project titled Cannon (a mock 70 crime action drama based on my love of “Death Wish” and 70s Italian crime cinema) then I tackled a competition for Empire Film Mag in the UK and the response was great, with that style and my other work at Sony I picked up the arrow covers. Still wanting to push it further I saw the release of “Hobo “loved it and contacted the guys about creating a poster, they said sure love to see what you can do, i worked my nuts off on that. they loved it so much they brought it and used it… the rest as they say is history, but I’m still trying to push my style and work further with each project, I’m aiming for world domination of bust!

MG: Your work is a breath of fresh air from all the lame (giant heads) Hollywood posters, tell us about your influence?
TH: EVERYTHING from my childhood to adolescence, video rental shop shelves. Artist wise Graham Humphrey’s work form films like “Evil Dead”, “Nightmare on Elm Street”, “The Return of The Lliving Dead”, “Spookies”, “The Stuff”… man the list goes on. Enzo Sciotti, who is an amazing Italian poster artist from the 70’s and 80’s. Frant Frazetta for his use of form and figures is just incredible!  Even the more minimal work of Stephen Frankfurt has influenced me. All the greats which seem to have been forgotten about and over looked, good design has been excluded from commercial (I’m not talking about ‘limited edition’ screen prints) film posters for far too long now. The responsibility of that doesn’t come down to the designers either it’s the distributors who feel dumb is best to sell. My work has been swapped out for some appalling designs on DVD releases; did you SEE what they did to the Innkeepers in the UK? I’m always searching out new inspiration trying to push the envelope.

MG: How much freedom do you have when working on a project?
TH: Again it depends on the client, I usually try to get a lot though, why higher me else? If you’re going to pay me I will promise to deliver the best god damn poster design I can to appropriately promote your film to an audience. A lot of the time they will request a montage style poster, so that will be the framework but I like to experiment and try to sell other styles in to. At the end of the day I’m trying to get people trusting in what I do creatively and I sell myself more as a creative director of these projects. Working with directors directly gives the most freedom I find, they trust you and it usually forms the best relationships. I don’t do design by committee been there done that.

MG: What do you enjoy most about working in the horror genre?
TH: The fantasy element, it gives you that fun visual hook to play with. You can let your imagination run wild; I wish people would make more rubber monster films again. I feel I make as many twisted action flick as horror though.

MG: What is your favorite 80’s horror films? Current horror film?
TH: Oh man, how longs a piece of string? Er…. I honestly can’t say. I love them all for their 80’s cheesy. More modern is easier as there’s a lot less on the list (excluding all the ones i worked on as I don’t want to be seen showing favoritism) “Wendigo”, “Last Winter”, “I Can See You”, “Session 9”, “Pontypool”, “28 Days later”, “Altered”, “The Objective”, “Let The Right One In (Swedish)” and “Insidious” (that’s quite a mainstream one for me) stood out for me.

MG: How do you approach a project like the design for “They Live” Blu-ray?
TH: Well I look at what the films message is, visually how its approach and style, setting are. Then work on a visual which reflects those messages to the viewer. it’s an 80s action extravaganza combined with social commentary, staring one of the greatest wrestlers ever. So that’s what I drew! I was so enamored in the film in my head I was trying to produce a piece which had almost religious iconography undertones and Piper with Keith where latter day saints standing against adversity! Crazy shit hey, at first you may see big guns but if you look deeper there are messages. It doesn’t need to be like a minimal to be clever!

MG: What other projects do you have planned upcoming?
TH: We two corking (actually four) posters yet to get released for “Almost Human”, “Wake Before I Die” (bit of a change of gear on that one so see how people react, that’s always fun!). Then I got another poster for “Would You Rather” (which has a classic flavor) and a big fun monster one for “Hypothermia”, if they release it.

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Filed Under: Interviews, Misc Interviews Tagged With: art, creating, designs, dude, genre, hodge, ...

Travis Pastrana talks about film “Nitro Circus 3D: The Movie”

Travis Pastrana is probably best known for his multiple X-Games Gold medals in motocross and as the face of “Nitro Circus”. Together with his fearless crew of daredevils they released their first full length feature titled “Nitro Circus 3D”. The film documents the crew’s adventure and antics as they make their way cross country to perform in the first ever “Nitro Circus Live” event. The film was recently released on Blu-Ray and DVD and Travis took time out of his busy schedule to talk with Media Mikes about the making of the film.

Adam Lawton: How did you first get involved with Gregg Godfrey and Jeremy Rawle?
Travis Pastrana: Gregg has been a motocross guy for a long time. He was actually working as a key grip on “Touched by an Angel” and in his off time he would work on motocross stuff. The first time I met Gregg was at a event in Las Vegas when I was 11. A few years later I met him again and he asked if I could choose to do any type of what would it be. I told him that I wanted to jump the Grand Canyon with a parachute on my back while doing a back flip on a dirt bike. The day before my eighteenth birthday I got a call out of the blue from Gregg asking if I wanted to still do that. He offered to pay for my sky diving lessons and to bring me out there. We shot that for “Global Addiction” and the following year we started “Nitro Circus”. He gave me a camera and we just started shooting and editing things. Gregg left being a true Hollywood guy and we traveled all over making motocross films. Jeremy Rawle came in two years later as we needed someone who knew about music rights and all that kind of stuff.  Gregg had gotten in to a bit of trouble for using some music he didn’t have the rights so that’s how Jeremy got involved. We had known him as he was a skier and motocross guy. We are kind of a hodgepodge crew but its fun.

AL: Whose idea was it to do a full feature length film?
TP: We had all wanted to do something like this for a long time. MTV came to us and asked initially if we wanted to do 20 episodes of the “Nitro Circus” television show. All of us with the exception of Street Bike Tommy who is still hanging sheet rock have just so much going on we didn’t have the time. A few of the Nitro guys worked on the “Jack Ass 3D” film and they came back and said that the 3D cameras were there and we had the chance to do something that had never been done before. The television stuff lost some of the bigness when it was transferred down so Gregg was like “Let’s do it”. He then went out to try and secure funding. No one wanted to take on the liability or pay the additional 5 million dollars in insurance. We ended up making the film on our own which allowed us to do whatever we wanted to do. If we thought something would work we tried. A lot of things didn’t work while a lot of stuff did. We just had so much fun traveling the world.

AL: How long did the open sequence of the film take to put together?
TP: The two things that cost the most and took the most time were the opening and closing scenes. They ended up changing what was originally supposed to be the closing scene to the opening scene. We learned quite a bit from making this film and we pretty much know what we are doing now. (Laughs) We had originally planned out the entire film however I ended up getting hurt before we shot the big finale. Everything had been geared towards this one stunt and in the bonus features you will get to see all this footage and things will make more sense. We had to change the whole movie around due to my shattered ankle but I think it actually works better. We were able to have all the guys from the “Nitro Circus Live” tour be in the film and that helped fill out the story.

AL: What was the most difficult part of making the film?
TP: To be honest the film was nothing but fun to make. We were able to come up with the funding by a lot of us putting up our own money to get this made. We were all ok with doing that. The distribution part of things I think was the hardest. The only people who seemed really excited about the project were those with kids. There was just no precedence and “Nitro Circus” isn’t like “Jack Ass”. We told them that we are not like “Jack Ass” as we are not hurting ourselves for amusement. We are a group of athletes that are doing some stupid stuff but it is different. We put in 6 million dollars to get the film made and then another 6 million to advertise the film. 3 million of that was just for the 3D cameras. The film essential cost 4 times what it should just because that’s how things work. Are goal was to make a really good film and I think we have done that.

AL: What do you think was the scariest part of shooting?
TP: There were quite a few. Most of them involved Aaron
“Wheels” Fotheringham. That guy is such an inspiration. He came to me at one point as he was pretty bummed that a lot of crashes and stuff didn’t make it in to the final cut of the film. I hate to break it down this way but Jolene crashed a lot and we couldn’t use all of them because she’s a pretty girl and it’s not funny to see a pretty girl crashing all the time. It’s also not funny when a guy in a wheelchair crashes. It makes you sad. During one stunt Wheels was partially knocked out and he started singing “My Little Butter Cup”. It was hilarious but we just couldn’t put it in. Those were some tough calls to make but it is what it is.

AL: What other things do you and the rest of the Nitro crew have in the works?
TP: Well Tommy is still hanging sheet rock. Jim had a real bad crash that has taken him out of active sports. He has a real good job and everything but he probably won’t be able to perform BMX anymore. Jolene has been doing stunts on movie after movie. She was one of the stunt drivers in the latest “Batman” film. She is doing a great job in that industry. Erik Roner has been skiing and picked up where he left off with that and his base jumping. For me NASCAR has been really big as well as Rally-Cross.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: 3d, circus, film, movie, nitro, pastrana, ...

Elaine Hendrix talks about new web series “Fetching”

Elaine Hendrix plays the role of Sheila in the new web series “Fetching”. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Elaine recently about working on the series and what other projects have been keeping her busy.

Adam Lawton: What can you tell us about your new show “Fetching”?
Elaine Hendrix: I love this role so much. It is a web series put out by Michael Eisner’s company. They teamed up with AOL and writer Amy Harris who wrote “Sex and the City”. The series is fun and really cute. There are animals in it and you can never go wrong there. I like to describe my character on the show as being fabulously, fabulous. She is the top client at Fetching and spoils her dog rotten. I had a ball doing this. It was very much like shooting for a television series other than we jammed the whole season in to a month’s worth of shooting. There have been talks already of doing a second run.

AL: What drew you to the project?
EH: First and for most it was set in a dog boutique. There was going to be a lot having to do with dogs. Being the animal activist that I am it was perfect. Also getting the chance to work with Amy Harris was something that I really wanted to do as I am a big fan of her work.

AL: What do you think was the biggest challenge working on a series like this?
EH: Surprisingly nothing. The only difference was that we had to move a little faster. In this day and age unless you are a 100 million dollar franchise everyone is trying to do things on a shoe string budget. Moving faster has sort of become the norm. I think the show looks beautiful and the writing and cast are top rate. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

AL: What did you enjoy most about your role?
EH: Sheila is kind of like the “Samantha” of the show minus the gratuitous sex. Sorry to disappoint all the readers. (Laughs) She lives in her own world and plays by her own rules. Sheila knows who she is and has no qualms being that.

AL: Can you tell us about a few of your other projects?
EH: I just finished work on “A Street Car Named Desire” and it’s looking like the production is going to be reprised in Los Angeles which would be great. I love Blanche Dubois. For women’s roles it doesn’t get much better than that. I did a Christmas film for the Ion Network that will be released around the holidays. I also did a film titled “General Education” which was just released. Then there are a few other projects that are in development as well.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: elaine, fetching, hendrix, series, talks, web, ...

James McGibney talks about Cheaterville.com & Bullyville.com

James McGibney is the founder of sites like Cheaterville.com & Bullyville.com.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with James about what he has created and what he has planned next.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about the origin of Cheaterville.com & Bullyville.com?
James McGibney: I was in the Marine Corps on an overseas deployment with a good friend of mine. We came back only to discover that his wife had been having an affair during the entire deployment. I thought to myself, doesn’t everyone have the right to know if someone is cheating on them? Bullyville.com was launched much sooner than anticipated because we wanted to immediately shut down one of the worst cyber bullying websites on the web, isanyoneup.com. Which I’m proud to say we did.

MG: How do you feel that the site has helped or hurt people since starting?
JMG: Whenever the act of infidelity is injected into any relationship there will always be levels of hurt. It still amazes me to see how much help and support our end user community gives to someone who posts an alleged cheater on CheaterVille. It reminds the cheating victim that there is always light at the end of any tunnel.

MG: How do you reflect on people providing false claims?
JMG:  We have been very consistent on this issue since day 1.  CheaterVille is not judge nor jury which is why we don’t pick and choose which posts go live. Could you imagine if Facebook had to verify every single post that someone made on their wall or if Twitter had to verify the validity of each tweet? Having said that, we’ve teamed up with two separate arbitration companies (neither of which we are affiliated with) in an effort to help clear the names of anyone who has been falsely accused on our site.

MG: How was it being interviewed with outlets like Anderson Cooper, Dr. Drew, Wendy Williams and Howard Stern?
JMG: Although it’s always a humbling experience to be interviewed or even mentioned by high profile celebrities, it’s the grass roots interviews I love the best. My very first radio interview was with Dave & Mahoney on 107.5FM in Las Vegas. They aren’t a nationally syndicated show (although they absolutely should be) however they were the first to reach out and interview me and quite frankly, put us on the map. That will always be my most memorable interview.

MG: Where do you see these sites developing into in the coming years?
JMG: They will continue to grow and we will continue rolling out new websites that make an impact within the social networking industry.

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Filed Under: Misc Tagged With: bullyvillecom, cheatervillecom, james, mcgibney, talks

Andre Braugher talks about his role in ABC’s “Last Resort”

I first noticed Andre Braugher when he played the role of Thomas, one of the soldiers assembled to form the first black regiment during the Civil War, in “Glory.” The dignity in his performance played perfectly off of the angry resentment of Denzel Washington’s contributing, I have no doubt, to Washington winning the Oscar for his performance.

Probably best known for his Emmy Award winning work on NBC’s “Homicide,” the Chicago born Braugher has also done fine work in such films as “Duets,” “Striking Distance” and “Salt” and has had recurring roles in such popular television shows as “House,” “Law and Order: SVU” and “Men of a Certain Age.” This season Braugher stars as Captain Marcus Chaplin in “Last Resort”, skipper of a U.S. Submarine whose crew is now being targeted by the government for not obeying what Chaplin deemed an illegal order to fire their weapons. While promoting the second half of the season Braugher spoke with Media Mikes about what brought him to the role and what to expect later this season.

Mike Smith: Thank you for taking the time to talk this afternoon. It’s taken me 23 years but finally I get to tell you how brilliantly moving your performance was in “Glory.”
Andre Braugher: Really? Wow, thank you.

MS: After everything that has happened so far, how tough is it do you think for Chaplin to enter into negotiations with the government?
AB: Well at this point I think it’s what Chaplin wants. I mean, I have – he has a crew of sailors, very few of which truly understand what happened on the con and what the ramifications of being considered treasonous or renegades or mutineers of some kind. And so he wants to give his crew as well as his officers an opportunity to surrender the ship and not be held accountable for what Marcus and Sam did, you know, back in the pilot in terms of firing a missile on the United States. So it’s quite important because at this point it seems as though this is a crew that’s held together by the belief we ought to stick together long enough so that we can make it back home and these negotiations really are a way to get back home. Because in essence we’re not equipped to be traitors. We’re patriots and it’s of the utmost importance that we defend ourselves.

MS: Was there one factor that drew you to the series, the writing or the story line, that made you want to do the show?
AB: No it really wasn’t one factor. I mean, this is a show with a very ambitious premise and it could easily evolve into something kind of silly, you know. But Shawn Ryan has a craft for making very interesting, provocative television and, you know, his abilities are apparent. So that’s one consideration and the script was another consideration. Melvin Campbell, and I’ve worked with him before and admire him a lot, was another consideration. So it was a confluence thing. No one would have made it possible but all three of them together made it a very attractive prospect to be a part of the show.

MS: How much more tense will the situation get between Chaplin and Prosser as the season goes on? (NOTE: Robert Patrick co-stars on “Last Resort” as Master Chief Joseph Prosser)
AB: Well this is – well, you know, Robert is a very intense guy so this is what happens I think when patriots clash. We’re both very passionate about what it is that we’re doing and we’re both supremely concerned about the health and welfare of our crew. I would have to say that Chaplin needs Prosser very much not only because he exercises discipline over the crew but it’s because he is a touchstone for the crew. If the chief of the boat thinks that it’s right then the guys have a tendency to fall in line. And so Prosser is very important to Chaplin and is very important that – for Chaplin – that Prosser understands that our whole goal here is to get back home and to get back home in safety. And after last week’s episode in which the Secretary of Defense basically said to blow the boat under water and to kill all of these sailors, I think we understand that going home in this state would be perilous and we’re looking for the opportunity to go home safely and stand trial. And this week’s episode, “Skeleton Crew,” is really about our opportunity to negotiate, an opportunity to go home and stand trial, more so for the officers than it is for the enlisted men because ultimately officers are the ones who are responsible for the conduct of the ship. Prosser and Imay disagree but I think we do understand that the whole point is to get back home.

MS: What is it about Chaplin that you relate to and like the most?
AB: What is it about Chaplin that I relate to and like the most? Well I like the fact that he’s thinking ahead, you know. It’s the strategic part of Chaplin that’s fascinating to me. The fact that the next step may seem the next right one but when you think several steps out further it turns out to be a misstep, you know. So the negotiations are important….an important piece of theater, and every weapon at our disposal is brought to bear to make these negotiations fruitful. The thing that’s fascinating is that when I go back to the pilot it’s something I read the very first time I read the script. So after they discover the bombers are coming to make a strike on their position and everyone is scrambling back to the boat. During that time when everyone is saying to themselves we’ve got to get the hell out of here, we’ve got to submerge the boat, we’ve got to run, it’s at that point that Chaplin was thinking, you know, in that ten minute scramble back to the boat where Chaplin was thinking we’ve got to fire, you know what I mean. We’ve got to play this enormous game of chicken, you know what I mean. And after they backed down from this enormous game of chicken we’ve got to go even further, you know what I mean. We’ve got to put the fear of God into them, you know what I mean, so they understand. Otherwise our position really isn’t tenable.

MS: Have you or the other cast members heard from military people about the characters you’re playing and more importantly the premise and how provocative it is?
AB: Well it’s provocative as well as being farfetched. And they comment on that as well. I think in all the comments that I’ve heard is that what they really like is the fact that we are getting inside the head of Navy men and women and exploring the issues that are important to them. The premise is ambitious to say the least and our job every week really is to fill in that ambitious premise with some very down to earth, honest, raw, detailed kind of acting and storytelling. And it’s one thing to have an ambitious premise, but it’s another thing to drift off into a kind of fantasy land behind that premise. And I think what we’re dedicated to is making sure that it’s honest and it’s raw, it’s down to earth, and it’s compelling. And so far that has worked and that’s our great goal. That and delivering the action every week. And basically giving the broadcast television audience a movie every week. And that’s a tall order but so far we’ve succeeded and we’re really looking forward to seeing how far we can go with this thing.

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Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With: abcs, andre, braugher, resort, role, talks, ...

Pixar’s Tia Kratter talks about working on “Brave”

Tia Kratter joined Pixar Animation Studios in April 1993 as a digital painter during production of the studio’s first feature film, “Toy Story.” She has subsequently held the shading art director role on “A Bug’s Life,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Cars,” where she was responsible for specifying the color and texture of every object modeled for a film. Kratter most recently completed work as the shading art director for Disney•Pixar’s feature film “Brave,” which opened in theaters in summer of 2012 and is set to release in North America on Blu-ray™ and DVD on November 13, 2012. Prior to Pixar, Kratter was a background painter at Disney Feature Animation from 1980 to 1985, where she worked on a variety of acclaimed animated films including “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Media Mikes had a chance to ask Tia a few questions about working with Pixar and on the film “Brave”.

Q: You’ve been at Pixar since the first Toy Story, working in the art department. How has your work evolved over the past few years?
A: You’ve done your homework! Back in 1993, when I began to work on “Toy Story,” the internet as we now know it didn’t exist. So all of our reference on that film was personally-found. In other words, when we had to figure out Sid’s hair, I went directly to my oldest son’s flattop haircut and used that as reference. Nowadays we back up real reference with information we find online. It helps streamline things. Still, and you’ll hear this a lot this morning, there’s nothing like touching and seeing the real thing. Also, on “Toy Story,” we really didn’t know what the heck we were doing. Now we’ve got all sorts of hoops to jump through. Making a computer animated film is not a quick process, and just because we’re using a computer it doesn’t really go any faster than classic hand-drawn animation.

Q: What is the coolest thing about working at Pixar?
A: 1. The cereal bar. We get a choice of about 18 different cereals in our brown bag kitchen to choose from every morning. Once a week I go for the Captain Crunch, which my mom never let me eat when I was a kid. 2. The people (actually that should be my number 1). You can’t believe how many thoughtful, kind and creative people work here. I’m in awe of the talent around me every single day. 3. The commitment to making great films. We try hard, really hard, to make our films something that we love. And, by feeling solid about them ourselves, we hope the audience does too.

Q: Which were the most difficult elements to translate to the movie?
A: Initially, Merida’s hair of course was a challenge. But we knew it was going to be from the very beginning. And when we can anticipate our challenges, we tend to do really well. It’s those little surprises that come up along the way that can really throw us for a loop. We had never done a horse, except for Bullseye in “Toy Story 2” and “Toy Story 3.” In “Brave,” we wanted to create a fairly realistic horse, one that didn’t talk or make funny faces. Although Angus was a challenge, he remains one of my favorite characters in the film because he is elegant, strong and visually beautiful.

Q: In Brave the landscapes, Merida’s hair and, in general, the care for details is really impressive. Can you tell us about the process/es required to bring these details to life?
A: Thanks for your nice note! What we discovered in both the landscapes and Merida’s hair was the beauty of chaos. The landscapes were a combination of grasses, mosses, ferns, rocks – different textures across any environment. Similarly, Merida’s hair was lots of different oranges and yellows, and every ringlet had its own personality. A lot of times you think characters and landscapes are quite different, but in this case they took on the same types of challenges. So, in order to make them look believable, we gathered a lot of research for both the hair and the landscapes and took that all the way through the process, even getting some help from the lighting team to bring it all together.

Q: How would you describe the ultimate goal of the shading art director?
A: My ultimate goal is to support the visual inspiration of the director and the production designer. I’m responsible for specifying the colors and textures for things that are modeled in the film. It’s one small part of a greater group of people who come together to make the visuals work as a whole. There’s really no part of the film that I can point to and say, “I did that.” Making a CG animation film is so collaborative, that if you’re looking for individual accolades, this probably isn’t the right medium for it.

Q: Did 3D ever come up as part of the design process?
A: That’s a great question. We never make creative decisions for our films based on the 3D, but we find that it’s another good mechanism for conveying our stories. I loved seeing “Finding Nemo” in 3D. That deep, atmospheric world lent itself so well to another dimension of viewing. As far as the art and design of “Brave,” we never stopped and rejiggered things specifically for 3D. We do our best to make a visually gratifying film for whatever medium it’s shown in.

Q: In special feature “Brave Old World”, we see how you were taking photos of landscapes and how you were drawing details with brush and watercolors. Was it difficult to move all those textures, spongy grass and hardness of the rocks, to the film?
A: From an artistic point of view, it’s not difficult at all. We take our drawings, photographs and real reference from our trip, show them to our technical team and describe how they inspired us. Now, if you ask the same question to our technical team, they would probably have a different answer. It’s one thing to be inspired by something; it’s another to actually bring it to the screen. We worked together, sometimes for months, to get the look and texture of something right. We’ll go back and forth between art and, in my case, shading or texturing, to come up with a solution that’s visually pleasing technically feasible.

Q: How long did it take you and your team to complete the movie?
A: I worked on “Brave” for 6 years, which is a little longer than normal. The typical production time on a Pixar film is 4-6 years, so we were on the longer end for “Brave.”

Q: Do you have any fun stats or numbers concerning the art design and renditions?
A: Here’s a number: A113 is seen in every one of our films. It’s the animation classroom at Cal Arts, one of the schools where quite a few of our artists studied. You can find that over the entry door in the Witches cottage. (but look carefully…it’s not easy to find). Merida has a total of 22 different costumes. Merida has more than 1500 individually sculpted “keyhairs” that once rendered in the computer generate about 111,700 hairs. Yikes!

Q: Are you already working on another project?
A: I’m not. Pixar is really thoughtful about giving us a break after we’ve worked for 6 years on a film. So for the past few months I’ve been working for Pixar University, the internal, educational branch of Pixar. It’s a great chance to recharge before moving on to another film.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: brave, kratter, pixars, talks, tia, working, ...

Sister Sin’s Liv Jagrell talks about new album “Now and Forever”

The Swedish heavy Metal band Sister Sin has just released a new album titled “Now and Forever” via Victory Records. Recently Media Mikes had the pleasure to talk with the bands lead vocalist Liv Jagrell about the album and the bands upcoming U.S. tour.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background on the band?
Liv Jagrell: We are Swedish band that started around 8 years ago. I would describe our sound as old school heavy metal. That’s definitely where are roots are and Sister Sin has that similar type of sound. That sound is something that is in our hearts and is also something we want to share with everyone out there.

AL: How did you come to join the band?
LJ: The band had been looking for a singer with a voice similar to Motley Crue. One of the guys had an idea where they thought it would be cool to have a female singer but the others weren’t so in to the idea. Around that time I had put an ad in the paper and was contacted by the guitarist. He told me they were mostly looking for a guy but to come down and try out anyways. I went down to audition and we did a couple original songs as well as the Motley’s song “Live Wire”. After that they told me I was the best one to come through and asked me to join the band. I guess they had auditioned several other guys but none of them had anywhere near the balls I had. (Laughs) That gave me a bit of confidence.

AL: Can you give us some background on the band’s new album?
LJ: This will be Sister Sin’s third album now. We felt that we needed to do something different from the previous two releases. The album is old school heavy metal with a touch of the first two records added in. Our last albums were pretty straight forward so this time we wanted to try something different. We worked heavily on the vocal and melody of this album. We based the music around that which is something we had never done before. We also added some keyboard parts for the first time as well. We tried to step a little outside of our box. The album turned out better than we expected and we are very happy.

AL: What made you choose “End of the Line” as the album’s first single?
LJ: That was collaboration between us and Victory Records. We had a couple of choices but in the end this was the song that we felt worked best as a single. The song has a sound that represents the entire album very well. The song was also a great fit to make a video for.

AL: Can you tell us anything about the video?
LJ: The video was released on Oct. 15th and is based around Armageddon prophecies. We used that idea but added in the fact that people still need to be living day by day and not worrying about when the world may end. If you take those thoughts and put them in the mid of a maniac you well get this video. The video plays very much like a movie and is similar in theme to “Terminator”. We are very happy with the video.

AL: When you are writing material do you often find yourself pulling from real world situations or topics?
LJ: We write about things we care about. We are known for being rebellious but we care about what’s going on in the world. None of us were born in to rich families and were brought up in a way that we have to work to survive. This is our reaction to Sweden and the rest of the world.

AL: Can you tell us about the bands upcoming tour?
LJ: We will be heading out on the road in February with Doro. We want to get back to the U.S. as soon as possible and hopefully we can get something set up before then. We really just want to get back out there. We would be on tour right now if we could but things just haven’t worked out that way. We do have some shows scheduled around Scandinavia but we are also looking to head to Europe as well.

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Filed Under: Music Interviews Tagged With: album, jagrell, liv, sins, sister, talks, ...
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