Most community theatre companies are working on a tight budget, but that doesn't mean that getting quality production photos is impossible.
|Production Photos||$25 per dress rehearsal (shooting)|
$10 per rehearsal (previewing)
|Photo Call||$35 (max. 20 shots)|
|Lobby Headshots||$20 (cast of 1-10, $1 for each additional cast or crew member)|
|Prints||Available through Printroom.com|
Details of Services
Photographs that are taken during a dress rehearsal run of the show. It's best if things are as close to performance conditions as possible in order to get the best images. I will also attend a rehearsal and not take photos, just to familiarize myself with the show and the material. If there are moments that you'd really like me to capture, please notify me beforehand so I don't miss them. I shoot continuously throughout the show, without asking actors to pause.
Receive Photos by Opening Night
Many theatre companies like to show production photos in the lobby. If you need your production photos (usually taken at dress rehearsal) by opening night, please let me know. I will sort through the photos immediately and send you the photos in one of the following ways: 1) by e-mail (.zip file), 2) by dropping off a CD, 3) by uploading photos to Walgreens.com.
If photos are uploaded to Walgreens, you can view the gallery online, place a print order, and pick up the print order at the Walgreens location of your choice----usually in an hour after ordering. You are responsible paying for your prints.
These are usually staged photos taken midway through the rehearsal process for press releases. They can be photographs of rehearsal, staged photographs with principal actors (costumed or uncostumed), pictures of the director working with the cast, et cetera. I will come to one rehearsal to shoot these photos and have them available to the director or publicist within 48 hours (see "Receive Photos by Opening Night").
Different from shooting production photos, a photo call generally takes place before or after a dress rehearsal, or after a performance. Give me a list of shots you like----groupings, characters, lines/scenes of the show. If the list involves scenes from the show and takes place following a rehearsal or performance, it would be best to order the list from last scene to first scene.
A photo call is open to anyone with a camera who would like to take pictures. Each shot on the list is posed (usually speaking the line that goes into the "freeze" position), photographed by flash cameras (if any), photographed by non-flash cameras (including mine), and then relaxed. Because of the time it takes to set up each shot, I will only take lists with up to 20 shots.
Some companies like to showcase headshots of their actors in the lobby. If not all of your actors have their own headshots, or if you'd like a uniform look, or headshots of actors in character, we can arrange a quick headshot session prior to or following a rehearsal. These sessions generally take five minutes per cast or crew member, so please consider that when scheduling. Also, please make sure that everyone to be photographed will be present.
Photos will be finished like standard headshots unless otherwise requested.
I make my theatrical photos available to cast and crew members of the production via an order form which allows them to purchase a CD of all photos. The form also includes instructions on how to order individual prints via my store at Printroom.


Frozen is the first movie to show depressed charact-
Frozen is the first movie to be about an outcast-
Frozen is the first movie with magic-
Frozen is the first movie with a dysfunctional fam-
Frozen is the first to not have love at first sight-
Frozen is the first Disney movie to teach girls they don’t need to be saved by-
Frozen is the first movie where the princess isn’t only focused on marrying a prince-
Frozen is the first-
Frozen is the first movie about sibli—
Frozen is the first Disney movie to subvert Disney tro—
Frozen is the first movie in the line up with a princess who becomes queen during the movie instead of assumed to be eventually by age or marriage. Can we go with that?
And she is the first one confirmed to have depression and anxiety.
Also, I’m almost certain this is an exaggeration made to make the fandom appear like they’re off their rockers. I highly doubt the majority of fans think like this.
Frozen is the first movie in the line up with a princess who becomes queen during the movie instead of assumed to be eventually by age or marriage.
And no, it’s a post saying that Frozen was not the first to do any of these, it’s not as special or ground-breaking as people say it is, and that people should stop giving it cookies it doesn’t deserve.
i have so much respect for people who go on these news shows and talk to these ignorant racist assholes. If I were in their shoes I’d be rolling my eyes and getting so fucking angry because they refuse to fucking listen to anything you have to say and just keep saying the same thing over and over omg.
You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it.
Jackie Chan is like a 13 year old boy on Facebook
This post makes me happy
in the tumblr tagging system, unsourced artwork is considered especially heinous. on this blogging platform, the users who source these felonies are part of an elite task force called the source your fucking artwork unit. these are their stories.
Long time, no see! I’M DONE WITH MY PAPER! I CAN HANG OUT WITH YOU GUYS AGAIN!~ :D
The Ballet Flat, Reinvented. The most versatile flats in the world, made with the finest Italian…
Alright guys, if you don’t know by now Aladdin is my favorite Disney movie ever. Like, EVER. And if you enter yourself (you get a chance to win too!~) you will help me out by giving me an extra entry. PLEASE. It would mean the World to me and would be a DREAM COME TRUE to have my first Broadway musical be the musical that shaped my childhood!~
Like, you guys don’t know how much this would mean to me if you could do this. I will seriously love you forever.
AN ALADDIN SET FOR EVERYONE WHO ENTERS FOR ME!
And also my eternal love and gratitude!


Olivier award winning actor Matthew Kelly stars in Richard Bean's brilliantly observed and funny drama.
Starring Olivier Award winner MATTHEW KELLY and SIMON GREENALL
Another Sunday night shift. The smell of bread baking. The industrial thump, thump, thump of the machines that never stop. The ovens are cranked up to full blast, the factory is humming, and everyone wants to be somewhere else.
But this shift is going to be different. Because when a crisis hits the factory, the men have more to lose than just their wages...
From the writer of the international hit One Man, Two Guvnors, Richard Bean’sbrilliantly observed drama stars the Olivier Award winning actor Matthew Kelly andSimon Greenall (Alan Partridge). After receiving huge critical acclaim in London in 2014 this funny and moving play now comes to you prior to a New York engagement where it will be opening the prestigious Brits Off Broadway Festival.
This production was originally performed at Park Theatre, London.


I wish I could say I have an excuse for not blogging in . . . months. I don't.
Here's what I've been up to-
Feb and March went by so quickly . . . I don't even remember what was so important I had to quite blogging . . . Let's make a list of how I like to waste my time! :)
Yes, I watched Avatar: The Last Airbender around January. I'll post tons more on that soon (for real) but I am proud to say I'm glad I watched the show. It is by far the best Nick and animated show I''ve ever seen. It was dazzling and addictive in a way that I couldn't stop watching until I finished all three seasons. 5 stars!
Remember the X-Men movies? My best friend Sarah got me into the cartoon version of Evolutions. I haven’t seen the movie, but the series is something good to watch. Not as good as Avatar of course, but entertaining nonetheless.
Saturday, I watched my first Bollywood film. It was called Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na. It was very interesting, yet relatable. Though most of it was in Hindi, subtitles worked fine and the characters also randomly use English. Easy to understand. Plus, India seems to have a love for song and dance—am I right? :D
A few weeks ago, I watched a film called Slumdog Millionaire and fell in love . . . with Dev Patel! On a serious note, the movie is about a boy named Jamal who grew up in the slums of India, fell in love with a girl, and participates in a game show like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? He was arrested under suspicion of cheating. Dev Patel (Jamal) is marvelous in this movie. So are his co-stars who played his brother Sallim, friend Latika, and Jamal at younger ages. So that makes 3 actors for Jamal, Sallim, and Latika. Those kids really carried the movie, too. Rubina Ali plays youngest Latika and she was brilliant! She and her co-star both actually live in the slums of Mumbai. For some reason, his name escapes me, though he is equally awesome! Anyway, all I can say is that this movie is breathtaking in every sense. Go watch it!
Eclipse (June 30th) I’ll be watching this solely to see how Kristen Stewart does. She is my favorite actress.
The Last Airbender (July 2nd) I MUST SEE THIS MOVIE!! More thoughts are coming soon, but would you look at the title? Sound familiar? It is! It’s the movie based off my favorite TV show ever! Can’t you tell I’m excited? :D Dev Patel is in this as Zuko, my favorite character . . . it should be a very nice day for me!
Ah, so many books. I only have two favorites so far from the past few blog-free months:
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Q&A by Vikas Swarup (the novel Slumdog Millionaire is based from)
In the mean time, a book called Spells by our loved Aprilynne Pike came out today! I'm ordering it along with: signed coppies of Spirit Bound and Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead, Slumgirl Dreaming: My Journey to the Stars by Rubina Ali, The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko's Story, and The Last Airbender Movie Novelization. :)
I finished part one of my novel Sleep, but have yet to do much more. No party yet, sadly.
Her Fear of Heights is lagging on at the moment. I have about 13,500-something words. As you know, this was started in November for NaNoWriMo and never finished. It is a novel for my family and friends so they’ll at least stop bugging me about writing more, blah, blah, blah. I only have May to finish before my Uncle David, who promised to print it, retires this summer. So it’s back to writing after this.
However, I’m not entirely useless—I did Script Frenzy this year! A sister to big event in November, SF challenges you to write a 100-pages screenplay in 30 days. April 1st- 30th. This applies to you even if you’re like me, and have never written a script before. It was a challenge even with the correct software, Celtex, and I only got 66 pages done. With the fail, however, came the hook for a great novel I plan to write in November for NaNoWriMo. I don’t have a title yet, but it’s basically about this girl named Jin who goes to live with this family she’s never met after living her entire life in the circus. She trains to be an acrobatic performer, cleans and elephant, falls in love, and engages in other fun activities. One thing I found interesting about her is she’s half-Asian and half-white with blond hair. In a world where grey eyes are common and feathered horses roam the land, you’d think that would be less of an oddity. However, this girl looks to be Asian . . . with blond hair. Lol! She’s adorable, really, though the hair doesn’t look as good on her as it would her friends. The world, though entirely fictional, was inspired by China and India, using element from both cultures and sometimes adding my own twist on things. I’ll let you know how it goes!


Lack of diversity in writers’ rooms, budgets limit Deaf actors’ creative opportunities
By: Aidan McClain
Deaf actors are often overlooked or face countless barriers to booking acting roles — including losing jobs to their hearing counterparts.
Deaf artists and creatives are presented with unique challenges that often can’t be overcome without collaboration and conversation with hearing individuals. But while open communication is one way to make people think about things differently, barriers like budget and the lack of Deaf-centric roles and stories still limit Deaf actors’ work opportunities.
“We are among an incredibly diverse and vibrant community of deaf artists that are not getting opportunities because not enough is written, well-written or created to include more than the standard sole deaf character,” Alexandria Wailes, a Deaf actor, explained in an email.
To make a change, there needs to be a top-down approach, starting with who is hired in the writers’ rooms, Wailes said.
That, plus a budget for interpreters, learning best practices when working with Deaf artists and project-based mentorship are some of the first steps to telling Deaf stories.
But even if only one Deaf artist is cast in a role, this opens the door to tokenism, Wailes said.
The Deaf community is made up of different individual experiences: some people are profoundly deaf, have some hearing, are hard-of-hearing or hear a little bit.
Because we live in an audio-centric world, an audience that can hear a Deaf person speak will assume that they’re a better actor, John McGinty, a Deaf actor, said via an ASL interpreter.
“That concept is really completely wrong,” McGinty said. “Suppose there's an actor who's signing, and they might really be quite talented.”
Perhaps a bigger challenge than the audience mistaking speech for skill is completely taking Deaf actors out of the story.
This can happen when Deaf roles are given to hearing actors. Casting like this creates the idea that that’s what Deaf people look like and that’s how they act, McGinty explained. While some people may defend the casting choice as simple “acting,” Deaf actors like McGinty find it to be insulting.
The National Association of the Deaf keeps a running list of “hearing actors who have stolen Deaf roles.” The list’s 33 entries date back to 1993 and conclude most recently in 2021 with “Dune.”
These choices often lead to criticism from the Deaf community.
“Oftentimes, we will protest. Whether that's through social media, through PR — we'll make our voice heard … Basically, what's happening there is you're taking away an opportunity for us to work,” McGinty said.
Then there’s the cost of accommodation — and worth.
If a Deaf actor requests an interpreter, the production team may prioritize budget over the actor’s talent. For some actors, these barriers snowball into other problems, like defending their place on set.
“There is the challenge of navigating how much self-advocacy is necessary to be able to perform the job without worry that one may be deemed ‘difficult’ or ‘demanding too much,’” Wailes said.
Films like Apple TV’s “CODA,” which won Best Picture at the 2022 Oscars and featured multiple Deaf actors, show a potential change in the telling of Deaf stories — but there is still more to be done.
“My hope for the Deaf acting community is that we find ourselves in an industry where we can easily identify more than 20 successful and working directors, directors of photography, writers, producers, designers and other department heads who have had lived experiences as deaf people,” Wailes said.
Currently, the NAD only lists 11 Deaf-created films in their database.


When I did the first two documentaries, I didn’t become obsessed with “color grading.” I was doing somewhat basic footage, and viewers weren’t likely to fixate on color issues, so color grading struck me as a self-indulgent, time-consuming process for little benefit. The most I did was remove a slight yellow cast to some shots because I’d forgotten to do a white balance on the video camera.
Here’s a shot from the BBS Documentary (this is Ed Williams, one of my favorite interviewees):
I really am fine with this shot, even 9 years later. It has good information about Ed, captures his gestures, and lets him express himself and be heard. The excellent content of his interview, not the image, is why Ed shows up several times in the BBS Documentary. A perfectionist, however, might have wanted to make changes. This is where color grading comes in.
When people say color grading, they now mean a whole host of image repairs—from cropping the image, to changing the color, intensity and overall feel of the shot. With digital footage, the ability to do so on the fly has gone from the realm of craftsmen and expensive studios to anyone with the ability to manipulate a slider—like me.
In Ed’s image above, one might bring him forward in the shot by darkening the background, or change the color balance a tad, or play around with the framing to get just the right feel. I didn’t think it important, but this was also 720×540 Standard Definition video footage, shot on Mini-DV. My new footage is whole other matter.
When you have a shot like this…
…well, now you’re going to have a whole range of things to check out. Do you want to bring him forward? Is the lighting just right? How’s the focus? Do you want to change his skin tone from what the environment caused?
To do this, I have a whole range of tools. But since it’s so time-intensive to do, I wait until the last moment to see exactly how much of each interview’s footage is going to appear in the documentary.
Here’s another scenario. You’re shooting with a camera that wasn’t quite designed to be a video camera (but does it well), and you’re the crew, and you’re shooting in a foreign country, and you discover that the frequency of the lights causes your camera’s manual setting to freak out—so the whole thing looks like fake videogame footage—and you’re not inclined to tell your subject to just stop by the next time you’re in Finland, so you go ahead and shoot anyway, and when you do, this happens:
To be honest, this shot looks kind of awesome, but the chances are pretty high of it jarring the audience out of their absorption in the film to ask, “Why was this filmed inside a kiln?” One fix is to just use the excellent audio from the interview, but instead I’ll do color grading at the end. Here’s a very rough example of playing with the color balance in my video editing software:
The shot is still nowhere near perfect, and obviously is in need of a lot more tuning, but I wanted to demonstrate that a shot that may seem “ruined” is not necessarily. In fact, the troubled shot might even inspire you to take more risks with the look of parts of the film. Ideally, you want to get the shot 100% right the first time, but there are just too many factors to guarantee it, and so at some point, it’s likely color grading will come into your future.
By far, the absolutely best video I’ve seen on color grading is this one done in support of an Australian Electronics documentary. You’ll get it, I promise.
Now, let’s hope I never have to mention color grading again!


Short film review: Think Lovely Thoughts
wow. just. wow.
I can’t tell you when I last felt so affected by a film. A short film at that.
This film is the poster child for “less is more.” In less than 12 minutes, this pendulum takes you from insight to insanity, back to reality and into the depths of madness.
Written and directed by Stephen Snavely, Think Lovely Thoughts stars Roy Williams, Jr. as John Stevens, a wonderful father and a tormented soul; he is a dichotomy of sorts. His real-life daughter Eva plays his joyful, energetic daughter Livvy (she’s got a career ahead of her for sure), while Williams’ wife (Sam Stevens) is portrayed by Dayana Rincon, who shows cleverness in her performance peppered with just the right amount of restraint. It’s a well-balanced choreographic event, as we witness Williams’ and Stevens’ emotional turmoil while navigating a sense of normalcy for Eva and attempting to save what’s left of their relationship.
From the very start, with its cinematic magic, the film takes the viewer through their own emotional roller coaster (I’m sure it’s not just me!). The writing is clean yet powerful. What could have morphed into creepiness and preachiness resulted in something with much more of an impact: I felt as if I actually knew John. I felt his pain, his nonsensicalness (if I may be blunt)…and then it hit me: I think I AM John! I think there are a lot of us like John (particularly as we muddle through this never-ending pandemic) - and there are things we just can’t make sense of.
Best part for me? No red ribbon around this one. There are no answers, no resolutions…just a man trying to figure it all out before he takes his final bow.
Think Lovely Thoughts brings out the best in Williams and Stevens: he as a man gone mad, and she as the dutiful wife on her last leg of endurance.
Yes, what a lovely dance.
I am JBlair Brown. I do a lot of stuff. Especially write. I love to write…o’ and watch good films (the kind I’d be comfortable watching with my grandchildren…if I had any). Thanks for reading.


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Ok, so my viewing schedule for the fall is going to look much different since several shows I watched have ended including The Following, Glee, and Revenge. I have also dropped Sleepy Hollow and Gotham from my viewing list.
8 pm- Once Upon a Time (ABC), Madam Secretary (CBS)
9 pm- Blood & Oil (ABC)
10 pm- Quantico (ABC)
8 pm- Supergirl (CBS)
9 pm- Scorpion (CBS), Minority Report (Fox)
10 pm- Castle (ABC
8 pm- The Flash (CW)
9 pm- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC), Scream Queens (Fox), iZombie (CW)
10 pm- Limitless (CBS)
8 pm- Arrow (CW)
9 pm- Supernatural (CW)
8 pm- Bones (Fox), Heroes Reborn (NBC), The Vampire Diaries (CW)
9 pm- Scandal (ABC), The Blacklist (NBC), The Originals (CW)
10 pm- How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)
9 pm- Grimm (NBC)
It is a lighter load than in years past and I have a ton of CBS shows now, which is a first for me. Until the last year or so, I only ever had 1 (maybe 2) CBS shows that I watched at any given time. Around mid-season, I will be adding Lucifer (Fox), American Crime (ABC), Agent Carter (NBC), Secrets and Lies (NBC), The 100 (CW), Containment (CW), and Legends of Tomorrow (CW).
Tonight marks the season 5 premiere of Teen Wolf. Last year, I speculated about how the 20 episode season would play out. Given this interview, I think that what will happen is a long 20 episode arc with the first half being told Revenge style (ie. start with the ending and work your way to it) and the second half continuing from there. That is going to be an interesting change from the normal 12 episode arc that Jeff does. I am seriously excited to see how it works out.
For some interesting viewing, see the new opening credits here or the first scene from tonight's episode here.


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“Rarely has the division between the ‘director’ and ‘martial arts director’ created such a sense of two ‘films’ pulling in different directions. Gordon Chan’s sober historical drama almost seems to edge towards a kung fu film where the hero realises that fighting cannot solve any of the conundrums about identity, loyalty and belonging that he faces, while Yuen Wo-ping’s kung fu “clinic” pulls the film back to spectacle and heroism. Only in the Chen / Funakoshi fight (appropriately a stalemate) do the two converge. But this ‘flaw’ is also one of Fist of Legend’s points of interest as it tests out generic heroism within a more fully developed political arena.” Leon Hunt, Kung Fu Cult Masters, p. 156
This masterful quote refers to some of the complexities that make Fist of Legend such an interesting and satisfying film to watch. The film is a reinterpretation (rather than a slavish remake) of the story of martial arts hero Chen Zhen (played by Jet Li) that was originally told in Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury. The earlier film’s narrative is “… simplistic and purely driven by revenge, but the story was crafted to appeal to Chinese audiences on the most base, jingoistic level” (David West, Chasing Dragons, p 128). As Hunt alludes in the quote at the beginning of this blog, the later film sought to cover more complex themes.
“Director Chan invests his script with shadings and nuances absent in the original, so that the new version is less a simplistic xenophobic tale of virtuous Chinese versus the evil Nipponese and more a statement against militarism and intolerance regardless of nationality.” Paul Fonoroff, At the Hong Kong Movies, p. 442
That Fist of Legend does this with some measure of success is a testament to the sophistication with which the film is crafted, including the way the film’s narrative is structured and the depth of the characterizations.
As stated in the opening quote there are 2 distinct elements to Fist of Legend’s narrative – the “sober historical drama” and the “kung fu ‘clinic’”. What is striking is how well these 2 elements sit together. I take Hunt’s point about there being a pull between them, but I feel that this pull was a creatively strategic and carefully and deliberately negotiated tension, rather than something that slipped out of control during the filming process. Perhaps it helped that, apparently, during the making of this film, there was a harmonious working relationship between director Gordon Chan and choreographer Yuen Wu Ping. In an interview about this film(1) martial arts actor, Kurata Yasuaki (who plays Funakoshi), states that Chan and Yuen never quarreled, and that there was a clear delineation between who controlled the dramatic and the fight scenes. In another interview(2) Chan states that he regarded Yuen Wu Ping as something of a mentor. When discussing Fist of Legend, American film director Bret Ratner points out that Chan started off as a screenwriter, and that his sense of storytelling and structure has stood him in good stead as a director(3). Yuen Wu Ping has a reputation as a master choreographer, and deservedly so, but I also think he’s a fine director. Films like Tai Chi Master, Drunken Master and Iron Monkey show that he has great skill in using action set pieces to construct a well paced and coherent narrative.
So the making of this film was in the hands of 2 willing collaborators who brought different story telling skills to the making of Fist of Legend. As a result the story flows easily from a fight scene to a dialogue scene and then back again. The fight scenes are great set pieces in themselves but they sit comfortably within the plot and seamlessly perpetuate any atmosphere generated by the dramatic scenes (and vice versa). American directors need to take note: Fist of Legend is one of the martial arts films that is proof positive that movement can develop and add nuance to character, narrative and atmosphere, and underline thematic content(5). As a screen writer and director, Gordon Chan has worked on other martial arts movies(6) and in Fist of Legend the action scenes are allowed to exist as equal partners to the dialogue driven scenes – not just in the amount of screen time they occupy but in terms of the dramaturgical weight they carry. This is something that American directors haven’t figured out how to do and is why they fail to create adequate vehicles for the talents of performers like Jet Li or Jackie Chan(7). For example, in Fist of Legend the early fight scene at the Noguchi Arena is a terrific set piece in its own right. It is a great display piece for little Jet’s technique as a screen fighter as he takes on hordes of testosterone charged Japanese, and it is a reference point to Fist of Fury (which also has a fight scene in a similar setting at about the same point in the plot). But this scene also functions to propel the narrative forward: Chen proves that none of the men he fights were good enough to kill his sifu. This makes him suspicious of foul play and motivates him to demand the autopsy that uncovers a murder. A later fight scene features a duel between Chen and the samurai Funakoshi in a graveyard. This is the “stalemate” referred to by Hunt above, and this action scene manages to explore the philosophical differences between its 2 combatants and proves to be a pivotal point of character development for Chen as well as being visually eye catching. Film critic Elvis Mitchell commented (8) that in The Fist of Legend there is a real sense of Chen’s emotional arc being worked out as this character has to get past his own sense of self reliance and connect more with other people. The fight with Funakoshi gives Chen a chance to do this as he and Funakoshi use martial arts to find philosophical common ground, and Yuen Wu Ping uses choreography to depict this happening.
The emotional tone of the film is intense – whether they are at love or at war its characters are all playing for high stakes. So it is notable that this film never has the sense of becoming bogged down in lugubrious or emotionally laboured scenes. It is as if by embracing the discipline of producing a martial arts film, and thereby opening the film up to the kinetic dynamism and quality of focus that highly skilled physical performance demands, the makers of Fist of Legend have managed to avoid this pitfall.
The well controlled pace of Fist of Legend is reasonably brisk overall, although Chan is not afraid to allow his characters some slower scenes in which to experience tenderness, reflection or melancholy. In preparation for writing this blog, I rewatched the movie and listed all the scenes in order to see if I could detect any overall narrative rhythms or patterns. I was surprised at how short the dramatic scenes were in comparison to most of the fight scenes. Chan has done well to keep the viewer’s perception as one of watching a film that is briskly paced, rather than hurried. The dramatic scenes never feel rushed or desultory but, still, the most time that any of the characters have to interact with each other is during the fight scenes. Fist of Legend is an honest to God chopsocky for grownups – it uses the medium of martial arts to explore complex themes. I have devoted a whole (long) blog to the choreography in which I explore how useful it is dramaturgically, and I will start posting excerpts from this next.
(1) The Way of the Warrior in the Special Features section of the Dragon Dynasty DVD release of Fist of Legend.
(2) The Man Behind the Legend in the Special Features section of the Dragon Dynasty DVD release of Fist of Legend.
(3) Yes, I know the man is an ass and I don’t like seeing him pop up in the Special Features sections (4) of classic kung fu movies any more than you do but in this one instance he actually has a point.
(4) in this case: A Look at Fist of legend with Director Brett Ratner & Critic Elvis Mitchell in the Special Features section of the Dragon Dynasty DVD release of Fist of Legend.
(5) As any dancer or physical theatre practitioner knows full well.
(6) He has screen writing credits for The Defender and Hitman, for example, and co-wrote and directed the recent Return of Chen Zhen starring Donnie Yen.
(7) “American film makers have gotten to the point where they create their fights in the editing room. Those types of sequences are just designed for a visceral, flash-cut impact, and the audience’s brains are never really engaged… Hong Kong action directors actually bring narrative arcs into the fights, and tell a little story within the fighting”. Larry Wachowski (director of The Matrix movies, American Cinematographer Magazine, Probst, 1999, p 34.
(8) A Look at Fist of legend with Director Brett Ratner & Critic Elvis Mitchell in the Special Features section of the Dragon Dynasty DVD release of Fist of Legend.


Our production of HAIR will identify, recruit, and cast actors 55 and older, giving them the opportunity to actively participate in a fully staged production while learning important lifelong skills.
Auditions for the production will be in late October and into early November. Rehearsals begin in mid-November, with the performances occurring in late January through February of 2019 at Mixed Blood Theatre.
Sign up for auditions.
“This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.”


The film is available now on DVD and iTunes.
Available now internationally on Vimeo International.
Available on Netflix November 18.
Our Social Media partners at Take Part created this
beautiful animation about the film.
Click here or scroll down to watch the Official Trailer.
In a society where materialism reigns, what is the real secret to happiness?
Award-winning filmmaker Daniel Karslake (FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO) tells the unforgettable stories of five regular folks—a boy, a college student, a thirty-something, and two seniors—whose lives went from ordinary to extraordinary based on one simple decision:
Each chose action over apathy, and in the process, each one has had a significant and lasting impact on two of the most challenging, yet solvable, issues of our time:
hunger and extreme poverty.


A world class leader and champion of contemporary circus, Cirque Éloize has been creating magical, innovative and moving productions since 1993. Their shows combine dance, circus and theatre.
Cirkopolis creates a vibrant, imaginary world inspired by the brilliantly lavish classic films, Metropolis and Brazil.
Cirque Éloize dive head first into this fantasy world where twelve talented and versatile performers rebel against monotony and blur lines between dream and reality.
Accompanied by an original cinematic score and stunning video projections, Cirkopolis bursts with originality, humour, talent and colour. And the uninterrupted cascade of dazzling imagery and spellbinding acrobatics will leave you breathless.
‘Funny and clever, Cirkopolis has so many scintillating and inspiring moments it gets a standing ovation from a wildly enthusiastic audience’ The Stage


We’re back from our roadtrip and our better halves have forgiven us for blowing R500 000 on a new car. There’s a long weekend ahead and the weather is turning a bit cold and wet. What better time than to catch up on our favourite car-related movies?
This week the CAR team was tasked with selecting its favourite motoring scene/scenes from a movie. While there are some obvious choices that always come to mind first (including Bullit and Gone in 60 Seconds) we thought we’d try and think out of the box slightly.
Wilhelm Lutjeharms – Ronin
I remember Ronin for only one thing, the chase scene with Audi S8.
It all started when the group of skilled mercenaries had to decide on a getaway car to suit their mission. Something fast and something spacious. After an inevitable shootout, the guys jump in the S8 and, chased by the Frensh police, perform perfect drifts and high-speed manoeuvres around the narrow streets of Paris. This is followed by a chase through the countryside with even a stint on gravel road – in order to show off the S8′s Quattro technology of course.
Mike Fourie – Loving the Beast
Aussie actor Eric Bana, known for his roles in JJ Abrams’s Star Trek, Steven Spielberg’s Munich and Ang Lee’s The Hulk, is a irrecoverable petrolhead and a few years ago he directed and starred in a docudrama Love the Beast. The Beast refers to a Ford GT Falcon Coupe that Bana’s owned since he was 15 and the film depicts his obsessive love affair with the car and the compulsion he felt to campaign his pride and joy in road rallies. Amid the thrills and intensity of being at the wheel of an intimidating lump of a V8 and the friendships and camaraderie built around his ownership of the car, Bana turns in the most compelling performance at the climax of the film. When Bana crashes heavily during the Targa Rally in 2007, his beloved car is damaged so severely that it seems it cannot be repaired without a complete re-shell. Seeing the Australian’s haunted expressions and grief, borne from the realisation that he may have “killed” his beloved machine, is an experience that will pull at the heartstrings of every petrolhead.
Ian McLaren – The Island
While I’m a huge fan of the Bourne franchise and could watch the chase scene from The Bourne Identity (the one where our hero pedals a Mini around the steets of Paris) a million more times, there is one particular scene from the Michael Bay movie, The Island, that has to rate as one of my favourites. Ewan McGregor and the rather fetching Scarlett Johannson are being hunted down after escaping a compound in which they discovered they are actually clones of real people living in the outside world. In their escape they jump aboard a truck transporting old train wheels and proceed to roll these items off of the load bed and into the path of their pursuers. What I particularly love about this scene are the sound effects. While the chasing pack are driving monstrous-sounding V8 Chrysler 300C wagons, the sound of the train wheels bouncing off of the road before stopping on-coming cars “dead” in their tracks adds that much drama to the scene. At one point an armoured van, transporting the brains of the bad guy’s operation, is hit head-on by a train wheel and the soundtrack slow dramatically as the massive van comes off second best before performing a cartwheel.
Nicol Louw – Ducati chase scene from Matrix Reloaded
Ok, so not technically a car chase scene but spectacular nonetheless. Many cars and trucks getting trashed during this high energy chase scene. I saw it for the first time on the big screen and the excellent graphics combined with the soundtrack left me with a lasting impression. I suppose a pretty girl riding a fast bike has some appeal on its own!
Kelly Lodewyks – Deathproof
This movie is actually all about cars and car movies. I like the last chase scene between stuntwoman Zoe Bell and her friends as they chase down Stuntman Mike in his death-proof Dodge Charger. He had just tried to knock Zoe off the bonnet of the Challenger during a stunt she and her friends were pulling. All the cars in this movie are classic American muscle and all make reference to other car movies. The plates on Stuntman Mike’s cars are the same as the plates on the cars featured in the film Bullit. Great cars and a great movie about girls who kick ass.
Kyle Kock – Bad Boys 2
This scene manages to meet my high expectations when it comes to film chases. It boasts wise-cracking detective duo Marcus Barnett and Mike Lowrey (played by Martin Lawrence and Will Smith) in a Ferrari 575 Maranello chasing down Haitian gangsters who drive classic muscle cars, the beautiful Gabrielle Union trying to outrun the dreadlocked hoodlums in a GMC Yukon and lots of automatic gunfire and the extensive use of profanity – all the makings of an epic road battle. With the explosion-loving Michael Bay directing, the chase also features a car-transporter, a speedboat gone wild, and lots of police cruisers totaled for good measure.
Juliet McGuire – Grease
Again, a tricky choice here, I could have gone with something new and cool, but instead I am going to go with vintage and much cooler. I have chosen the race scene in the 1978 movie Grease. Any race that starts out with someone saying, “The rules are, there aint no rules” is bound for greatness! The race was filmed in the Los Angeles River with Danny Zuko (John Travolta) in a 1948 Ford De Luxe Convertible and Leo Balmudo (Denis Stewart) in a 1949 Mercury Custom. These two guys are racing for pink slips and it’s the scene that sends Sandy to get makeover! It had to be good.
Duwyne Aspeling – The Man with the Golden Gun (Bond)
The famous corkscrew jump from The Man with the Golden Gun was totally insane.
Peter Palm – Casino Royale (1967 James Bond spoof)
An hilarious but brief car chase when Peter Sellers (playing Evelyn Tremble) tells Stirling Moss to “follow that car”. So Stirling hops out of the car and gives chase on foot.
The movie remains one of the best classic comedies and also stared David Niven as Sir James Bond, Woody Allen (his cousin Jimmy Bond), Orson Welles and Ursula Andress.


Unique Tamworth #metoo opportunity
Tamworth’s Leonie Kelly's production company, Farm Gate Productions, has joined forces with Women in Film Television (WIFT) NSW to present a unique opportunity for regional NSW residents involved, or interested, in the film or television industry.
Coordinating on set Intimacy with Annie Murtagh-Monks is a four-hour workshop for producers, directors, and actors to clarity ways to provide a supportive and creative on-set environment, and it being held this Saturday, June 15.
The workshop is a result of the recent changes to the Screen Australia code of conduct and the continued development of the #metoo movement.
Leonie said filming scenes where cast need to kiss or simulate sex can be challenging for directors, actors and crew alike and preventing sexual harassment and providing safe work environments is essential on film and television shoots.
The workshop is aimed at answering the question of how do you navigate intimate and sexual scenes in film and television shoots serving the directors vision while keeping the actors safe and without leaving them feeling in any way violated.
Saturday’s workshop participants will learn ways to assist actors perform an intimate scene through a process of establishing consensus and agreement on nudity, touching, what intimacy coverings might be required and how to choreograph an intimate scene to effectively bring the vision of the director to the scene.
Annie Murtagh-Monks, WIFT WA co-founder, casting director and acting coach received training in Perth and London from UK Intimacy Coordinator Ita O’Brien as a result of the changes to the code.
She is now presenting workshops to cover the New On-Set Intimacy Guidelines developed by Ita O’Brien, in consultation with other Intimacy Coordinators, which are being adopted by production companies in the UK, Australia and the USA.
The Tamworth workshop is being held at the Tamworth Regional Council Library Art Gallery, 4-8pm, Saturday 15 June. Cost is $66 plus BF. Tea and Coffee will be provided
Bookings can be made on line here.
For further information about the event host, head to:


Hi, back again folks, hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas and New Year and that your resolutions last longer than Christmas Dinner. Speaking for myself, I had planned to start swimming and cycling but I still haven’t managed to get a new tyre on my bike so that’s still on the back-burner. It all comes down to money, doesn’t it? Nothing is free in this world. And as usual this Christmas I’ve had to get another advance to tide me over until after Jan 1. I make the resolution EVERY DAMN YEAR to save for Christmas, or else start buying presents well in advance, but somehow it never happens, and I leave it til the last freaking minute.
Anyway, enough crying poor. The one thing I can do while waiting to start my post-grad study in February is write … but we all know that’s never gonna happen. I’ll probably wind up binge-watching Netflix or Foxtel On Demand (which I’ve just discovered I can watch on my computer now that my TV’s bitten the dust). Bye bye free-to-air TV – not that there was anything but reality bullshit on there anyway. But Netflix … Wow. I mean, I want to give its creator a big friendly hug. It’s one of the best inventions of the 21st century. I know it’s early to say that, but it’s true. Some of my early favourites have been Gotham, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Riverdale, The Killing, Scream, Jessica Jones and Anne with an E. Plus it’s also great for catching up with shows I used to watch but never caught the whole series in its entirety, like Gilmore Girls or The 100. So here are my top five shows. Why? Just because I can.
5. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
A reboot of Sabrina: The Teenage Witch (which honestly, I thought was a pretty unimaginative title), this show brings the character from the Archie comics to life as well as into this century in terms of more adult content instead of the family-friendly adventures of the original. Salem, the cat is back, but in this incarnation, he doesn’t talk. Or he does, but only Sabrina seems to be able to converse with him because he’s her familiar. Harvey’s there as well but he’s a more serious, tormented soul this time around, with an alcoholic, emotionally abusive father who blames him for his brother’s death in the mines. Sabrina’s aunts are also less peppy than the 1990’s version, and are much more invested in the religion behind their witchcraft than their predecessors. Which brings me to my one and only gripe with this new version. Witchcraft, aka Wicca, or Paganism, was around BEFORE Christianity. It didn’t spring up as a response or alternative to it, as Satanism did. Yet Sabrina’s witchcraft seems to be a form of Satanism rather than pure Druidic or Pagan witchcraft. They praise and revere The Dark Lord (for instance, saying “For Satan’s sake” or “Thank Satan”) in everyday conversation, and pray to him. That’s Satanism, not Wicca. I’m not sure if that was the show’s intention, but if not, and its supposed to be Pagan witchcraft they’re practising, then they’re doing it all wrong! But I do really like the new, darker edge to the show, particularly the inclusion of its LGBT characters (love Cousin Ambrose, he’s a cutie, although I suspect he’s inspired by Felix from Orphan Black), and the three sisters; but most important of all … That house. I FUCKING LOVE THAT HOUSE. Give me that house!!!!!
Another one from the Archie stable, this is probably not for everyone, as some may find it too much of a teen drama for their liking, but I enjoy the story lines involving conspiracies around Jason Blossom’s murder, The Black Hood and now the whole mystery surrounding Gryphons & Gargoyles (an obvious nod to Dungeons & Dragons) and who the Gargoyle King really is. I like the way the writers have managed to weave in references to popular culture, like the episode parodying The Breakfast Club, and the insinuation that The Farm Polly (and now Alice) became involved with is nothing more than a cult. Some parts have been a little cringe-worthy, however – I’m talking specifically about the conversation in Season 1 where Jughead talks about his beanie and being edgy (although that’s not the word he used, but for the life of me I can’t remember. Trying to repress that particularly memory). And I mean, Jughead?! As a name? Seriously? I know it originated in the comic books, but surely the character has to have an actual proper name. If he was christened Jughead (and his sister Jellybean) his parents need to be committed. Or incarcerated. Or both. I’d say they should never have been allowed to breed, but Cole Sprouse’s Jughead is a bit of a cutie, so I’ll hold off on that. My problem with his character is that he’s trying a little too hard to be broody and disaffected. I think Veronica or Betty once referred to him as Riverdale’s Holden Caulfield. I haven’t read Catcher in the Rye in its entirety because it was the book John Lennon’s killer wanted everyone to read, but what I have read didn’t impress me. It came across as entirely too angsty and pretentious, if you ask me. There, i said it. Sue me. As far as characters I do like, I think Betty would have to be top of my list. She’s inquisitive, loves a good murder mystery, isn’t afraid to confront her fears and has a believable relationship with her mother, calling her out on her occasional hypocrisy. She’s also really smart, as shown when she helps the girls escape the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Yay to Girl Power.
I know this show has had its detractors, and I understand why. The original movies, co-written by Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven (creator of Nightmare on Elm street franchise), poked fun at traditional slasher movie lore and tropes, such as the blonde, big-breasted girl being chased by a homicidal maniac ‘going upstairs when she should be going out the front door. It’s insulting’ (Sidney, Scream 1994) as well as the “Sex gets you killed” rule. The TV series aims to do this as well, but with more time to work with, they can pack more drama in and have the characters seem far more upset about the murder of their classmates than Sidney, Randy et. al. Of course this means less opportunity for comedic relief, but we get that in the form of Noah and his best friend Audrey, who call their little crime-fighting duo “Bi-Curious and the Virgin”. Audrey, played by Bex Taylor-Klaus of The Killing and Arrow fame (both Netflix originals), is an androgynous teen with a droll sense of humour and a secret, but I won’t spoil it for you. You’ll have to see for yourself. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that if I had to go gay for anyone (like, if I had a gun to my head), it would be someone like Audrey, because she’s funny, cute and I just love her hair.
The protagonist of the piece, Emma Duval, played by Willa Fitzgerald, is no Neve Campbell, and is at times almost insipid in her portrayal of the put-upon teen whose family has a dark secret. I swear, if I saw her bite her lip one more time I was going to either switch off or scream at the TV “Get another expression you Kristen Stewart clone!” I did feel sorry for her when her ex-boyfriend is murdered in front of her, mostly because of the way it’s done, but that’s where my sympathy ends. The character I feel the most sympathy for is poor Noah. Can’t the guy ever find luck in love? His girlfriends in both seasons 1 and 2 are killed off. Please, can’t the meek just inherit the earth and be done with it?
2. Gilmore Girls
I know this wasn’t technically a Netflix original but to be fair, they did a reunion season of the show to update fans on what’s happening with the characters – something I need to watch again, considering I saw it when I first signed on and just finished watching the original seven seasons. What I love about the new version is that a lot of the old characters came back – but some of them were almost unrecognisable. Miss Patty, for instance, played by Liz Torres, has lost a TON of weight. She looks fantastic. My favourites on the show from the beginning are Lane. because she loved music so much she defied her Korean, devoutly religious mother in order to learn to play drums and join a band; Paris, because even though she began as an enemy of Rory’s she wound up being one of her best friends, despite how intensely ambitious and competitive they both were. The best male character? Apart from Luke, (who I got annoyed with when he found out he had a daughter and felt he had to put his entire wedding to Lorelai on hold when really it was just an excuse), probably Brian. Yes, Brian. The weedy bass player from Hep Alien with the glasses. What is it with me and guys named Brian who play bass?! I guess I like him because he always stood up for Lane when Zach treated her badly. He wrote a song about Lane because Zach refused to, and was a great support when she had her twins. I honestly think he really loved her in secret, because he wound up kissing her lookalike cousin at their wedding.
I’ll admit this now: one of the main reasons I got addicted to this show was the performance of Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot, or The Penguin as he’s more widely known. Not only adorable and funny, he brings such depth to a character that was initially pretty one-dimensional. I also really like Cameron Monaghan’s Joker, although at times I think he can get a little too cartoonish, despite obviously channeling Heath Ledger’s version. The origin story of Batman, or Bruce Wayne, is really so much more than the tale of how Batman became, well, Batman. There are so many well-rounded characters, so many villains to hate (and love), so many members of the ensemble cast that you end up caring about, like Jim’s partner, Harvey, played by Donal Logue, and Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s butler, who is more like a father to him. There is also Dr Lee Thompkins, the love of Jim’s life who winds up an adversary in league with The Riddler (oops, sorry, spoiler). Even though she’s technically a villain you can’t help but like her. Plus, she’s Morena Baccarin, and she was in Firefly. Enough said, I think!


The Mansion Players is a community arts program supported by volunteers. We're always looking for new members.
We'd love to talk to you if you're interested in working in theater in any capacity,
- an actor
- a dancer or singer
- a sound or light or computer technician
- a director
- a producer
- a musician
- a stage hand
- a costumer
- a makeup artist
- a set designer or builder or painter
- or in any other way
Contact Marie Benoit by phone 565-2154, or use the contact form below to send us a message.


has been living for 10 years in Beijing, where she was China’s correspondant for l’Express and L’Equipe.
Those Chinese years allowed her to collaborate with many French newspapers (Le Monde, Libération, Le Figaro, Paris Match, Capital, Marie Claire…) and with Francophone and Anglophone radios (Radio Suisse Romande and Free Speech Radio News). Back in France, she worked at Capital (M6), before joining Baozi Production as a journalist and producer.
has been living in Beijing for 4 years as a RFI (Radio France Internationale) reporter before joining its international desk in Paris.
has been working in audiovisual production for ten years. She contributed to a great number of projects, from commercials to TV shows, including short films and feature films. She now focuses on reports and documentary films, with a special interest in new storytellings.
In Septembre 2013, she joined Baozi Production as production manager.


Kristin Elizabeth Cavallari (born January 5, 1987 in Denver, Colorado) is an American reality television star and actress, known mainly for her feature appearances on the MTV reality TV series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County.
BiographyBefore moving to California, Cavallari resided in Colorado. When her parents divorced, her younger brother (Gabriel Zamora Cavallari) moved with their father to Laguna Beach, California, while Kristin moved with their mother to Barrington, Illinois, a wealthy suburb right outside of Chicago. After having trouble adjusting to a new life with a step-father and step-brother, Kristin moved to California to be with her dad and brother, and was enrolled at Santa Margarita Catholic High School her freshman year of high school. After attending a Driver's Education course through Laguna Beach High School with new friends Jessica Smith and Alex Hooser, her father enrolled her in LBHS for the rest of high school after "much consideration." After her stint on reality tv, Cavallari headed to L.A. to attend Loyola Marymount University and moved into an apartment with close friend, Alex Hooser. Her friendship with Alex could not withstand living together, so the two decided to go their separate ways.
Personal life* During her time at LBHS, Cavallari dated Stephen Colletti for two years -- especially during the filming of the MTV reality show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County -- before breaking up prior to his send off to college.
* Cavallari was noted in having a long-term on-and-off relationship with reality tv personality/model/drummer Brody Jenner, who then went on to date Nicole Richie and Lauren Conrad.


La La Land in Concert
The Long Center presents La La Land in Concert, June 30 in Dell Hall. See the hit movie like never before--with a live symphony orchestra! Winner of 6 Academy Awards(R) including Best Original Score and Best Original Song, La La Land tells the story of Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a dedicated jazz musician, who are struggling to make ends meet in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts. Set in modern day Los Angeles, this original musical about everyday life explores the joy and pain of pursuing your dreams. For this special presentation, Justin Hurwitz' award-winning score will be performed live by the Austin Symphony Orchestra..


The Film Festival as Superpower
I ran off to the Tribeca Film Festival last Thursday night. Now here I am, 23 films later, ready to report for blogging duty. Those 23 films include seven shorts, plus three feature selections I watched on my laptop on the bus, after downloading them thanks to Tribeca’s partnership with the amazing new Jaman service. I’m not sure my fellow passengers were as thrilled by the flicker effects of Ken Jacobs’ RAZZLE DAZZLE as I was. The 23 also included two remarkable films I snuck away from Tribeca to catch at the
The Tribeca festival has attracted more than its share of gripes. Since it was created after 9-11 to aid in the revitalization of lower Manhattan, the festival has managed to squander the affection of many, not unlike another superpower I could mention, with behavior that is, arguably, imperial. The festival has been accused of stomping on filmmakers and other festivals who won’t let Tribeca screen its desired films first, and being crassly profligate in its hoopla. Being the director of a regional film festival, I’m sensitive to the cries of smaller festivals; our fall event is often turned down by filmmakers afraid of blowing their chances (incredibly slim—4 out of 100) of getting into Sundance, the neighborhood bully faced by fall film festivals.
Yet I don’t think gripers are giving enough credit to the terrific programming by Peter Scarlet and his team. Peter is one of the most knowledgeable and tireless film discoverers I know, and shorts programmer Maggie Kim also has a great eye. Out of the hundreds of films on offer, I was able to carve out a program of extraordinary films on the theme of “family,” since I’m shopping for films to screen in our KIN FLICKS program in November. And much of what I saw was so extraordinary, that I can only hope that my festival in November is as good as the festival I attended this past weekend. What I admired, I will pursue for
My personal favorite of the weekend was the new documentary, AUTISM: THE MUSICAL. Less than a year ago, I sat on the balcony of the Georgian Hotel in


Why dislike Byron Quisenberry’s The Outing aka Scream? It’s a modest, quiet horror film that seems to have one foot in the early 70s and the other firmly resting in the early 80s. It has a calm, steady rhythm broken up by loud moments and a climax that is suddenly there and gone. It has a rather cryptic explanation for why it’s doing what it’s doing, which has a strange sense of dread wrapped around it. And, every few minutes the camera goes off on odd tangents quite unlike anything else in American films at that time.
If you spend 82 minutes watching a slow film that doesn’t seem to really do much, I can understand the need for something (anything) to justify the end. The Outing presents it’s explanations very assuredly but there is something missing. And, it’s not the something missing of Final Exam and the motives of its killer, which is explained in a comment made by one of the characters in an off-handed manner. It’s not the “Who is that guy exactly?” of Don’t Go In The Woods. The Madman in that one is a Wildman raised in the woods (with a decent piece of real estate) who is protecting his home.
The Outing is different…But, before I discuss what the heck is going on in the film, I should probably give out a little plot. I don’t know how much of this is needed. A group of around 12 people (2 guides, 10 vacationers) are on some sort of canoe trip. They spend the night on an old Western ghost town street, which may be a real Old West street or an Old West Street movie set, long abandoned. They seem to be heading somewhere more important and just staying here for the night. Soon after darkness sets in someone/ something begins to kill them. The next morning, their canoes are gone and they have to stay in the town for another day. That night, the killing begins again but not before a strange visit from Woody Strode on a horse. He tells an odd tale about a Ship’s Captain and the troubles they had on the sea. Then, he goes. The killer makes an all-out attack on the group until Woody shoots it. The killer is never seen.
All of this is framed by an odd bit in a room (which I am convinced is somewhere in the ghost town) with a couple of paintings and a dresser with a clock and three figurines on it. The figurines are of the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker. The opening is a shot of a painting of a ship on a windswept sea. Then, we see the figurines and then the clock, which strikes midnight. The sound of something being sliced through is heard and two things drop. We pan back and see the baker and candlestick maker have lost their heads. The eyes of the butcher turn, fast to the camera.
I know the rhyme. These three men were in a tub getting up to something. No one quite knows why they were there. Something dirty, something wicked. The butcher here seems to silence the other two. But, they’re not meant to be on a whaling type-ship, are they? They’re in a tub or a small rowboat. The ending moments don’t really help either.
We see that the clock is at midnight. The butcher loses his head. We pan up to see the portrait of an African American gentleman who I believe is the captain. The camera fades to the date in the corner: 1851. So, the killer is the ghost of the captain inhabiting the ghost town. It kills anyone who enters there. Woody Strode is his first mate. His rambling tale is an apology for the Captain’s behavior. And, in the end, he stops the killing and the butcher dies.
Does that sound right? Because that is not completely from the movie. I’m extrapolating a bit. I’m wondering if the killer is invisible. That would explain why we never ever see it but we see cleavers, scythes and axes lifted slowly off of walls. Maybe that’s how it is able to so easily get everywhere. People turn and see a cleaver floating through the air and then it whacks them! Who are the baker and the candlestick maker then? The Company Men? Is it a black revenging themselves on white thing? Why these people? What crime could Alvy Moore have committed? And, why is a Captain from the 1850s inhabiting an old ghost town street somewhere on the West Coast, nowhere near the ocean? Doesn’t it seem an odd spot? Shouldn’t he be haunting a wharf in New England?
I’ve watched this film about twenty times. Every time I do I get a little bit closer to what I think is going on but I never quite hit it. Sometimes when I get to the end of one viewing I forget what I learned the previous time. For me, that’s all part of the fun. But, there is more to the film’s appeal than unexplainable motives. There is the whole atmosphere, the style, the odd cast and the general overall creepiness of the whole affair.
I know I may stand alone here but this film still creeps me out. The slow pans through the ghost town at night give me a shaky feeling whenever I watch them. People don’t say much in this movie. And, many times, the camera floats off of them when they do. The dark buildings are scary. When the one man is yanked back into the building and the doorway slams in the camera’s face (lens), my skin crawls. Lou sleeping under the staircase and hearing something go up the steps sends me shivering. The way Alvy Moore seems to see something in one of the buildings and does a little spin makes me glad that Mr. Kimball never went on vacation. And, the few shock moments, the moments when the film bursts onto another level, are as effective as they are surprising. The two big moments I’m thinking of are when the motorcycle rider is tossed through the door and when the axe slams down on Andy’s neck. If you are caught in the rhythm of the film, these two moments can stop your heart for a second.
The whole thing moves at such a slow, deliberate pace but in a different way than other films of this nature. The camera is almost always moving here. There are no shortages of close-ups and coverage in the scenes. This isn’t a film where the camera sits on one end of the room and everyone acts and the next scene begins. The camera has a different set of motives from what we see on screen. And, it knows where the weapons are, which is always a plus.
The camera focuses on a person as they look around or say something. Then, the camera will slowly pan or track away as if it knows that we know what’s going on there but something else more interesting is occurring elsewhere. I don’t recall ever quite seeing anything like it in a film. Possibly in some Argento stuff, where something is occurring and the camera suddenly floats away to reveal something else to the left of the main characters. But, The Outing has less purpose than an Argento film. I always felt that an Argento tangent is very important to the film. It’s revealing information to us. Quisenberry pans or tracks away and seems to be exploring half the time. At first, it’s curious but, once the killings start, it’s just being mischievous by driving us towards the killer when it knows that you can’t kill the camera.
When the Final Girl is a pudgy guy somewhere in his thirties (LOU!) you know that something’s askew. The film feels a bit like a slasher but the ages of the cast (probably late twenties to one real old guy) belie that. I’m not sure what Quisenberry was keeping an eye on but it’s not the pulse of the nation at that time. There’s no nudity and very little gore. The characters are so vague that every time I watch it and see several women huddled together I always think “1…2…3? Where’d the other one come from?” Lou and the jerk are the only ones who stand out. But, neither of them really do much. Everyone is kind of awkward around each other once they realize that any of them could be the killer. So, there are lots of long silences. No one is witty, no one is a wiseass. They’re just normal people who get trapped in an odd, life-threatening situation. They become even less relevant as characters when you think that Woody Strode’s speech is purely for us. They can’t possibly benefit from it because they would need to see the room that we see in order for real sense to be made.
So, what do we have? A deliberate, creepy film that revels in its own low-key oddness. That, from a distance, like Final Exam and The Last Slumber Party seems to be a regular run-of-the-mill horror film that never seems to take off. It seems to want to be a part of the early 80′s slasher craze but doesn’t really know how. It seems classier. When Andy is thrown around the saloon, it seems rather violent until you think that Quisenberry is a stunt man so, naturally, any stunt work is going to be stellar. Why is there no blood? Because, it’s about the stunt, more than the blood. I wish there had been more moments like this but it’s not a problem. The Outing is a film that seems to very clearly say “Here’s what’s going on!” and then defiantly makes little sense. By that I mean, I think Byron knew what was going on but he can’t quite get it to work, to connect. People have to make too many suppositions based on vague information. It’s all of these elements that bring the film together for me and make it something that I enjoy returning to, once or twice a year.
It’s not a well-loved or even liked film. And, its pace can be a bit much. (I almost always drift off during Woody’s tale.) But, watch it with an open mind and just feel it…as it were…The film works. I’d love to see a nice, widescreen version of it. But, I don’t know about commentary and such. Once I find out what’s going on, it may lose some of the magic. I don’t remember Bergman saying exactly what The Silence was about. I’d hope that Mr. Quisenberry would be relatively calm about what he was up to. Keep the mystery.
We champion all kinds of odd stuff around here. For example, Frozen Scream. If you don’t like it, well, you don’t like it. But, if you’ve read some of my stuff and you have a vague idea of what I like, you may gauge why this film has such a special spot on my movie-watching list. Its singular, rather oddball vision makes it worth the time of anyone willing to sit still and absorb. And, one of the great things here is that I don’t think it was meant to be anything more than a slasher film like any other. It’s the gulf in between what I think it was supposed to be and what it is that makes it so interesting, so re-watchable.


READ AN EXCERPT:
CHAPTER 2 - FIRST THING'S FIRST
An actor friend of mine once shared a story with me. The day he told his father he had decided to become an actor, his dad replied with one word. With his brow wrinkled and a scowl of confusion on his face, his father cleared his throat and asked, “Why?”
That’s a fair question. For most of us actor types, we do it because we love it. There’s something irresistible about being in front of people, pretending to be something you’re not. The pull of the stage, or the camera, or the eyes of a crowd can be strong, allowing us to tap into instincts we can only count on when we’re being watched, when an audience is depending on us for something. For some of us, performing recharges our batteries.
But even though we might love acting, not everyone decides to make it a career. Pressures from family, society, or simple practicality prevail, and we choose much more sensible ways of making a living, ways that guarantee a regular paycheck but at the cost of cramming our creativity into a desk drawer. Acting can be a road to fame, wealth, and an exotic lifestyle, but it can also be the way to obscurity, sketchy finances, and vacationing only in your dreams. If you’re in it for the superficial things, it’s nothing but a roll of the dice. But if you simply can’t imagine doing anything else, then it’s a calling - and you can’t say “no” when it calls.
Ask yourself: “Why do I want to act in Chicago?” Usually when I pose that question, people give me one of three reasons: they want to start here and then move on to a bigger market, they want a career that allows them to be creative, or they want to be stars. All are honest answers, but whenever I hear that someone got into acting to be a star, I have to wonder why they’re in Chicago at all.
Chicago vs. Fame
When you decide to make the Midwest your home as an actor, you’re making a choice between two very different but alluring things: work and fame. Here, you can be moderately experienced or even a newcomer, and there’s work for you. There’s a friendly, nurturing community that wants you to do well. There are people that will help you without expecting anything in return. As you progress up the ladder of work that’s available, there’s a greater chance of becoming a big fish in a small talent pool, allowing you to make a handsome living doing what you love.
But let’s think about what isn’t here. When you think of cities where movies and TV shows are made, Los Angeles and New York probably come to mind, and for good reason. Los Angeles hosts hundreds of shows and films every year. New York produces dozens. In 2012 there were as many as four scripted TV shows regularly being made in Chicago. This was a record for Chicago television production. We usually host one show in a year, or more often none at all. But nothing lasts forever. Fans of Boss on Starz, The Beast on A&E, and The Chicago Code and Prison Break on FOX know what I mean. Those shows, all of which were produced in Chicago, were canceled. TV production here has always been unpredictable. By the time you read this we might have set another record, or we might not have any shows in town. While recent years have been busy, Chicago’s not exactly thought of as a hotbed of scripted television production. A few films usually shoot in the Midwest every year. They hire locals for smaller parts, but most of the larger roles are played by actors who were hired in other markets. Actors become famous by doing TV and film. See where this is going?
When you’re a Chicago actor, it’s likely that your entire career will develop here. You can easily play out your dreams in any number of Chicago-based productions. However, if you stay in Chicago, you should brace yourself for the fact that working here will almost certainly not make you famous. Not one of the big time Chicagoans you can think of made it big by working here. The Cusacks, Jeremy Piven, Stephen Colbert, Chris O’Donnell, Alan Arkin, Vince Vaughn, and all the famous Second City and Steppenwolf actors had to move to Los Angeles or New York to become big shots. They may have gotten their start in the Midwest, but they earned their fame on one of the coasts.
But don’t worry. Those who are in the know understand that Chicago is a great market in which to get started. An actor can learn most everything they need to know about acting for a crowd or a camera in this city, and when they’re ready, they can take that knowledge to L.A. or New York. Lots of recent college grads come here with that very intention. They build their resumes by working with the huge number of non-equity theater companies, grab some commercial work and maybe join the unions. After a couple of years they leave to go after bigger and hopefully better work. If you’re in this group, moving here will be very rewarding, and will undoubtedly be an important step in your professional life.
If you’re a Chicago-area native and you don’t see yourself leaving, consider yourself lucky because you just happen to live in the third biggest market in the country. Actually, some would call Chicago the largest theater town in the United States. New Yorkers would argue that point, but there’s no denying that with over 150 theater companies in town, there’s an awful lot of acting going on. Chicago is also home to some of the busiest advertising agencies in the nation and has a huge corporate video production presence. And we sometimes get to audition and work in smaller markets like Milwaukee and St. Louis. The bottom line is if you want to work here, there’s no reason why you can’t. Your toughest decision might be trying to figure out where to focus your energy.
Commercial vs.Theater Actors
In general, there are two types of actors in Chicago, the commercial actor and the theater actor. The basics of the two are the same; both are expected to give a truthful and believable performance. Generally, commercial actors work in front of cameras and microphones, and their performance is recorded to be played back at a later date. Theater actors work in front of live audiences and their performances are not recorded. What you see is what you get, and the next time it’ll be a little (or maybe a lot) different than what you saw the last time. Different unions watch over each type of actor. The commercial actor may join the broadcast union, SAG-AFTRA. The stage actor might join Actor’s Equity Association (AEA). It’s possible to join both, of course, but each union has its own specific set of rules regarding when and how you can join.
The lifestyle of the two kinds of actors can vary tremendously. Commercial actors work and audition during regular business hours: Monday through Friday, from 9:00 to 5:00. Occasionally they run across a job that shoots overnight, but for the most part acting is, in fact, a day job. In contrast, theater actors work mostly after dark. The larger theater companies rehearse their actors during the daytime, but performances are almost always in the evenings and on weekend afternoons (the one exception to this is children’s theater, which is usually performed during the day). This contrast means that it’s much easier for the theater actor to have a regular “day” job. If you work commercially and you want to supplement your income, you’ll need to have a job that allows you the flexibility to audition and work during the day, or you’ll have to take a night job. And if you decide to act commercially and in theater at the same time, you’ll have very little time available to make backup income.
The biggest lifestyle difference between the theater and commercial actor is earning potential. I know I’m going to break a lot of hearts by saying this, but it’s very difficult to make a living doing theater in Chicago. Like any rule, this one has a few exceptions. There’s a small group of Chicago-based actors who work at a very high level and are able to book show after show in theaters locally and around the country. These actors can do well financially, but for actors who aren’t in this group, the earning potential is much greater in commercial work.
Another exception to this rule is the actor who works in musical theater. There are a handful of local companies that produce only Broadway-style musicals. I’m not talking about the big theaters downtown like the Cadillac Palace or the Auditorium Theater. Those houses usually bring in shows from somewhere else, and most of the cast is imported, too. I’m talking about the smaller, but still very reputable theaters like Marriott’s Lincolnshire theater and Drury Lane Oak Brook. In order to work in musicals, though, it helps to be a strong singer and dancer, as well as a strong actor. Performers who are good in all three disciplines are rare, so they tend to work a lot. And in Chicago, there is always a musical being produced somewhere. So if you’re the musical type and you’re good, you could go from job to job, and you’ll have more earning power than your colleagues who only do straight theater.
Actors who have joined AEA, like the group of Chicago-based acors who get cast around the country, can earn good wages. The union makes sure they’re taken care of because it sets the rates actors must be paid. But there’s a real lack of theater companies in Chicago that hire Equity actors. The two most recognizable names, The Goodman and Steppenwolf, each have their own casting quirks. While the Goodman casts Chicago actors, they also like to cast from other markets, like New York. Steppenwolf has a large and diverse collection of company members to choose from. Translation: if you’re not a company member, you’re less likely to be in one of their shows. While a handful of other Equity companies exist, there simply isn’t enough work for all of the Equity actors in Chicago to keep doing show after show. So, many supplement their theater income by doing commercial work.
The overwhelming majority of live theater in Chicago is happening in storefront spaces and being done by actors who aren’t affiliated with AEA. Audiences will see innovative, powerful performances in these theaters, but they simply can’t afford to pay their actors a living wage. It’s a simple fact of economics. Theater companies can only charge so much for a ticket. After paying all the costs to produce the show, most often there’s very little left over for the actors. Most theater companies go after donations and grants, but usually this money only goes so far.
The commercial folks win the money game hands down. But if you think I’m discouraging you from doing theater, nothing could be further from the truth! I’m simply making a distinction between the earning power you’ll have in both worlds. Theater is an important part of a Chicago actor’s time here. Being on stage gives you lots of credibility with the decision makers in town, and not doing any theater at all can actually get in the way of your effort to make a living. It’s important to go after a certain number of theater roles, because they can be an integral part of your career path.
When it comes to money, there’s no getting around this fact: there’s a ton of dough to be made in the commercial acting community, you just have to decide to go and get your share. Later, we’ll talk about how much your share can be.
What’s A Workday Like?
Free time can be your best friend or your worst enemy, but however you think it’ll affect you, get ready to have a lot of it. The full-time Chicago actor’s day can be filled with auditions and jobs, or it can be filled with nothing more pressing than opening the mailbox to see if there’s a check waiting for you. Let’s take a look at a day with a little bit of everything going on.
A career actress, we’ll call her Faith, starts her day with an audition at a casting director’s office for a regional TV commercial. It’s for an automaker, and they’re looking to cast a few friendly looking people to be featured shopping for, and buying, one of their cars. Her audition time is 10:00 a.m., but the casting director is running a little late, so by the time the audition is over and she’s walking out of the office, it’s almost 11:00. That’s ok, because she still has plenty of time to get to her next audition, which isn’t until 1:00. With two hours to kill, she decides to visit one of her agents to pick up a check for a job she recently did. A little chatting, a couple of questions about work that’s going on around town, and she’s just about overstayed her welcome. No problem, it’s time for lunch anyway. A quick sandwich will get her through her second audition of the day, a voice over audition for a radio spot. It’s at a different agent’s office. A fast food chain is looking for just the right voice to promote their new breakfast item. Faith goes in, does her thing, then leaves. She’s done for the day except for a scene study class that evening. Until then, she’s got free time. She heads to her class (which goes swimmingly), and then she’s home for the night.
That’s a pretty solid day with good things going on. Faith didn’t make any money, but she laid the groundwork for a couple of potentially big jobs, and she can’t get the work without auditioning. You’ll have many just like this, but you’ll also experience the strain of having nothing to do at all, as well as the elation of having so much to do in a day that it doesn’t seem like it will all get done. I sometimes have days where I literally have so much going on that I have to turn some of it down. I also have gone entire weeks with only one audition. That’s part of the business, sometimes you’re up, and sometimes you’re not. But before you get into the business at all, you’ve got to get your ducks lined up in a nice, neat little row.
and continue reading.


Hello and thank you for visiting this page! I am a freelance director, actor and educator specializing in creating and nurturing collaborative, ensemble theatre with an emphasis on inclusion and community building. My strengths as a director lie in the development of new plays and creating inclusive collaborations with as many different types of people that can be assembled both onstage and off. My directing work has been seen regionally in Chicago (A Red Orchid Theatre, The Hypocrites, Collaboraction), Arkansas (Theatre Squared), Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Public Theatre, City Theatre, No Name Players) and Austin, Texas (Hyde Park Theatre, Zach Theatre). Throughout my career, I've worn many different hats. I've served as dramaturg for new play development, worked in non-profit fundraising, self produced and led new play development initiatives. I spent four years as casting director with The Hypocrites where I was a longtime company member and an integral contributor to the growth of the organization. Recently, I finished a season long directing fellowship with Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida. While there, I was the assistant director on three productions, supported the Literary Department with dramaturgy, facilitated pre-show discussion events surrounding the productions and conducted all understudy rehearsals. I’m currently living in my hometown of Pittsburgh where I work as an adjunct professor with Point Park University and Seton Hill University.
FULL RESUME AND CV AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD BELOW


On Wednesday, April 5 at 7pm, The Ridgewood Guild will be hosting a 20th anniversary showing of the movie, Titanic, at Ridgewood's Bowtie cinema, 190 East Ridgewood Ave. In conjunction with this event, the Ridgewood Arts Foundation (RAF) is inviting guests to a special pre-movie wine and hors d'oeuvres reception at Tito's Burritos and wings (just a few doors from the theatre) at 6pm. RAF guests will have the opportunity to meet flutist, Lisa Plasse, before she takes the stage and plays the classic soundtrack from Titanic prior to the movie showing. Combination tickets to the Ridgewood Arts Foundation special guest reception and the Ridgewood Guild's screening of Titanic (including a wine and hors d'oeuvres at Tito's, pre-movie concert and RAF reserved theatre seating) are $28 and can be purchased at www.eventbrite.com, (type in Titanic Pre-Screen for event search). The Ridgewood Arts Foundation is a public charitable foundation holding 501c3 status.


An essential aspect of being a skilled actor is the ability to transcend boundaries and seamlessly navigate an array of genres and roles. Jeremy Piven has proven himself as an artist capable of achieving this artistic versatility, showcasing his talents across a diverse range of performances. From comedy and drama to action and romance, Piven has deftly explored various dimensions of acting, continually challenging himself to progress as an actor.
The Comedic Chameleon
Piven’s propensity for comedy became evident early in his career. For instance, his role in “Grosse Pointe Blank” allowed him to demonstrate his natural aptitude for humor and impeccable comedic timing. As his best friend, Piven played the neurotic yet affable Paul Spericki, injecting levity into the movie while providing grounded support for John Cusack’s lead character.
Foraying into Drama
Whereas Piven’s work in “Grosse Pointe Blank” lent credence to his comedic abilities, his part in “Black Hawk Down” highlighted his capacity to tackle intense, dramatic scenes. In this highly acclaimed war film, Piven portrayed the helicopter pilot, CW3 Cliff Wolcott. His performance illustrates his ability to rein in the humor and focus on a more serious and somber tone, showcasing his noteworthy range as an actor.
Hitting the Broadway Stage
Perhaps one of the most challenging arenas for any actor is live theatre, and Piven more than proved his mettle with his Broadway debut. As an actor with a strong theatre background, Piven took on the role of Bobby Gould in David Mamet’s highly-regarded play, “Speed-The-Plow.” Critics and audiences alike raved about Piven’s performance, further emphasizing his capacity to excel across various artistic landscapes.
Constantly Re-inventing Himself
Alongside his forays into comedy, drama, and theatre, Jeremy Piven has worked across various genres and roles – from crime dramas like “Kiss the Girls” to science fiction like “Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde.” His adept skill set continues to earn him status as one of the industry’s most versatile and well-rounded actors.
Jeremy Piven represents the epitome of artistic versatility in Hollywood. His ability to inhabit diverse roles with authenticity and dexterity showcases his dedication to his craft. As Piven continues to challenge himself and redefine his acting range, he stands out as an artist unafraid to take risks and unbound by any single genre. His impressive array of work is a testament to his innate talents as an actor, making him a true creative powerhouse in the ever-evolving landscape of show business.


London Dreams is surely regarded as most anticipated film of Asin after the success of Ghajini. Here in London Dreams, Asin is love interest of both Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan.
We spoke to close source from the movie about her role and more,
“In London Dreams she plays the role of a main dancer of band called as “London Dreams”, while Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan are her best friends from the same rock band. She plays the character of Priya, so overall its musical film which has romance, and deals with the subject of friendship. Her Chandigarh trip was quite memorable as for the first time she had visited this beautiful city. The shooting had taken place near kurali railway station and here she was very pleased with the crowd response to the shooting after the Ghajini’s success.”
Further our source told us, ”Even Salman Bhai and Ajay Devgan was very pleased with her success as the whole cast and crew had seen Ghajini. Salman was impressed with Aamir Khan’s 8 packs abs also. Ajay also played a prank on Asin. It was during the break time that some three to four goons had come near her vanity van and was banging her door and they were shouting in Punjabi tone. They were not the real goons as it was a prank which was played by Ajay, so the Chandigrah shoot was quite memorable.”
London Dreams next schedule is commencing from tomorrow (22nd January) in Mumbai and will go on upto 23rd February. The film is directed by Vipul Shah. The film is scheduled to release on August 14th, 2009. This film will be the first release of Asin in 2009 after Ghajini which was a huge success.


Making Treaty 4
Winter 2017 Workshop
In January 2017, the MT4 project gathered together Treaty 4 community members and students at the First Nations University of Canada and University of Regina to begin creating and experimenting with a range of themes, topics, scenes, and concepts. This process was incredibly productive, culminating in a solid workshop production in April 2017.
The MT4 team would like to thank all of cast and crew for their amazing work!


No surprise about what this post will cover: the announcement by Jurassic Park IV director Colin Trevorrow that his new JP instalment will not feature feathered dinosaurs (unlike the new image, above, which features a fully feathered Dromaeosaurus raiding a giant azhdarchid nest). Like many folks in the palaeoblogsphere, my reaction to this hasn't been particularly positive. It seems like an overlooked opportunity to bring the dinosaur-bird themes of the first movie full circle, jars with overwhelming evidence that some JP dinosaur stars were feathered, and misses a terrific chance to affirm modern concepts of dinosaur palaeobiology with a wide audience. The JP franchise would also probably benefit more from featuring feathery species than it will from maintaining its flimsy creature design continuity (see Laelaps for more on this) as the series clearly needs some fresh ideas and content. It hasn't really delivered much else than people being chased by dinosaurs since the one hour mark of the first film, and a certain amount of repetition has set in ("Oh, look, they're running away from a large predatory dinosaur. Oh, look, they're running away from smaller predatory dinosaurs. Oh, look, one dinosaur is fighting another dinosaur. Oh, look, it's a sweeping shot of peaceful dinosaurs", etc.). The introduction of feathers could provide some nuances to the JP story and provide a new edge for its overly familiar creatures. Beyond this, as someone with an interest in science education, I find broader concepts to be upset about as well here. Feathering dinosaurs in JP IV would demonstrate the incremental processes through which science works, highlighting the way in which the dromaeosaurs of the series became progressively more feathered as the dinosaur bird link was cemented by mounting evidence*. There's obvious utility with this movie being a basis for teaching concepts of evolution, too. And yes yes yes, I know this movie isn't being made to educate people, but I genuinely think featuring feathered designs would be of advantage to many.
*Before anyone mentions it, I know the JP franchise didn't leap on the feather bandwagon quick enough, but it's one of the few major areas of common knowledge of dinosaurs, and provides a good focal point for educating laymen or children about these topics.
There's a truckload of things we could talk about concerning the lack of feathers in JP IV, but I don't want to focus on that here. Instead, I want to highlight one point that troubles me with all this discussion and outrage. This whole episode was started by Colin Trevorrow tweeting only two words: "no feathers" (well, three, if you include the '#JP4' bit). As others have noted, that doesn't really tell us much about the plot, the species under discussion or anything else. This has got me wondering how much of the film has actually been set into place yet. To my knowledge, Trevorrow has only been at the helm of JP IV for a couple of weeks, and the movie is still in pre-production. No casting details have been announced, no shooting schedule, no sneak-peaks of the plot. So are Universal Studios, the JP franchise wranglers, playing their cards close to their chest, or is much about the movie may still up in the air? If the latter is true (and it may not be: I'm not claiming any insider knowledge, just that I pay attention to movie news), I'm wondering if the glib 'no feathers' tweet was simply put out there to test the waters. See what the reaction was from JP fanboys and other demographics to see if they should keep their dinosaurs canonical or give them a much needed update. The movie isn't destined for release until June 2014 - perhaps that's enough time to design and implement feathery integuments to their dinosaurs? Note that I don't know much about VFX in movies, so I could be talking out of my bottom on this. That said, movie release dates change all the time, so the projected release may not mean much at this early stage.
If the feathers comment is a cheeky PR exercise for this franchise, it's in good company. Universal Studios have made repeated attempts to reignite interest in the JP franchise over the last few years. We had the core of the franchise, the first movie, back in cinemas in 2011 to coincide with the JP Blu-ray launch. The same film is returning to the big screen again this year, this time in 3D. We saw the first licensed Jurassic Park video game for 8 years in 2011. Concept art for the aborted JP IV dinosaur-man movie was revealed late last year. That in itself seems pretty unusual to me. There must be piles of discarded movie concept art in Hollywood which never sees public eyes, and creature design imagery is typically owned by movie studios. Heck of a coincidence if that just happened to slip onto the internet as rumours of a new JP film are circulating. Even if the latter was coincidental, we've had a lot of JP events in a short space of time, and only one of them coincides with a sensible franchise anniversary (this year's 3D Jurassic Park release, for the 20th anniversary of the original movie). Seems to me that Universal really, really want to remind us that Jurassic Park exists, perhaps because well over a decade has passed since the last chapter of the story. Generating discussion about whether the next instalment should feature feathered dinosaurs is an excellent way to get some free PR for the upcoming movie as well as, possibly, testing reaction to realistically feathered dinosaur species.
Of course, this may all be the wailing, cynical conspiracy theory of a madman. Time will tell, I suppose. In the mean time, I'd best get back to other things.