Oz Magazine April/May 2014

film & tv • print • new media • lifestyle apr/may 2014

HAVE YOUR PEOPLE CALL OUR PEOPLE* *please The Georgia Film & Television Sourcebook is filled with highly skilled entertainment industry personnel and scores of local vendors, so for cryin’ out loud, at least give them a call.** **thanks

apr/may 2014

contents features Cover Story: If You Build It, They Will Come It Takes a Village to Build and Sustain a Production Facility ............. 22 Feature: I’m In The Movies Becoming an On-Set Extra ...................................................................... 30 Feature: Shedding The Light Industry Experts Share Thoughts on Lighting .................................... 34

columns Ozcetera ........................................................................................................ 6 Voices ........................................................................................................... 28 Behind the Camera w/Drewprops...................................................... 40 How I Got into the Business .................................................................. 38 Oz Scene ..................................................................................................... 42 Distribution Partners .............................................................................. 46 Let Me Give You My Card ....................................................................... 48 Ad Campaigns ........................................................................................... 50

oz magazine staff Publishers: Tia Powell Gary Powell Latisha “Tish” Simmons

Group Publisher Publisher Project Manager

Editorial: Gary Powell Marilyn Ngango

Ozcetera Editor Research

Contributors: Laura Barrett, Nichole Bazemore, Brenna Conley, Andrew Duncan, Allen Rabinowitz Sales: Diane Lasek, Monique McGlockton, Kris Thimmesch Design: Sarah Medina Randy Davis Kelvin Lee Ted Fabella

Production Manager Designer Production Oz Logo Design

Cover Design: Laura Shull

Design

Visit us on the web at www.ozmagazine.com, www.ozonline.tv, www.facebook.com/ozpublishing Oz Magazine is published bi-monthly by Oz Publishing, Inc • 2566 Shallowford Road • #302, Suite 104 • Atlanta, GA 30345 • (404) 633-1779 Copyright 2014 Oz Publishing Incorporated, all rights reserved. Reproductions in whole or in part without express written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

This magazine is printed on recyclable paper.

4 | ozmagazine.com

contributors Laura Barrett is a rising senior at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. She is a creative writing major with hopes of one day writing for television. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry and exploring the local arts scene. Voices, p.28

Nichole Bazemore is the author of The Industry Yearbook: 40 Years of Georgia Filmmaking and the People Who Made it Happen, published in 2013 by Oz Publishing, Inc. If You Build It, p. 22

Brenna Conley is a freelance writer with an HBA in Creative Writing from Berry College. In 2013, her novella, Protection, was short-listed for the international Paris Literary Prize. She is currently working on more creative fiction and non-fiction pieces, including a children’s book. She gains her inspiration from landscapes, characters she’s met, and mythology. I’m In The Movies, p.30

Randy Davis has been called Creative Director, Design Director, Art Director, Designer and Pop over his long career creating memorable campaigns for causebased organizations. In addition to his studio duties, Randy is a member of Auburn University’s Department of Industrial and Graphic Design, National Advisory Council. Designer and Production — RandyDesigns.net

Andrew Duncan, known in the motion picture industry as “Drewprops”, has been writing about the craft of filmmaking from the inside out since the mid-1990’s.

His confusing and often embarrassing stories from behind the scenes provide a unique insight into the craft of filmmaking from the perspective of the shooting crew, artists, and designers who bring your favorite films to life on the big screen. Andrew writes the Oz column, Behind the Camera w/Drewprops, p.40— drewprops.com

Allen Rabinowitz has been a contributor to Oz since 1993, covering advertising, cinematography, graphic design and photography. One of the first chroniclers of the Punk Rock scene in his native New York, Allen’s work has appeared in local, national and international media including Communication Arts, How, Photo District News, Shoot, Folio, Agence France-Presse and Georgia Trend. During a stint in public relations, he penned numerous articles on visual communications for a Fortune 100 client. Allen’s son, Joey, graduated with honors with a journalism degree in 2012. The proud dad boasts that Joey’s first experience in the business came when he accompanied Allen on a 1995 Oz cover story. Shedding The Light, p. 22

Laura Shull is a working artist living in Marietta, Georgia and is currently working toward her BFA in Painting and Drawing from Kennesaw State University. She paints in oil and mixed media and is always looking for new mediums to express the things she sees in the world and in her dreams. Her work is influenced by the human form, the curves and lines found in nature, and the surreal. Cover design — www.laurashull.com

ozmagazine.com | 5

ozcetera

Atlanta’s Office of Entertainment Ramps Up Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has named LaRonda Sutton as the Director of the Office of Entertainment. Sutton has more than two decades of experience as an entertainment executive, working in the music, film, television and new digital media industries. “LaRonda Sutton is an exceptional leader and a tremendous asset to our Administration,” said Mayor Reed. “Under the leadership of Ms. Sutton, Atlanta will continue to attract more film and television projects that create jobs, attract talent and boost our city and region’s economy.”

Atlanta’s Office of Entertainment has spent its first six months focused on its four primary goals: streamlining the film permitting process, assisting with facilitating employment of local talent, creating production-related educational and training opportunities, and safeguarding the interests of residents and businesses affected by film productions.

To help with these goals, Lorielle Broussard was named the Marketing & Communications Manager for the office. Broussard oversees internal and external correspondence with constituents, film permit applicants, production studios and community stakeholders in film and entertainment. She comes from a film and television background, working for various production companies in Los Angeles and New York, combined with co-founding and running Barack The Vote, a merchandising company recently profiled this past year on BET Network.

The office also includes Cardellia Hunter, production coordinator, who has an extensive background in music and production. Patty Miranda is the film & entertainment coordinator for the Office of Entertainment. She began her career with the City of Atlanta on the Innovation Delivery Team as a communications intern.

The office is in the process of taking the film permitting process online, and hopes to have that completed by the end of the first quarter. They have has also implemented the use of social media in disseminating filming-related closure information, which has been received very well. In addition to using social media, they decided to take full advantage of their resources in the Mayor’s Office and are utilizing Channel 26 to circulate this information on their daily crawl.

One of the office’s top priorities is to make sure that the residents of the city of Atlanta have several ways to be informed about what is going on in their community at all times.

“The City of Atlanta is the entertainment and media capital of the Southeast,” said Sutton, “and I look forward to working with residents, business owners and industry representatives to advance Atlanta’s thriving film and production industry.”

Lorielle Broussard

LaRonda Sutton

6 | ozmagazine.com

Cardellia Hunter

Patty Miranda

ozcetera

ACP On the Fence Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) celebrated “Teen Spirit” recently, a moving exhibition of self-portraits and accompanying statements made by chronically ill teens at the Scottish Rite and Egleston campuses of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

The exhibit at Mason Murer Fine Art highlights the strength, creativity and humor these teens convey through their exploration of identity using photographic portraiture. Helping make the exhibit possible: Bill Boling; Corinne Adams and her cadre of volunteers; the Child-Life Specialists at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta; Charlotte Dixon; Digital Arts Studio; Morris, Manning and Martin, LLP; Showcase Photo & Video; and Mason Murer Fine Art. Atlanta Celebrates Photography is seeking submissions for its 2014 public art project, “The Fence.”

“Teen Spirit” accompanies another ACP exhibition, “Under My Roof” a celebration of children and an examination of how children and play have affected the work of photographers Pam Moxley, Kate T. Parker, and ACP co-founder Corinne Adams. A portion of the exhibit benefitted Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

ACP is also bringing “The Fence” project to Atlanta in a 1st-time partnership between ACP, United Photo Industries and the Atlanta BeltLine. “The Fence” will be ACP’s 2014 public art project and exhibited in three locations: Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York, New York; Rose F. Kennedy Greenway in Boston, Massechusetts; and on The Atlanta Beltline, where there’ll be a 600-foot long installation. Photographers can get their work seen by an influential panel of judges, compete for prizes, be part of an exhibition in New York and Boston, and have their work featured on “The Fence.” Submission deadline is April 9th.

seamless paper, vellum, drawing pads, foam board, adhesives & more!

Sam Flax Art & Design (404) 352-7200 | samflaxsouth.com 1745 Peachtree Street NW Atlanta, GA 30309 8 | ozmagazine.com

ozcetera

A Super Tribute 12 years ago, FOX Sports broadcast Super Bowl XXXVI just six months after the 9/11 tragedy. The opening focal point of its broadcast was a piece in which 14 current and former members of the NFL read the Declaration of Independence. Now, the Declaration of Independence piece is the cornerstone of FOX Sports’ Super Bowl coverage. For Super Bowl XLVIII, Jennifer Pransky, FOX Sports feature producer, reshot 100% of the piece featurSteve Dancz and Placement ing NFL legends, military veterans, and Music’s Tammy Hurt other American heroes.

Once again, Placement Music worked with Jennifer Pransky and the talented FOX Sports team to contribute the soundtrack for this epic sports event feature. Just like in 2011, Tammy Hurt, managing partner of Placement Music and member of The Recording Academy® National Board of Trustees, collaborated with Steve Dancz on the production.

“Heart of Independence” is an original composition created for the feature. They also collaborated in 2011 on the award winning score, “Declaration Anthem”, for the Super Bowl XLV feature. Part of “Declaration Anthem” was incorporated into the new score.

For more than 25 years, Dancz has composed and produced music for countless soundtracks seen by millions around the world. Known for the stylistic range and emotional depth of his music, he has been hired repeatedly by iconic names like Columbia Pictures, CBS, HBO, National Geographic, Paramount Pictures, TBS, The Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Discovery Networks, PBS and NPR. Says Dancz, “It was a deep honor to be asked again to score the tribute to the “Declaration of Independence” film that was featured in the Super Bowl broadcast in February. We are pleased that Atlanta is becoming a prime location for the use of music in the creative, business and educational industry.

It was such a privilege to represent the city of Atlanta and to create music to powerful images and text.”

The featured trumpet was performed by Charles “Chuck” Arnold, an Atlanta-area professional trumpet player and music educator. Arnold is a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he served in Navy Band San Diego, the U.S. 7th Fleet Band in Yokosuka, Japan, the U.S. 6th Fleet Band in Naples, Italy, and Navy Band New Orleans, in New Orleans, Louisana.

10 | ozmagazine.com

Leslie Ann Jones was the music score mixer for this piece just like she was in 2011. Jones is a multiple Grammy Awardwinning recording engineer working as Director of Music Recording and Scoring at Skywalker Sound, of Lucasfilm, Ltd. fame.

Assisting Dancz with the production was the team at Tunewelders Music, another Atlanta-based operation. Jason Shannon and Jeremy Gilbertson worked on a Doritos commercial for last year’s Super Bowl, and this year helped bring the score to life by helping to create a virtual orchestra.

“This year, FOX Sports’ ‘Declaration of Independence’ feature honors our veterans, active military and their families,” said Pransky, feature producer, FOX Sports. “Steve Dancz’s composition is the perfect tribute to our servicemen and women. Our first partnership with Placement Music was such a success, that there was no question in my mind about who should produce the score for this year’s project.” Tammy Hurt, managing partner of Placement Music and member of The Recording Academy® National Board of Trustees said, “There are few stages bigger than the Super Bowl. The creative team we assembled for the FOX Super Bowl project and the facilities here in Atlanta are outstanding and are the reason I expect to see more music production work done here.

My greatest is hope is to keep the momentum going and continue to grow awareness on a national level about all of great work in music the members of our community are doing in Georgia.”

Get-a-Grip Gets a Bunch Mark Henderson and his Get-A-Grip Atlanta crew have been busy for the first part of 2014. For hit BET Network gospel competition show “Sunday Best,” Henderson produced and DP’ed a three camera on-location shoot. For the “Swing it Girl” video, Henderson also DP’ed and provided lighting equipment. Former NFL quarterback, Kordell Stewart got lit up for a NEX Television Commercial. And finally, Red Bull tapped Henderson and his crew for a lively shoot on location at a skateboard arena. Get-AGrip supplied lighting equipment for this shoot as well.

Big Things from Small Business The Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce recently recognized Biscardi Creative Media (BCM) as their Small Business of the Month. Biscardi Creative Media believes in being a community partner. The company serves as an advisory board committee member for Lanier High Schools’ Center for Design and Technology Program and industry advisor for Georgia Gwinnett College. Just in 2013, BCM donated its services to the Governor’s office, Gwinnett Economic Development, Gwinnett County Public Schools, The Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services and The Buford Community Co-op.

Biscardi Creative Media’s sister company MTWD Entertainment’s is seeking to develop engage audiences with original content and products for all media. At the 16th Annual RealScreen Summit, MTWD Entertainment has multiple original concepts being pitched. The Summit is one of the largest international gatherings of content creators, distributors and broadcasters in today’s unscripted entertainment industry. BCM Principal Walter Biscardi, Jr. is collaborating with his New Yorkbased agents on numerous original concepts in the lifestyle, travel and cooking genres with BCM providing full production support for the pitches.

Biscardi Creative Media’s crew is proud to be the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Month.

ozmagazine.com | 11

ozcetera

Printpack Pounds the Podium The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) announced that pods and other applications as well as EcoSkin® shrink sleeve film Printpack was the winner of several awards that spotlight achieve- that aids the recovery process of bottles.

Whiskas Carne 500g–SILVER Printing Achievement: The ments in printing and sustainability during the annual FPA Meeting held at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort in Scottsdale, Whiskas package is a PET/PE laminated structure printed in 8 colors using a high definition flexo system (HD plates at 133 lpi) Arizona. Awarded projects were: Yoplait Gogurt Color Shift Despicable Me 2–GOLD Printing and solvent based inks. With this printing solution, Printpack was Achievement: Printpack used innovations in thermochromic tech- able to achieve a consistent, solid background as well as a highly nology to help the makers of Gogurt launch a promotion adver- detailed and defined reproduction of the cat on the front panel, tising Pixar’s “Despicable Me 2” film. They perfected a three part particularly it’s fur. PET laminated to a coextruded film makes the thermochromic ink system to change a yellow “minion” to purple package stronger, more scuff resistant and more resistant to temwhen refrigerated. Interactive packing is popular among all de- perature fluctuations.

Crystal Light Mocktail–SILVER Printing Achievement: With the mographics, but especially successful with child focused products.

This ink changing technology is the first to provide these effects proliferation of water enhancing products in stores, Kraft needed a way to make their new product, Mocktails, stand out on the on a flexible format using a formaldehyde-free ink formula.

Cascadian Farms Cereal Liner–SILVER Sustainability & shelf. This eye-catching package was designed with lush, bright Environmental Achievement: Printpack worked with General Mills hues, colorful tendrils, and cocktail glasses surrounded by swirls to design a primarily plant based cereal liner for General Mills’ of fruit. To bring this complicated design to life, Printpack used the Cascadian Farm line of organic cereal. This development offers Harmony ink system, specifically designed for printing on shrink an alternative to less environmentally safe plastic liners. Printpack films. The sleeve was printed rotogravure on BON PET with five is staying at the forefront of the sustainability movement. Along colors plus white. The fine gravure printing showcases the vivid with constantly working with customers to decrease their environ- colors and fade variations, as well as the very subtle color differmental footprint, they now offer poly-propolene lidding for coffee ences that contribute to the complexities of this design.

12 | ozmagazine.com

Winter Tires in Atlanta Winter is a season that is both harsh and lovely and can hold significant dangers, especially ones associated with driving. Jaguar Land Rover, in an attempt to educate customers on the importance of winter tires, needed a visually compelling yet informative spot to get their message across. They asked Artistic Image to build an animated spot featuring their gorgeous Jaguar X250 XF Saloon car. With a snowy storyboard as their guide, the AI team worked in Maya to create and animate cars, along with building the surrounding landscape in 3D. They experimented with various camera moves, settling on the angles and edits that best told the story of driving safely in dangerous conditions.

They took a lot of time on the color correction until they were 100% satisfied with the cool, winter look.

Justin Newton, Tube Operations Justin Newton joins Tube as it’s new Operations Manager. Newton brings a new (bearded) face and energy to the Tube family. Prior to joining Tube, he was the Director of Special Projects for the last four years at The Goat Farm Arts Center.

He has a degree in film from Georgia State University and has been a freeJustin Newton lance PA, videographer and editor Operations Manager, Tube for the last three years.

The retail chain Five Below asked Tube to put together a motion graphics piece to be played in Times Square recently.

The NASDAQ MarketSite Tower sits at 43rd and Broadway. A behemoth LED screen crawls up seven stories, and curves around the front of the cylindrical NASDAQ building. Creating the images for a 10,000 square foot screen, with curvature and window cut outs created new challenges. The enormous screen resolution of The NASDAQ MarketSite is made possible by 19 million light emitting diodes (LEDs). ozmagazine.com | 13

ozcetera

A Counselor’s Counselor Arketi Group principal Mike Neumeier will serve as chairman of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Counselors Academy. Counselors Academy is a national professional interest section of PRSA that facilitates peer-to-peer exchanges between senior-level agency executives regarding agency management.

Focusing on professional development, ethical standards and agency practices, Counselors Academy programs are designed to encourage networking, mentoring and peer support between principals and senior counselors of public relations firms. As a principal at Arketi, Neumeier provides business-to-business technology clients with strategic communications counsel so that they may effectively convey business messages to media and market influencers. He is a past-president of the Georgia Chapter of Public Relations Society of America, serves on the board of directors for the Technology Association of Georgia and is a member of the executive committee of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta.

Neumeier was named the 2013 Technology PR Professional of the Year by the PRSA Technology Section.

“I am looking forward to working with the strong group of agency leaders tapped to serve on the section’s executive committee,” said Neumeier. “This year we are focused on using the power of ideas to help independent and multinational agencies create a better business by centering our programming on potential, people, profits and promises.” The section’s marquee event is the PRSA 2014 Counselors Academy Spring Conference which will be May 4-6, 2014 in Key West, Fla. Known for robust networking and learning opportunities, the Spring Conference enables collaborative peer relationships in which meaningful business counsel, operational best practices and industry trends

can be shared and gained.

Arketi Group was recognized for its exceptional work in trade media relations, earning an honorable mention from PR Daily’s 2013 Media Relations Awards for Arketi’s PR strategy to help PMG, a provider of business process automation software, capture more industry mind-share and media attention. Arketi executed a survey campaign on cloud sprawl, a major concern of PMG’s target audience. The survey yielded more than 20 key data points, positioning PMG as the authority to discuss the importance of controlling cloud sprawl within the enterprise. Pitching the survey results to target media, Arketi’s aggressive outreach garnered 1,380,966 media impressions. Key placements included Baseline, CIO, FierceCIO, Finance Tech News, Forbes, InfoWorld, IT Business Edge and TechRepublic, along with coverage on more than 70 blogs and websites.

On the new client front, Mobile Labs, LLC, a leading provider of enterprise-grade, next-generation mobile application testing solutions, chose Arketi as its search marketing agency of record.

Mobile Labs partnered with Arketi to increase their site’s visibility using both organic and paid search campaigns. Arketi will provide strategic recommendations including site improvements, content generation, link building and social media marketing to boost the company’s search performance and overall position in the marketplace. Mobile Lab’s private, internal device cloud, deviceConnect™, delivers comprehensive management capabilities for mobile devices in corporate test labs. With a focus on security, agility and affordability, Mobile Labs provides solutions that help deliver quality mobile apps for Android™ and iOS platforms while also managing mobile devices in a private, secure cloud.

Living Monuments Congrats to Rhett Turner from Red Sky Productions on publishing Georgia County Courthouses: The Architecture of Living Monuments. The State of Georgia is second only to Texas for the largest number of counties and courthouses in the country. Georgia is also the largest state east of the Mississippi River. Georgia County Courthouses catalogs and celebrates each of the 159 courthouses in the state of Georgia. The book also inspires beyond the aesthetic, and provides a rich record for history buffs; both Georgians and non-Georgians alike as the county markers on each of the courthouse grounds pays tribute, for example, to those who died during the civil wars and to those who helped define Georgia’s unique history. Turner launched with a book signing at the Presidential Library at the Carter Center in Atlanta in early April.

14 | ozmagazine.com

ozcetera

Health, Wellness and White Pants Caliber Enterprises has continued impact in the areas of health and wellness. Monica Pearson and Caliber CEO Marcus Jackson worked and participated in the “White Pants” event featuring client, Cynthia Bailey. Caliber’s proCaliber Enterprises CEO, Marcus Jackson, ductions branch is launchwith retired WSB-TV anchor, ing the Dr. Jameelah Gater Monica Pearson Show this month, showcasing many great tips for preventative health from a veteran integrative medicine physician.

Dr. Gater ‘s show will provide information so the audience can live at their highest level of wellness.

Marcus Jackson is featured in the upcoming “Atlanta Industry Insider,” another production from Caliber Enterprises. Its purpose is to inform and direct newcomers about entering and advancing in the entertainment business. The series begins with discussion on the acting and modeling Industries.

Growth Spurt at communications 21 communications 21® (c21®), a full-service marketing, public relations and interactive firm, recently added two clients: Xytex Cryo International Ltd. (Xytex) and Fit Foodz™. c21 is providing a variety of services, including media relations, social media management and analytics, email marketing and trade show marketing.

Xytex is one of the top three sperm banks in the world and also provides cord blood and tissue bank services. Founded in 1975, Xytex has become a global provider of human semen to healthcare professionals and their patients, helping them select a medically-qualified donor from a highly qualified and rigorously tested diverse group. Their services include cryopreservation, reproductive tissue storage, cord blood and long-term reproductive storage.

Fit Foodz produces the only fully-cooked whole meat chicken that qualifies as a “fit food” as designated by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Lower in sodium and calories than other chicken products on the market, Fit Foodz’ products deliver better nutrition by using natural, whole muscle products that are designed to be baked, not fried. Fit Foodz is distributed globally through the U.S. armed forces, in hospitals and in retail stores like Wal-Mart and Market Street Grocery.

ozmagazine.com | 15

ozcetera

Coming to a Home Theater Near You Band Pro Film & Digital, Inc. showcased a complete on-set 4K workflow chain at this year’s NAB show.

The demonstration began with live image acquisition using the latest 4K digital cameras and new Leica Summicron-C prime lenses. The raw 4K footage got on-set color correction from industry giant Technicolor utilizing Technicolor’s on-set DIT cart running Colorfront software. Color corrected footage then passed to Cine Post Production to highlight their COPRA on-set dailies software, and to an Ovide Smart Assist dailies system running Q-Take software. A full array of currently available 4K consumer televisions and 4K content players completed the demonstration, provided by Just One Touch Video & Audio Centers.

Band Pro President and CEO, Amnon Band said: “We’re really proud to be joined by Technicolor this year at NAB. Needless to say, their industry experience is second to none. If you thought 4K was just a passing fad, come see what we have to show you. The fact of the matter is: 4K production is here and it’s thriving.”

In addition to the 4K Workflow demonstration, Band Pro premiered new 4K content in their dedicated lounge space. One highly anticipated short, ‘Choreography Diagrams,’ by Eno Peci with Dancers from the Vienna State Ballet, was shot in 4K RAW with the Sony F55 & F65 cameras and Leica Summicron-C prime lenses.

16 | ozmagazine.com

J

oin us each month

for industry-shaping speakers and cutting edge Georgia news

April 1 May 6 June 3

THE VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY SINCE 1995

Atlanta Directors Take On National Brands Pogo Pictures director/DP Steve Colby recently traveled the country, shooting in New York City, Denver & North Carolina for clients such as health insurer EmblemHealth, restaurant consortium Ovation Brands, The Susan G. Komen Foundation and UNC Healthcare.

Director Ryan Smith’s recent work included a 3-day shoot for Ryobi, spots for eatery conglomerate Buffets in Denver, and Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He’s also been on the road shooting for GMC Trucks and John Deere, as well as several musical acts. And director Ben Callner has directed several spots for Church’s Chicken, in addition to Georgia Lottery spots, as well as spots for Novant Health and SCANA Energy’s “Affairs of the Flame” campaign.

Ample Awards at Azul Arc Congrats to web and software development firm Azul Arc who collaborated on an award-winning project with ad, marketing and PR firm, Kleber & Associates. The project was a product configurator application and responsive web site for Canadian appliance manufacturer, Elmira.

Elmira manufactures and markets unique retro and antique appliances. The project earned a Davey Award, an IMA Award and a MarCom Gold Award.

ozmagazine.com | 19

ozcetera

Sounds of Success at Street Level Street Level Sound composer and producer Greg Shearer created a national spot package for advertiser Floor and Decor. The Atlanta based company has outlets in 23 locations across the US. The fanciful spots were shot and directed by Mark Simon of Fizz City Films for Mike Fisher Creative of Dallas, Texas. The campaign features three TV and one radio spot and began airing in early 2014.

SLS composer and producer Paul Shearer scored a three-minute promotional film about NATO for the US government. The orchestral score backs NATO’s effort to achieve positive image reinforcement for military and NGO organizations. And, composer and producer Kyle Shearer hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with his production of “Ready or Not” for vocalist Britt Nicole with rapper Lecrae. The song remained on the charts for 26 weeks.

The three Shearers at Street Level Sound have been busy — Greg, Kyle and Paul

20 | ozmagazine.com

ozcetera

The Machine Behind the Machine A leader in the machine business-to-business, Numerex, engaged digital media agency three squared to enhance the corporate brand and related communications. The project will include strategic branding exercises along with the creation of a new corporate identity package.

Familiar with three squared’s work with Goodwill of North Georgia, Goodwill of Southern Rivers is working with the team to re-create their corporate site. And, the National Society of High School Scholars has partnered with the three squared team to re-envision the organization’s web presence. The current site had become difficult to manage and a fresh approach to the site’s user experience and overall visual look and feel will be part of creating a new, more engaging online experience.

ozmagazine.com | 21

…now!

previous page—Senoia, Georgia—prior to 2006 this sleepy little town had just six businesses. Now, thanks to Raleigh Studios revamp of buildings and storefronts along Main Street, there are now more than 50 businesses on a waiting list for the prime retail space. Senoia serves as a backlot for Raleigh Studios—any of the buildings that line Main Street can be easily transformed for use on a movie set. historic Senoia photo courtesy Suzanne Pengelley

You’ve heard the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child? The same adage applies to movie studios: It takes a village to build and sustain these production facilities—especially if said studios are as large in square footage and reach as, well, a typical village.

Thanks to tax incentives that give qualified film, TV, and gaming productions a 30 percent tax break on production costs, movie studios—villages in their own right, in terms of square footage and personnel—are popping up everywhere, seemingly overnight.

Since 2008, seven major movie studios have opened, or plan to open, in Metro Atlanta and surrounding areas. Tyler Perry Studios, EUE/Screen Gems, and Raleigh Studios opened between 2008 and 2010; Atlanta Film Studios in Paulding County, and Atlanta Avenue Stageworks in Grant Park, opened their doors in 2012. Atlanta Filmworks Studios and Stages came online in 2013. And as of this writing, two more behemoth studios—Pinewood Atlanta Studios and the Atlanta Media Campus in Gwinnett—will either begin or increase film and TV production at their facilities by the summer of this year.

But where, one might wonder, does the “village” come into play in all of this? After all, anyone who’s worked around film or TV productions knows that the studios themselves don’t hire actors, crew, or support companies; they simply rent space to the production companies that do. And it’s in this way 24 | ozmagazine.com

that the studios provide the backdrop for that village to do its work; they effectively hold the canvas onto which production companies—the folks that not only rent the space, but also hire the actors, crew, set dressers, costumers, makeup artists, and more—paint the reality that if you build the village, jobs and employees to fill them, will come.

Raleigh Studios, Senoia: Creating Main Street, USA, One Building at a Time Scott Tigchelaar knows a little something about building both a movie studio and a village. In fact, he built the studio first and then turned Senoia, the surrounding, sleepy little town located just 35 miles southwest of Atlanta, into a bustling village.

Tigchelaar is President of Raleigh Studios, a production facility that’s comprised of four stages that range in size from 7,500 to 15,000 square feet. The studio, which houses construction mill space, carpentry and electrical shops, screening room, production offices, and more, is also home to the production company behind “The Walking Dead,” the TV series about the zombie apocalypse, and the most popular show in the history of cable TV. But the real story isn’t the studio itself, per se, but how it created a vil-

lage, practically from the ground up, to champion its cause. The vision for what Senoia could be started with Tigchelaar’s uncle, Paul Lombardi. Lombardi grew up in the film industry in Los Angeles and felt an affinity for the people and the art of film. But over time, Lombardi began to feel that the industry lost its family feel, its heart and soul. He said, “It used to be like one big family.” Tigchelaar recalls.

“The industry was like a family unto itself, until everybody became independent contractors, working from show to show.

Everybody started going in different directions. You’d be on set and have a great dynamic with the crew, but you might never work with them again.”

Lombardi’s disenchantment with the industry grew in the late 1980s, when movie production began leaving Hollywood for other “hot spots.” Georgia was one such hot spot, and in the 1980s, Lombardi and Tigchelaar, a real estate developer, bought 100 acres of land in the town of Senoia, a non-descript town in Fayette County, Georgia, just south of the airport; a town that Tigchelaar says was “economically dead.”

Senoia was dead because five families owned everything in the town, and they opposed economic development in the area. “There was a demand for the basics—restaurants, lawyers, dentists, the Allstate agent—none of that existed in town,” Tigchelaar remembers.

It was in that dead town that Lombardi and Tigchelaar built their own

studio. They did it “the old-fashioned way”— by hiring their friends, Tigchelaar says. The studio stayed rented and busy until the film industry in Georgia tanked in the mid-1990s. It wasn’t until 2003, when talk of tax incentives for the industry began circulating through the Georgia legislature, that Tigchelaar’s and Lombardi’s plans for the facility really began to take shape. Eventually, Tigchelaar and a team of investors were able to break down the residents’ resistance to commercial development and by 2006, the team had purchased twenty-two pieces of property, all in the historic Senoia district. “We became the largest landholder in town overnight, actually,” Tigchelaar says.

Raleigh Studios

The team’s first order of business: to revamp buildings and storefronts along Main Street—the goal, Tigchelaar says, was “to make the town new, but look old.” Eventually, the city of Senoia became a backlot for Raleigh Studios— any of the buildings that line Main Street can be transformed for use on a movie set. But the most impressive part of this story is the impact Main Street’s redevelopment has had on the small town of Senoia: The small, sleepy town that had just six businesses prior to 2006 now has a waiting list of 50 businesses—all vying for prime retail space.

Tigchelaar says that’s just the beginning. He and his partners are working on residential and commercial

investment deals, which he anticipates will total $50-$75 million when it’s all said and done.

Show Me the Money: How Studios Create Jobs— the Breakdown While the town of Senoia serves as the aesthetic backdrop for movies and TV shows filmed at Raleigh Studios, that studio isn’t the only one in Metro Atlanta that’s having a massive economic impact on the local community.

Studios, just by their sheer size and all the work that goes into building them, create hundreds of jobs in the short-term. Those short-term jobs (three to nine months, on average) include everything from personnel to clear the grounds to landscapers, to construction workers and electricians, to painters and carpenters, and more.

Once the facility is built, vendors may take up shop in close proximity to the studios, or even onsite. Restaurants, cafes, grocery stores, dry cleaners, and hardware stores are some of the more commonly seen vendors. Perhaps less commonly seen, but not totally unheard of, is when national chain stores open facilities on movie studio premises. Such is the case for Fayetteville’s Pinewood Atlanta Studios, a subsidiary of the London-based company that’s best ozmagazine.com | 25

known for the James Bond and Harry Potter franchises; Pinewood plans to open a Home Depot on its property.

Yet another way movie studios create jobs is by providing lodging for production crews, not just in surrounding areas, but even onsite. In addition to Raleigh Studios, which plans to build both residential and hotel accommodations on its property, the Atlanta Media Campus plans to open both residential and luxury hotel spaces onsite. The services required by such facilities—housekeeping, reception, maintenance, security, catering, management, quality control, and groundskeepers—could create more than 200 full or part-time jobs per facility, by conservative estimates.

So, just how many jobs does this add up to? It’s said by those in the industry that every one job created by a film production necessitates the creation of three more. A more concrete answer, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, is that in 2012, the film and TV industry in Georgia directly provided more than 25,000 jobs—and a direct economic impact of more than $3 billion.

Southeast Atlanta on the site of what was formerly the Lakewood Fairgrounds; and what was prior to that the site of one of Georgia’s first film studios, FilmWorks USA; EUE/Screen Gems is a mammoth studio complex whose tenants have included the production teams behind more than 20 scripted TV shows and feature films since it opened its doors in 2010. Productions made here include BET’s “The Game,” the Vince Vaughn comedy, “The Internship” and 2013’s blockbuster, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.”

With 10 stages offering a combined 178,000 square feet of production and office space and a full roster of upcoming productions already booked,

Screen Gems is fueling the pipeline of film and TV jobs in Georgia.

Mailing Avenue Stageworks –Grant Park, Downtown Atlanta Real estate investor Tyler Edgarton knew he wanted his movie studio to make an impact, but he admits that making a dent in job creation wasn’t his initial goal. Edgarton is a partner in Raulet Property Investors, LLC, the team that owns and operates Mailing Avenue Stageworks in East Atlanta’s Grant Park.

All veterans of Atlanta’s urban real

EUE/Screen Gems In terms of that impact—creating film industry-related jobs—few existing studios in the State have done more than EUE/Screen Gems. Based in 26 | ozmagazine.com

Set builders construct a movie set at Mailing Avenue Stageworks

How many jobs does this add up to? It’s said by those in the industry that every one job created by a film production necessitates the creation of three more. A more concrete answer, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, is that in 2012, the film and TV industry in Georgia directly provided more than 25,000 jobs—and a direct economic impact of more than $3 billion.

estate industry, the partners had built successful careers revamping commercial properties in the urban core of the city.

The idea to turn the facility into a production space actually came from Paul Raulet’s younger brother, John Raulet, who, over the course of his career, had helped more than 30 film productions find studio space throughout Atlanta, productions that included “Identity Theft” and “The Internship.”

The team’s goal, then, was to keep the facility rented out and make sure it was functional for film crews. “Our research was initially focused on the functionality of the building. Many productions need a combination of office space, carpentry, wardrobe storage and a large area to have the sets for shooting. We knew the location, being in close proximity to Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead would be a hit with people from outside the city,” Edgarton says. But just to make sure they’d get a healthy return on their investment, Edgarton and his team did many tours with local production veterans to analyze the building’s functionality.

The space passed the test, and Mailing Avenue Stageworks opened its doors to tenants in January 2013. The space contains stage space, a mill shop, production offices, and support warehouse under one roof. Since it opened last year, studio has housed productions for a number of feature films and TV shows, including “Last Vegas,” starring

Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, and Morgan Freeman; “Necessary Roughness;” and two pilots – “Line of Sight,” and “Neil, Inc.” Another production, whose identity Edgarton says is under wraps, has just taken up residence at the facility.

Edgarton says while he doesn’t know if any new businesses are taking root in the area because of the studio, but existing local business have certainly benefitted from its existence. “The stage does a significant amount of business with a wide range of Atlanta business – many of them may not come to mind when thinking of movie productions— car rentals, caterers, generators, and raw lumber.”

Atlanta Media Campus, Gwinnett While the partners of Mailing Avenue Stageworks might be reluctant to attribute their existence to an economic uptick in their local area, creating jobs and making an economic impact are foremost on the minds of The Jacoby Group, the development team behind Gwinnett County-based Atlanta Media Campus.

Work is scheduled to begin on Phase 1— a 125-acre movie studio that will house seven sound stages—in April 2014. Located on the site of what was once a fiber-optic cable manufacturing plant, Atlanta Media Campus will

be, when completed later this summer, the largest movie studio in the state of Georgia, and the fourth largest in the United States.

The studio’s developer, Jim Jacoby, principal of Jacoby Development and the brainchild of Atlanta’s Atlantic Station, says the facility, which is located on Jimmy Carter Boulevard in Gwinnett County, will be a mixed-used facility that will feature high-rise office buildings, a five-star, luxury hotel, shops, residences, and even a film school. And as far as jobs, Jacoby says the vision is to provide jobs at every income level—from celebrities and extras, to food servers and administrators, to caterers and cleaning crew. In fact, by the time the full studio is completed in 2020, the five-million square foot facility will have made an estimated $1 billion investment in the community.

An ambitious projection? Perhaps.

But Tigchelaar reminds us that Atlanta’s burgeoning film industry is in constant demand of skilled, talented, and able workers. And that as long as investors like Edgarton, Jacoby, and himself are willing to build the places for those people to work, they will come. “The film business has thrown gasoline on and sped up the level at which the town has developed. Even without the industry, because of the pent-up demand for services in Senoia, we’d still have done okay.

But we wouldn’t be as far along as we are now if it weren’t for the film industry.”

ozmagazine.com | 27

voices | as told by Shay Griffin

The bill that gives tax incentives to filmmakers who film in Georgia has produced a sharp rise in filming in Georgia. In turn, the filmmakers have brought money, jobs and fame to the state.

28 | ozmagazine.com

According to Governor Nathan Deal, the film industry in Georgia is ranked number three in the country and number five in the world. Deal attributes this rise to the bill passed to give a large tax incentive to those who film in Georgia. This bill, which offers a thirty percent tax credit to those who film in the state, has spurred more and more filmmakers to choose Georgia as the location for their films and will likely continue to do so as it is one of the highest tax incentives in the country.

The state has seen an economic impact of around $3.1 billion from the film industry, establishing it as one of the most prominent industries in Georgia. There’s no debating that the film industry in Georgia is doing better than ever, but what sort of effects has the boom in the industry created? Casting director at Chez Studios and one of the members of the five-person committee that created and pushed the tax incentive bill, Shay Griffin, shares her thoughts on the topic.

For Griffin, the growth of the industry has helped out the areas surrounding filming. While cast and crew are filming and living in Georgia, they need banks, cars, hotels, food and much more. They turn to local providers for these things, stimulating the economy in the region where they are filming. Movie crews in particular tend to be large and require a lot from the local businesses. This means that they also bring large profits to the local businesses, which is a great thing for the local economy. Filmmakers also turn to the local region for crew workers and other behind-the-scenes folks. Griffin notes that it would cost the filmmakers a lot of money to transport every crew member from New York or Los Angeles to the film site and to house and feed them for the duration. It makes a lot more sense for them to hire locally to save money.

When the filmmakers do hire locally, they are providing jobs for Georgians as well as adding money into the local economy.

The film industry isn’t just affecting Atlanta either. Communities all over Georgia are seeing benefits from the growing film industry including Savannah and Covington.

Along the same train of thought, it is much easier for filmmakers to hire local actors as well, especially extras or small speaking or on-camera roles. As a casting director, Griffin notes that she knows the talent base best and sees the changes

that the growing industry has brought in that area most prominently. Firstly, Griffin says, the talent base is exposed to more opportunities now that the industry is growing. Television and movies need a wide variety of actors from different backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, and styles, allowing more actors to have an opportunity to work. Actors often get their first opportunities as extras, so the increasing need for extras in Georgia is allowing more and more Georgia talents to get their jumpstart into the industry. Secondly, people with specific skill sets or talents are being exposed to more opportunities as well. Griffin gives an example of a carpenter who may not have been able to find much work before, but is hired on by filmmakers to work on building the set. Griffin says that she has heard many stories from people who were able to get work in the film industry because of their specific skill sets or talents.

Not only has the rise in film in Georgia given actors more job opportunities, but it has also created more competition for talent within the state. According to Griffin, actors from other states have been moving to Georgia because of the many jobs offered here. That means that the actors here must compete not only with one another, but also with out of state actors. Because competition is heavier, actors must sharpen their skills.

Chez Studios, among other places, offers monthly training for actors where they can learn and hone their skills to become more competitive. And as the actors’ skills become more competitive, they are offered more jobs from filmmakers within the state.

The bill that gives high tax incentives to filmmakers who film in Georgia has produced a sharp rise in filming in Georgia. In turn, the filmmakers have brought money, jobs and fame to the state. Film companies have offered jobs to actors and other talent as well as to crew workers and workers with special skill sets.

This has also created more competition among actors and other talent, spurring them to hone their skills in order to become more competitive in the industry.

Film companies have also stimulated the local economy by paying large sums of money to local restaurants, caterers, banks, car rental services, hotels, and other businesses. The tax incentives are working as intended.

—by Laura Barrett

I’m in the Movies!

Becoming an On-Set Extra

The rumor is true: Atlanta is slowly becoming the next Hollywood. Hollywood’s professionally trained film and television producers, directors, crew members, and starlets, have come surging into Atlanta, filling up the city like life-blood. The Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act, Atlanta’s tax incentive, has created within our city an enviable entertainment empire. Not only are the city’s film and television production costs competitively low, Atlanta also possesses an incredibly polarized landscape—home to the gritty urban, and live stock pastures, to the concrete labyrinths and cotton prairies—making it the ideal location for capturing a diversity of scenic culture and personality.

Among the electric bustle of production from the West comes an urgent need for people: crew members and background artists. There are thousands of new extras roles opening up each week and an urgent need for people to help create these intricately designed universes. It is an unusual opportunity, being an on-set extra. You construct the sweep of color and movement that surrounds the leading actor; you are the warm light, and white noise that allows viewers to fall in love with the story and believe in its authenticity. More likely than not, your face will not be seen on screen. Your name will not roll in the credits. But that is not why you will apply for the role.

Although the odds are stacked heavily against you, the unexpected opportunity to play a featured or speaking role may fall into the lap of an on-set extra. “I hate to say it’s luck, but to me that’s what it sort of comes down to—being in the right place at the right time,” Wittenberg says Ann Wittenberg, owner of New Life Casting. A veteran and perfectionist in the extras casting industry, Wittenberg has often spent weeks searching for the perfect face to fill a featured extra role, once holding a spontaneous

audition for an 85-year old woman in a dive-bar (she was chosen for the part of Aunt Linny on Lawless). She agrees that while unlikely, there is an opportunity inherent in being on set, simply being present and seen by the director and producers, whose artistic visions are often hairtriggered and erratic. “You just never know what the director might be looking for,” she admits.

“He might just like your look and decide ‘Hey, I’m going to throw this guy a couple of lines.’” Once an extra has accepted a speaking role, they can choose to join SAG (Screen Actors Guild) and will receive much higher pay rates for SAG-affiliated roles.

by Brenna Conley

ozmagazine.com | 31

The rise to on-screen stardom is not the only way to work your way up the film and television industry ladder.

Being an on-set extra provides opportunity to watch the inner workings of camera Marinella and lighting crews, the director’s interactions…what really goes on behind the scenes. Co-founder of Marinella Hume Casting, Bill Marinella, perfectly illustrates the growth potential that a background artist can achieve.

“Well, I used to be an actor,” he begins.

At the early age of 16, he was given a speaking role in The Christmas Story, and became a member of SAG. Confident in the momentum of his acting prowess, he never pursued acting classes or college, but instead drove, with hoards of other bright-eyed hopefuls, to California.

“Everyone else looked just like me, and I absolutely sucked at acting,” he recalls jokingly. He returned home and began work as an extra performer. “I couldn’t get an agent or a job, so I did extra work.

I started to intern with Bill Dance, working for free as an extras casting associate with no pay on a movie called Alien: Resurrection. I almost got fired from that movie because I didn’t know the first thing about how to cast extras. Bill took me under his wing and I went onward and upward from there.” Marinella’s mentor, Dance, is to thank for work on the cult-classic Fight Club as well as American History X.

The Application Process: Presentation For an Atlantan who doesn’t know anything about the television and film production industry other than that it exists, the idea of becoming an onscreen extra may sound surreal and elusive, and the process enormously daunting. The truth is that wiggling your way into a role as a background artist is not at all difficult. In fact, the only real resource needed is…you guessed it, the internet.

Determine which extras casting companies most impress you by doing your research online; as in most industries, some casting companies have better reviews and reputations than others, but each has its own distinctive flavor. Once 32 | ozmagazine.com

you’ve compiled a solid list, look up your options on the king of digital connectivity, Facebook. You’ll find that almost every extras casting company in Atlanta has its own personal Facebook profile, where followers receive regular updates on available roles for backgrounds artists and featured extras, as well as open casting calls. Depending on the needs of the films or shows with which each extras casting company is working, there may or may not be ample opportunity for you to submit. If you are a 180-pound African-American woman, and the casting company is working primarily on a show casting thin-framed Asians, you might waste weeks waiting for a call to submit for your demographic. Do not bother submitting your information and headshots if you do not fit the description. This is a waste of your time and the time of the extras casting director, who is already spending countless hours weeding through hundreds of valid submission emails.

Finally, the day arrives. You spot a call for submissions that’s a dead ringer for your type…let’s say athletic, darkhaired males between 20 and 35 years of age. Rather than submitting five mediocre photos and a lengthy paragraph about your burgeoning excitement, keep in mind that the entire extras application process, (and frankly, any application process) is a game of presentation. The best man doesn’t necessarily win, but the most persuasive presentation always does. In this case, persuasive presentation entails photographs that are current, well-lit, clear and in focus. You might be nagged by the temptation to submit that glamour shot taken eight years ago, where the sun is highlighting your cheekbones and your perfectly styled ‘do screams Brando or Gable, but practice restraint. Casting directors do not want to be star-struck by artful photography; they want to see you, in all of your current, accurate glory. “That is one of the biggest problems that I face,” Wittenberg explains. “I will hire someone and then see them in person and they look completely different from their pictures.

They’ll go and have glamour shots made, but when they come on set, they don’t even have on makeup. So, it is kind of a nightmare.” Taking at least one current iPhone or digital shot of yourself in natural lighting with hair and makeup styled regularly is highly recommended, as this

leaves the extras casting director with no surprises.

Another essential piece of advice is to eliminate distractions from the frame of the photo. Unless your adorable terrier, aunt, mom, two year old, or candy apple convertible are planning on being background artists with you, leave them out of your application photos.

Preferably, your photo should be taken against a solid, pale colored wall, but if this is not an option, simply crop any distractions from your photograph. Lastly, be cognizant of the role for which you are applying. If you are a certified nurse and the extras casting company is seeking nurses for their scene, have a friend take a clear photograph of you in your scrubs, with natural makeup, and hair pulled back as it would be on a typical day at the hospital.

Extras casting opportunities in Atlanta are not limited to the sporadic Facebook posts of these companies; many of these same companies have online databases where potential extras can submit their photographs, information, measurements, and talents to be accessed by casting directors when needed. Whether you are a violinist, kickboxer, yoga instructor or fire-eater, your unique and bizarre talents will distinguish you from others in your demographic. “If we are filming a golfing scene, we want someone that really knows how to hold a golf club correctly. We can go in and search the metropolitan area for age, height, weight, gender and type a key word in, ‘golf’ and that will enable their picture and contact information to come up,” explains Marinella.

However, Marinella cautions, beware of “casting agents.” According to the experienced extras casting director, this is a misleading and erroneous title: “First and foremost, there is no such thing as a casting agent. It does not exist. That is a term that has been around for many years. People call themselves agents, but we are casting directors; we get paid by production to find actors and performers. We have no interest in taking individuals’ money.” The Marinella Hume Casting and New Life Casting databases, among others, are completely free to users. Be wary of companies that promote themselves as “extras casting agencies” if they require you to pay monthly or unreasonable annual fees to join their databases.

Preparation: Making a Good First Impression Ann Wittenberg has a light-hearted rule of thumb about casting submissions: “Submit and forget.” You will often be competing with hundreds of hopefuls for an extra role, and to obsess over each submission can become draining and discouraging. Wittenberg suggests a healthy dose of “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Whether immediately or months down the road, you will eventually celebrate your first acceptance notification! The extras casting company will notify you by phone or email, detailing call time, clothing requirements, parking location, and the show or movie on which you will be working.

When choosing your three to four outfits for the shoot, try to place yourself in the shoes of the wardrobe stylist who will be assessing your look. Your clothing choices need to be consistent for the Hume role, but also contribute appropriately to the subtle palette of the background. If the leading actress is wearing a violet dress, your dress will unquestionably be another color. Your presence is intended to highlight her and establish credibility, to create the reality in which a remarkable character is born. Any inattention to detail could jeopardize this carefully crafted reality, which is why extras casting directors, wardrobe stylists and makeup artists collaborate to create looks that mimic reality and avoid anachronism. Andrea Hume, co-founder of Marinella Hume Casting, recalled one extra who showed up on set nightmarishly out of character. “We had booked a girl to work at the law firm on Drop Dead Diva, and she showed up and had these fluorescent pink, acrylic nails with black tips. If you worked for a real law firm, would you come to work with nails like that? We try to be very specific in the email but we can’t touch on every single detail.”

Even those who typically shy away from the iron might want to take a moment to press their clothes and stow them neatly away into a garment bag. If the crumples in your blouse are beginning to resemble a topographic map of the Andes, it is safe to say that your

reception from the wardrobe stylists will out-chill the Arctic tundra. Select neutral pants and solid shirts. Avoid busy patterns, black and red. This will minimize the chances that you will be asked to change, sometimes in freezing weather, or in a crowded tent on the wet grass.

Before leaving the house on the day of the shoot, be sure to bring directions to the extras parking lots, as well as two valid forms of identification, and the phone number for one (or two to be safe) extras casting directors, which could save you from being blacklisted if you are running a little bit late. Calling these individuals, however, should be a worst-case scenario last resort. Extras casting directors are some of the busiest bees in the hive, and in their book, being late is a nearly inexcusable error. Unless you have encountered some unforeseen tragedy that has thrown your life into complete crisis, your tardiness is perceived simply as unreliability, an attribute that the extras casting company does not have the time or energy to deal with.

You will be asked not to submit to their company again in the future. Instead of burning profitable bridges, strategize with preparedness. Most extras casting companies agree that you should aim to be at the check-in table fifteen minutes before your call time, and heavily pad your schedule to account for morning traffic on the commute, unexpected delays due to traffic accidents, weather, missed turns, etc.

Holding and On-Set You’ve made it to the extras tent, garment bag in hand, fresh-faced, hair groomed and on time. The hardest part is over. If you’ve made it early enough to finish filling out your W-2s before hair and wardrobe come around to inspect, grab yourself a plate of hot breakfast.

Extras casting companies almost always provide breakfast and lunch if the work day reaches 12 hours, but you should always eat a filling breakfast before you leave home in case you miss the hot breakfast boat. If shooting a scene drags out for any reason, lunch might not roll around until three or four o’clock, and waiting between scenes can be agonizing on an empty stomach. Some extras casting directors, like Wittenberg, are concerned for the conditions in which extras work and wait between scenes. “It

is a business for me but I want to help people. For me, it is a more personal relationship.” Having started out as an extra herself, Wittenberg is aware of the horror stories surrounding how some casting companies treat their extras. “That’s why I decided to open my own company. We make sure the background artists are taken care of. They need you, so why treat you disrespectfully, like you’re just another meaningless number? I don’t want my extras eating cheese balls, I want them to eat good food, and for them to be provided with water when it is 100 degrees outside.”

Whether you are waiting on a velvet couch in a mansion’s foyer or on a fold-out chair in the dirt, you should prepare yourself for a marathon of hurrying and waiting. Many extras choose to bring iPods or novels to pass the hours; others cocoon themselves in blankets and sweaters and attempt to catch up on some beauty sleep. But as the truism goes, dusk is darkest before the dawn, and so, finally, you will be awakened, primped, debriefed, hustled out of holding, hustled onto set, told to be quiet, arranged precisely, and then given specific instructions. You might be walking down a flight of stairs, across a restaurant, silently laughing to a friend, or pantomiming conversation, over and over again, take after take, until the director feels that he has captured something genius, that he has his magic shot, at which time you will be led quietly back to your novel, or your sweater cocoon.

Until the next take. Lather, rinse, repeat.

At the end of a twelve to fourteen hour day, background artists collapse into their cars. Imagine that the lethargy of waiting has seeped under your skin and you are itching to get back on the road, to get home and shed your carefully selected wardrobe for a pair of sweats.

You might not bother to watch for yourself when the episode airs, or you might watch eagerly, face falling when you realize they’ve completely cut your scene. But that’s not why you applied for the role. It’s there in the painting, an orchestration of colors weaving in and out of each other, smears of pigment on a fresh page, and one stroke of light that belongs to you completely, that connected you to the writer’s storytelling, to the director’s vision and to the audience’s wild applause. ozmagazine.com | 33

by Allen Rabinowitz In a classic case of crash and burn, Greek mythology tells of the inventor Daedalus who improvised a set of wings made of feathers and wax to help him escape a king’s ire. As the inventor, accompanied by his young son, Icarus, took flight, he warned the boy not to fly too high, as the heat of the sun would melt the wax holding the wings together.

Like many an impetuous youth, Icarus got caught up in the adventure of flying and let the breezes carry him upward, forgetting his father’s warnings. As Daedalus predicted, the wings began to melt and fell apart sending Icarus plummeting to the Earth. As with many ancient heroes, Icarus paid a heavy price for his “hubris,” the Greek word for excessive ambition.

The corollary in today’s creative world might be the young cinematographer who, after tasting a small success, thinks he or she is ready for the big time.

After investing a boatload of money on up-to-the-minute digital camera equipment, he is betrayed by his lack of knowledge on using lighting to maximum advantage. Much like Icarus, his failure to follow sage advice has led not to death, but to failure and career blockage. After blowing thousands of dollars of the client’s budget on mistakes brought on by hubris, the young cinematographer might prefer Icarus’s fate to their own.

ozmagazine.com | 35

This shooter, however, doesn’t have to emulate Icarus as a role model.

If they listen to and follow the advice offered by the wise men behind the counters at many Atlanta camera and lighting equipment rental companies, the shooter can avoid problems before they occur.

These experts, most of who are veterans of a number of productions ranging from television news to feature films have a wealth of knowledge to share. ”We get calls from people askOmps ing me how to light something to people knowing exactly what they want without any questions for me,” says Jon Omps, grip and lighting rental agent at PC&E. “People call in and ask how I would light something. I know enough, but I’m not a lighting director. When somebody asks me about a specific fixture, I put it back on them and talk about what they’re trying to light.”

Says Paul O’Daniel, camera rental manager at PC&E: “Anybody can turn a camera on, get the correct settings and point it at the subject, but to make it art, to make it pleasing to the eye, to make it O’Daniel a beautiful picture, to make that product pop—the artistry is in the lighting. [Young cinematographers] may know it, but they haven’t acquired the skills to show it.”

Adds Johnny Spring, camera rental manager at PPR: “I ask them what they’re shooting and try to move them towards the proper equipment for it that’s within their budget.”

There are a number Spring of theories on how a shooter should progress in status to director of photography (DP) on a proj36 | ozmagazine.com

ect. It’s as much about knowledge, experience and an educated eye as it is about capturing the flash of the moment.

“Perhaps the best thing a young shooter can do is not be a shooter first,” explains Paul O’Daniel. “You might want to be a camera assistant first. This way, you’re working with a DP. You may be more of a technical person, setting up the camera and not the lights. But you’re on the set, you’re seeing it being done and absorbing that. I’ve seen people go from loader to second assistant to first assistant to DP in a matter of time. Those who decide that they’re already a DP, most of them over time learn the trade, but I think it takes longer.”

Says Damian Vaudo, branch manager for Barbizon Atlanta and a 40-year industry veteran: “I see more and more cinematographers who have a better understanding of light today than I Vaudo did when I first started out in this industry. I attribute that to better education and gaffers who teach cinematographers about light.”

“Next to sound, lighting is an element that is often overlooked,” declares Paul Ghee, general manager of Band Pro South. “Young cinematographers need to understand the Ghee lighting that exists.

There’s commercial shooting and then there’s natural shooting. People think that because of the greater sensitivity of cameras now that they don’t need lighting. There is a reason to light and a reason not to light. In most cases, it can be said people over-light or that they under-light. People are afraid of shadow when it comes to lighting and don’t use them for the artistic expression they lend themselves. Sometimes you can’t light in a specific venue—e.g. night clubs—in which you find yourself in a low-light situ-

ation. Either you know how to get around it or how to use it to your advantage.”

Budget is the main factor in driving camera and lighting rentals, but O’Daniel says there are other things as well that might affect a young shooter’s choices. “There’s a bit of ‘flavor-of-theweek’ with folks unsure of what they’re looking for,” he explains. “Maybe they’ve read about a piece of gear and just want to use it. When it comes to new cameras, the younger they [the shooters] are, that’s more the case. With the older guys, you have both a confidence level and an experience level that tells them which piece of equipment is right for the shoot because of the situation and how it’s being used. If it’s being used for example, for something straight to the Internet, the resolution isn’t as significant so they can get away with a smaller, lighter, cheaper, easier to use camera. But if they’re shooting green screen, they’re very limited in what they can do to composite the screen.”

Omps says he can pick out newer shooters by the questions they ask about lighting packages. “They say things like ‘I’m curious about your lighting packages,’” he explains. “That usually tells me they don’t know that every shoot is different and every lighting package will be slightly different. That’s a question that tips me off that they are a novice.”

As a veteran who began in the business shooting local news for a network affiliate television station, Ghee says he’s seen it all. He chalks up the rush for young shooters to proclaim themselves DPs as “youthful exuberance. It looks too easy, and in a number of cases it is,” Ghee claims. “The drop in price of cameras has allowed more people to call themselves professionals. People can go to school and learn a lot of things, but only when you go out there and see what the market is demanding of you is when you really see what you can do to perform,” In many situations, improvements in digital camera technology may act as a component in a cinematographer developing a severe case of hubris.

Cutting edge cameras present the shooter with a number of ways to not only survive mistakes, but also get into additional troubles. For example, newer digital cameras possess increased dynamic range: the amount of space that can be properly exposed. A lot of these cameras have eight stops above and eight stops below proper exposure and any decent shooter can manipulate that. If they’ve underexposed or over exposed, there is still enough information there, which can be used to make the image look better.

“They think that the sensitivity of the camera can overcome most lighting issues,” says Ghee of young cinematographers who rely more on their equipment than on preparation or even what they are seeing. “They think they don’t need to add lights because it’s an extra element in the budget. The end product is a result of the budget. My philosophy is that you shoot at the level of the budget, but you have to consider the subject matter and location where you are shooting. Not enough people do location scouting to see if they will need lighting. They don’t go out at the time of day where they’ll be shooting outdoors.

They don’t check out the ambient light— whether it’s fluorescent or incandescent or if there is no lighting. Not enough people do pre-production work to see what resources you need to bring to the production.”

The lack of technical understanding by the shooter’s clients often adds to the problems. “Many of the clients we deal with want to do a $10,000 shoot with a $500 budget,” explains Spring.

“They don’t understand that quality lighting costs a lot of money. They think you can buy work lights at the Home Depot and get the same results you get from Kino Flo and Arriflex systems.”

When a problem does occur in the course of a shoot, the most common expression uttered by a DP is “we’ll fix it in post.” Indeed, the digital revolution has produced wonderful and unimaginably useful devices and applications, but have young filmmakers taken advances in post-production technology as a

license to go wild with the camera and lighting knowing the post house has a machine that can correct it?

“That’s just the age of computers,” claims Vaudo. “Everyone believes they can do anything because of a computer.

There’s an ‘instant fix’ for everything, but sometimes there’s not. So [a young cinematographer] needs to know the technical side of what they’re doing as well as the esthetic side. Just knowing technical doesn’t work, just knowing the esthetic doesn’t work either. You need a combination of the two. Just relying on something that you think will fix your problem is not the right way to go.”

“That’s another element in the production,” says Ghee on the reliance on post production. “Well, there are some things you just can’t fix in post: You can’t add lighting in post. You can bring up the luminance level and wash everything out. Lighting is just one element in good video.”

One of the major developments in the digital revolution has ironically been the subtraction of film from filmmaking.

In the past few decades the number of DPs using film has rapidly diminished.

“There are still people out there who will shoot film if given the right budget,” claims O’Daniel. “I still think film is not dead, but it is on life support. There is going to be a niche for some people to set themselves apart and still shoot on film—particularly for features. About 95 percent of feature films these days are shot digitally, and most of the top cinematography awards are going to people shooting digital. There’s still a lot of film being shot for features, but it’s mostly for stunt work or some specific needs rather than just actors reading lines.”

Among the issues of using film, according to Vaudo, is the small number of technicians who can develop the medium to a director’s satisfaction.

“There are still a lot of cinematographers who shoot on film and transfer to video.

You can’t always get that feel in a video production. The cameras may be better and possibly can give you that much, but the look of film is a whole different animal.”

Nonetheless, Vaudo suggests that aspiring cinematographers should take classes on film that show how film is used and what can be done with it. “Film is still out there and will not be gone for a long time so you still need to know it,” he says. They need to learn about it, they need to play with it. For younger cinematographers it’s more of a history lesson than a need, with the way the equipment and technology is going, film may not be totally phased out, but it will be damned close.”

So, the basic question remains, what kind of education or experience is necessary for a young shooter to know when it’s time to step up to the plate and claim the title of director of photography? How high can they fly before the light melts their dreams of glory?

In his time in Atlanta, Vaudo has led discussions at local film schools. He says that one of the first questions he asks…in a tongue in cheek way . . . is what they want to do when they grow up. The answers are usually director, cinematographer or writer. But, the students’ response to the next question is often a reality check.

“When we ask how they expect to get there, they say ‘when I graduate, I’ll go out there and be a director,’” says Vaudo. “They don’t realize they have to pay dues and have someone in the industry to help them along, follow them around to learn their every move…like learning from a master. They’ll let you know when that next step should be and what you need to do it.”

Spring, however, references the philosophy of another branch of thinking: the School of Hard Knocks. “For a lot of them, once you call yourself a [DP], then you are one,” he explains. “My favorite quote from one of these guys is: ‘There are no experts. There’s only the integrity of doing and having done.’ Just get out there and do it, and that’s how you’ll learn.”

ozmagazine.com | 37

how i got into the business

Robert Mello

Whit Norris, CAS

Ken Soons

Acting Teacher/Coach The Robert Mello Studio rob@therobertmellostudio.com

Production Sound Mixer On Set Sound whitnorris@mac.com

Visual Effects Artist/Director Artistic Image ken@artisticimage.com

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS? I have always been passionate about teaching. After about a ten year stint in dance, which I also taught, physical ailments pushed me back in to my other love, acting. I was studying the Meisner acting technique at the Artistic Home in Chicago, and I offhandedly mentioned to my teacher that I loved to teach.

Shortly after, she gave me a shot. Since that time, I have taught in Chicago, L.A. and now, Atlanta. And somewhere in there I was the VP of Development for Sean Hayes’ company, Hazy Mills, and had a hand in the shows Grimm and Hot in Cleveland.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS? I always had a love for music, movies, sound and electronics, not knowing when I was young that this would make me a production sound mixer in the near future. In college I was a mass communications/film major working at the campus radio station. That led to an internship at a local production company, then a job there and the start of my career of mixing, recording and the gathering of dialogue for picture. I have worked on industrials, commercials and indie films, as well as to studio films and television series.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS? My grandmother took me to see Star Wars when I was five years old and I was hooked. I knew what I wanted to do for a living! I went to film school at Texas Christian University and moved to Hollywood. I worked production jobs, from PA to Art Department, before I settled into post supervising, editing and finally directing. I was very lucky to be one of the first employees of Quentin Tarantino’s “A Band Apart” commercials where I worked for and studied under many great directors.

BEST ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR PROFESSION?

BEST ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR PROFESSION?

You should always pursue what you have a passion to do. It does not happen overnight. It takes years of dedication, persistence, and self-education. Find a mentor to work under and learn from all of these years of experience. The craft of production sound is still passed on from those with many years of experience to those who are learning.

Work hard and listen. You can learn from nearly everyone on a set or in a post house. Get out and make something you love!

BEST ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR PROFESSION? Make sure you are truly passionate about acting, not just a celebrity wanna-be who craves posting “I booked it!” on your Facebook page. Otherwise, you won’t survive this business. Oh, and get some real training. Whether it’s me or someone else, study a technique and for god sakes, do some theatre. It’s a free acting class every night.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? Light bulb moments. When the light goes on for an actor who has been working hard in class and it all “clicks” and makes sense.

DO YOU LIKE HOW THE BUSINESS HAS CHANGED? Though I appreciate how much easier it makes a casting director’s job to have folks self-tape their auditions, I miss going in the room with a CD and reading and I wish more actors had that opportunity. So, I don’t like how it has changed in that manner.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? I have had the opportunity to work with so many wonderful artists in front of the camera and behind the camera. When I am recording the dialogue of a scene, it draws me into the scene as I listen and mix the voices of the actors. I have worked on some comedies in the past that allowed me to go to work and just laugh every day. When you can laugh at work that’s a great job. Going to see a film that I recorded is still very exciting, knowing that I was a part of that process. Yes, when the final product comes out there is still magic after the many days and long hours of production.

WHAT ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS AND LOW POINTS OF YOUR CAREER TREK? Working with auteurs that I respect like Tarantino, Kevin Kerslake, John Woo, Charles Wittenmeier, Osbert Parker and Erik Ifergan. Doing Super Bowl commercials and having my own studio, Artistic Image, with my partners Ed Dye and Michael Zarrillo.

DO YOU LIKE HOW THE BUSINESS HAS CHANGED? Yes and no. I love how technology has evolved and the opportunities these new innovations offer to artists who want to be creative. The downside of this is that budgets are lowering and people are forgetting about the most important element of creating something great: the ideas. No gear or technology can replace talent, creativity and a great idea.

WHAT HAVE YOU WORKED ON RECENTLY?

WHAT HAVE YOU WORKED ON RECENTLY?

I produced an indie feature last year called Coffee, Kill Boss–the highlight of which was watching Oscar nominee Robert Forster work.

A PSA for the Sarah Smith Education Foundation, a web video for Jaguar cars and an Awards Season promo for TNT Latin America.

38 | ozmagazine.com

GT Owenby

Jake Slaney

Pete Mitchell

Prod./President/PR Spec./Creative Director The Matchbook Media & Public Relations Co. bookgto@gmail.com

Audio Supervisor/ Mixer Sounds Adventurous www.soundsadventurous.com

EMT-1/Producer/Director JPM Productions, Inc. www.jpmproductions.com

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS? I started a career in entertainment when I won a talent contest at 5 years old. I then worked as a child actor and singer for stage, film and television.

My biggest accomplishments during that time included a spot on a Lifetime movie and a national stage tour in middle school. I was fortunate to be granted a scholarship to The Savannah College of Art and Design for Academics and Performance.

While there, I fell in love with advertising and decided to change my major. My first published ad came out on the front page of a publication in Savannah when I was 18. Now at 24, I have had the pleasure of working as a celebrity publicist, brand architect and executive producer. Even the most talented individuals need someone to market them, and that is my passion.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS? I’ve always loved sound. I got an education in Studio Recording and Audio Engineering, but came out of school about the time the music industry was really taking a hit. My first gig in production was rigging grip on “Amazing Race.” I had a friend who was helping out coordinating and with locations when they came through Alabama. He knew that I had done a lot of rope work with my rock climbing background and asked me to come out and help him with one of the team challenges. I knew then that I wanted to be working in production. PA’ing, then moving into doing some grip work before I finally got to start taking some audio jobs.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BUSINESS? I was an EMT and did not like the way our final hands-on training was and decided I could do something to make it better. From a Halloween project in Marietta, I designed a makeup application, Special Trauma, that was most realistic and workable for hospitals and EMT/Paramedic training and testing. As news spread on this realistic training, I went to Lakewood to learn more and was doing some pretty spectacular disaster productions for emergency response agencies. I became friends with Vern Hyde and Dick Shelley formerly of Spectacular Effects International who provided explosions and such. Then I became a producer. From there, Mike Smith got me active in working movie sets as an EMT, a first for the industry.

BEST ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR PROFESSION? The best advice I have is to under-promise and over-deliver. Be bold and fearless when pursuing your dreams, but never step on anyone to get there.

Find where you add value.

IF YOU HAD IT TO DO ALL OVER AGAIN . . .

One thing I don’t believe in is failure. If you learn from an experience and grow from an experience, then how have you failed?

WHAT MAKES YOUR JOB COOL OR FUN FOR YOU? As a producer, I love connecting the dots. The name talent to the money people, the money people to the creatives, and the creatives to the talent. As a creative director, I love ideas. When someone brings me a problem, I can formulate ideas and a plan of execution to solve said problem.

BEST ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR PROFESSION? Stay hungry and be memorable. There are so many people out there trying to get ahead in the business. What’s gonna set you apart? Being willing to do more than you are asked to do and doing it really well are great ways to make an impression. “Who was the guy we hired last time?” is something you don’t want them to say about you. Make an impression to be remembered and ultimately called back.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? Freelance production out in the field is such an amazing way to experience life. You’re always in a different location, with different people, different situations and stories. Stories are what I love to tell and also be a part of. I think it’s part of what we are as people. I heard years ago, “Experience is the thing of supreme value in life.”

WHAT TYPE OF PROJECTS HAVE YOU WORKED ON RECENTLY? I’ve gotten to work on various types of projects, from audio supervising in reality TV, to mixing for documentaries and commercials.

WHAT ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR CAREER TREK? In 1980-81, I received the NATAS Emmy Award for Special Trauma makeup.

BEST ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR PROFESSION? If you want the world to beat a path to your door, build a better mouse trap. I rarely consider myself a makeup artist, but I have a love and desire to produce this Special Trauma makeup. If you have a real passion in this kind of work, just do it. You also have to get along with others and know this is a business, not an art form.

WHAT MAKES YOUR JOB COOL? I play with SWAT and police teams. I fool around with fire departments. I work with Bob Shelley and Lisa Reynolds now more than ever which means we are blowing something up or setting things on fire.

ozmagazine.com | 39

behind the camera with drewprops

This is a reprint of a post that I made to my personal blog on Monday, February 24th, 2014. The universal understanding that “We are all Sarah” helps to explain the reason why this young lady’s life and death have touched so many of us all around the world.

Dolly grip Tripp Pair has been handing out little stickers that say “Stop and Care” for several years now, and he’s been so very earnest about it. He has meant it with every fiber of his being and I saw him sharing #stopandcare on Facebook again this morning and was moved to write about something that’s been on my mind.

This past Thursday a young woman named Sarah Jones, a member of our local film community, died on the set of a movie shooting in South Georgia. She was hit by a train.

We all hold the strong suspicion that she died due to some very bad decisions made by the people producing the film, but that suspicion has not been confirmed by criminal investigators (not yet, anyway). While the final assignment of blame is still under investigation, Atlanta crews have been mourning the loss of their friend and of a bright young woman whose lifetime of cinematic adventure ended far too soon.

So many people have written about Sarah and shared stories and photos and clippings about her. I appreciated the simplicity of this blog post by my friend D, whose blog on the art of the dolly grip is always educational and so very well written. (www.dollygrippery.net/2014/02/sarah.html).

I just needed to post something here to my blog to mark this week for myself, because as events are cast into memory they often become streamlined and simplified, and there’s nothing simple about the way any of us have felt over the past few days. People couldn’t stop talking about Sarah’s death at our afternoon IATSE meeting yesterday (Sunday) but we’re reaching a saturation point and the shock is 40 | ozmagazine.com

wearing off and people are moving on toward the next step of trying to find meaning.

I didn’t know Sarah, but I worked with her. That may sound absurd to people outside the business, but that’s the reality of day-playing in a city blessed by so many projects that it’s impossible to walk onto a set and know the entire crew. Like me, several very experienced old-timers I’ve spoken with didn’t know Sarah personally but have worked with her on various projects. I crossed her path when I day-played on a popular television series shot east of downtown, and in the past few days I’ve seen friends from that show posting photos of themselves with Sarah and you can feel the love they shared and recognize how much fun they had together on and off set.

In a private Facebook conversation with camera operator Denise Bailie in the hours following the breaking news of the “accident”, I was reminded of the dangers of film sets we’d worked on together in the past, and she remarked about how crews typically assume that there are measures in place to ensure our safety; that the grownups have done their due diligence in ensuring that we work in a safe environment. Her point was, of course, that crews often operate on faith and don’t verify the safety of their working conditions, particularly on low budget shows.

And then Denise said something quite profound, something that explains why I couldn’t stop thinking about this 27 year old girl that I’d never really had the chance to know:

“She is any one of us.”

That one sentence explained everything in an instant, why this “accident” felt so personal to me. The events that led to

Sarah’s death could have happened to any man or woman working in the film industry, in any state, in any country anywhere around the world.

What happened to Sarah happened to us all.

I trust that the party or parties responsible for this “accident” will be brought to justice, but in the meantime a lot of the experienced department keys around Georgia were left scratching their heads and wondering aloud (or in print) why their peers on the set of Midnight Rider didn’t question the sequence of events that placed this young woman in harm’s way and the answer to that question is this: It was most likely a systemic failure. The safety system that should have been in place that day failed. Or maybe it didn’t exist at all on that set.

People tend to be really good at making assumptions and really bad at communicating. Any number of department heads could have stepped forward to prevent this “accident”, and so in some way we may have all failed Sarah (and her generation of filmmakers) by relaxing our vigilance on set and by making false assumptions like “Maybe someone else has taken care of this issue since nobody has raised a question about it so far”. Were you as safety conscious before Thursday’s news?

Last night I noted that a delightful prop assistant named Erin Santini had reposted an Instagram from a set in New York City where someone (I assume another 2nd AC) is holding a slate with Sarah’s name taped on the clapper as a sign of solidarity. I was unexpectedly moved by the image and by the idea that this sort of observance of Sarah’s death might spread around the country or around the world. I wish that every editor out there might see Sarah’s name on slates as they sit down to edit dailies and be reminded of the beautiful people out there working on set.

Sarah is going to inspire the movement to create a nationwide best-practices safety system for the IATSE, with required continuing education as happens with other professional crafts out there in the real world. I think they should name it after her.

Sarah has reminded crews from around the country and around world that beyond our regional rivalries we’re all interconnected and that these avoidable “accidents” can happen anywhere in the world.

In the end I am Sarah, and you are Sarah. She is any one of us.

Epilogue By the morning of the 27th, the Slates for Sarah movement had spread globally, with photos of slates coming in from around the world. The most arresting new image was a location sign (reproduced below) that some people had posted up all around Hollywood the previous evening.

Instead of pointing left or right to a location, the arrows pointed skyward, filled with hearts.

These same location signs made their way to Atlanta quickly and on the evening of Sunday, March 2nd, they helped direct us to a moving memorial for Sarah at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. The building was filled well beyond capacity and there was absolute silence as Sarah’s father, Richard, stood to express his family’s thanks to the outreach by the film community and his desire that Sarah’s death not have been in vain.

It’s up to us all to live up to that request. Be safe and be heard, and never ever forget Sarah.

In life, Sarah was the embodiment of Atlanta’s vibrant next generation of filmmakers. In death, she is going to mean something very special.

She will certainly not be forgotten.

Sarah is going to save lives.

Sarah is going to challenge the idea of who decides what conditions are considered safe.

Sarah is going to encourage less-experienced crew members to speak up when they feel that they’ve been put in danger just to get a shot. ozmagazine.com | 41

oz scene | women in film & television atlanta–oscar party

Dressed To Impress and Ready To Party About 200 of the who’s who of Atlanta’s entertainment scene were out for a night on the town in, March partying at Shout (Atlanta) with Women In Film & Television Atlanta (WIFTA) at WIFTA’s annual Oscar party. The event provided great opportunities for people from a wide range of TV and film related disciplines—actors, producers, directors, sound technicians, accountants, fashion designers, make-up artists, lawyers, caterers, camera operators, costume designers, production designers

Actresses Michelle Rivera-Huckaby & Samantha Worthen, both WIFTA members, on the red carpet

WIFTA members & event volunteers Stella Doyle, Akilah Chopfield & Laura Powell

WIFTA Oscar party guests Sara Grooms with Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) staffers Tiffany Bowers & Stephanie Schatzer

Make-up artist Quintessence Patterson & filmmaker Darrick Patterson

Members of the WIFTA Glam Squad panel (l to r): Caroline Cox, Jenny Andrews Anderson, Karen Ceesay & Quinessence Patterson

Photographer by Ace Harney of Doobious.org

Theater director Brian Jones, Alliance Theatre’s Michael D. Winn, ASPIRE producer Ryan Richmond

42 | ozmagazine.com

Patricia Taylor & Christen Orr

oz scene | cardboard*con

Back To Basics On March 1, Cardboard*Con celebrated their 5th annual convention in several downtown Atlanta hotels. Since most people were fully encased in cardboard no one is sure which celebrities were in attendance for this year’s event. Previously, Candice Accola from Vampire Diaries has attended. photos by Eric Schumacher

ozmagazine.com | 43

oz scene | black women film network—untold stories award

Let The Stories Be Told The Black Women Film Network (BWFN) presented its annual “Untold Stories Awards” and Scholarship Luncheon recently at the Marriott Marquis Atlanta. Egypt Sherrod from HGTV’s “Property Virgins” and 11Alive News anchor Karyn Greer cohosted the event. Music was provided by DJ Salah Ananse. photography by Chris Mitchell

Evelyn Mims and Kysha Cameron

A.J. Johnson and student honoree, Danyelle Carter

Katerina Graham

2014 BWFN Honorees Crystal Fox, Kash Alexander, Bernard Bronner, Deidre McDonald, Katerina Graham and student honoree, Danyelle Carter

Bernard Bronner

44 | ozmagazine.com

Scholarship Winner Gabriela Watson Aurazo

T

Kysha Cameron

Crystal Fox

Tomika DePriest, BWFN Chair and Sheila Bronner

Ebony Steele, Karyn Greer and Egypt Sherrod

Traci Blackwell Jocelyn Dorsey

Deidre McDonald

Adrene Ashford

ozmagazine.com | 45

distribution partners CABBAGETOWN/EAST ATLANTA/ GRANT PARK 529 529 Flat Shoals Avenue SE Atlanta, GA 30316 97 ESTORIA 727 Wylie Street SE Atlanta, GA 30316 ARGOSY 470 Flat Shoals Avenue SE Atlanta, GA 30316 DADDY D’Z 264 Memorial Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30312 HOMEGROWN 968 Memorial Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30316 LITTLE’S FOOD STORE 198 Carroll Street SE Atlanta, GA 30312 MEMORIAL TATTOO 190 Carroll Street SE Atlanta, GA 30312 TOMATILLOS 1242 Glenwood Avenue SE Atlanta, GA 30316

DECATUR/EMORY Beer Growler 38A North Avondale Road Avondale Estates, GA 30002 Community BBQ 1361 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA 30033 Java Monkey 425 Church Street Decatur, GA 30030

DOWNTOWN Elliott Street Pub 51 Elliott Street Deli & Pub Atlanta, GA 30313 Slice 85 Poplar Street NW Atlanta, GA 30303

FAYETTEVILLE

MIDTOWN

NORTH PERIMETER

Pinewood Atlanta Studios Fayetteville, GA

Carolyn’s Cafe 1151 West Peachtree Street NW Atlanta, GA 30309

Art Institute Of Atlanta 6600 Peachtree-Dunwoody Road NE Atlanta, GA 30328

Georgia Film Commission

American Intercontinental University—Dunwoody 6600 Peachtree-Dunwoody Road NE Atlanta, GA 30328

INMAN PARK/LITTLE FIVE POINTS Aurora Coffee 468 Moreland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307 Brewhouse Cafe & Pub 401 Moreland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307 Criminal Records 1154 Euclid Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307 Inman Perk Coffee 240 North Highland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307 Jack’s Pizza & Wings 676 Highland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30312 Krog Street Stoveworks 112 Krog Street NE Atlanta, GA 30307 Parish Market 240 North Highland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307 Savi Urban Market 287 Elizabeth Street NE Atlanta GA 30307 Star Community Bar 437 Moreland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307 Studioplex 659 Auburn Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30312

Portfolio Center 125 Bennett Street NW Atlanta, GA 30309 Sam Flax Art Supply 1745 Peachtree Street NW Atlanta, GA 30309 Savannah College Of Art & Design–Atlanta 1600 Peachtree Street NW Atlanta, GA 30309

Diesel 870 North Highland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30306

Turner Studios

Highland Tap 1026 North Highland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30306

Utrecht Art Supply 878 Peachtree Street NE Atlanta, GA 30309

Limerick Junction 822 North Highland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30308

MIDTOWN—WEST

Manuel’s Tavern 602 North Highland Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30307

Imagers 1575 Northside Drive NW #490 Atlanta, GA 30318 King Plow 887 W. Marrieta Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30318 Panavision 1250 Menlo Drive NW Atlanta, GA 30318 Pc&E 2235 Defoors Hills Road NW Atlanta, GA 30318 PPR–Professional Photo Resources 667 11th Street NW Atlanta, GA 30318

Paris On Ponce 716 Ponce De Leon Place NE Atlanta, GA 30306 Plaza Theatre 1049 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30306 Righteous Room 1051 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30306

SENOIA Raleigh Studios Senoia, GA

SOUTH ATLANTA NORTH DEKALB Chocolaté 2558 Shallowford Road NE #201 Atlanta, GA 30345 Crawford Media 6 W. Druid Hills Road NE Atlanta, GA 30329 Showcase Photo & Video 2323 Cheshire Bridge Road Atlanta, GA 30324

46 | ozmagazine.com

PONCEY–HIGHLAND

Breakfastville, Lunch & BBQ 339 University Avenue Atlanta, GA 30310 Clark-Atlanta University 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 Screen Gems Studios 175 Lakewood Way SW Atlanta, GA 30315

let me give you my card

Kris Thimmesch

kris@ozonline.tv

Oz Publishing, Inc. PH FX PH

404.633.1779 404.636.5919 800.705.1121

www.ozonline.tv www.ozmagazine.com facebook.com/ozmagazine twitter@ozpublishing 2566 SHALLOWFORD RD. STE 104, #302 /ATLANTA, GA 30345

let me give you my card

Multimedia Production Makeup Artists Stylists & Designers Atlanta 404-HelpMe2 Mobile/Text 404-931-7074

Toll-Free 877-HelpMe2 Direct 770-479-8864

Rhonda@HelpMeRhonda.com Rhonda Barrymore, Founder

www.HelpMeRhonda.com

ASSOCIATION PARTNERS American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Atlanta Ad Club Atlanta Macintosh Users Group American Marketing Association-Atlanta Media Communications Association International (MCAI) Women In Film & Television Atlanta (WIFTA) Business Marketing Association-Atlanta (BMA-Atlanta)

National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Southeast (NATAS) Atlanta Press Club (APC) Georgia Production Partnership (GPP) The Freelance Forum American Federation of Television and Radio Arts (AFTRA) Cable & Telecommunications Association (CTAM) American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP)

ad agency campaigns

Client: Armpocket Agency: Seed Factory Marketing Campaign: Carry More Team: Seed Factory As the original creator of armbands, Armpocket is looking to create more consumer awareness and brand affinity while promoting the benefits of their products. Print ads in consumer specialty magazines like Runner’s World and Outside Magazine, along with online advertising, video storytelling, a presence at key marathon races and PR efforts will round out their 2014 campaign.

Client: HomeBridge Agency: Brand Fever Campaign: Brand Launch Ad Campaign Series Team: Creative Director: Kendra Lively Director, Account Strategy & Planning: Tricia Yarusinski Account Manager: Melanie Barthold Associate Creative Director of Design & Interactive: Matt Worsham The objective of this ad series was to communicate REMN’s rebrand to HomeBridge, articulate offers, and increase brand awareness/exposure. Placed both nationally and locally as well as online execution.

50 | ozmagazine.com