Oz Magazine July / August 2019

COVER

THE REAL GUARDIAN OF THE GALAXY MARVEL'S UPM

OZ MAGAZINE

JOANN PERRITANO

HOLLYWOOD’S ABANDONMENT ISSUES ACTIVISTS, ADVOCATES, AND THE HOLLYWOOD THAT SUPPORTS GEORGIA’S FILM INDUSTRY

JULY / AUGUST 2019

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OZ MAGAZINE

STAFF Publishers:

Tia Powell (Group Publisher) Gary Powell

Editor-in-Chief: Gary Powell

Managing Editor: Nicole Sage

Sales:

Martha Ronske Kris Thimmesch

Creative Director: Michael R. Eilers

Production and Design: Michael R. Eilers Christopher Winley

Cover Credit: Marvel courtesy of Disney

For Press Release Submission: nicole@ozonline.tv COVER

THE REAL GUARDIAN OF THE GALAXY MARVEL'S UPM

OZ MAGAZINE

JOANN PERRITANO

HOLLYWOOD’S ABANDONMENT ISSUES ACTIVISTS, ADVOCATES, AND THE HOLLYWOOD THAT SUPPORTS GEORGIA’S FILM INDUSTRY

For Advertising Information:

404.633.1779 ozmagazine.com /ozmagazine /ozpublishing /ozmagazine Oz Magazine is published bi-monthly by Oz Publishing, Inc. 2566 Shallowford Road Suite 104, #302 Atlanta, GA 30345 Copyright © 2019 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.

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

HEY! Spike Lee! Do the right thing . . . come shoot a movie in Georgia.

With your important, signature, breakthrough movie, Do the Right Thing, you illustrated how acting on reactionary and snap judgments usually does not lead to “doing the right thing.” Georgia’s “heartbeat bill” has stirred deep passions. Our position at Oz is this: if we all take a deep breath and let it out real slowly . . . we can all agree that ethically, financially and morally, the right thing for Hollywood to do is to keep producing in Georgia. No matter what.

FROM A FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE, CONSIDER YOUR FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITIES. Productions and major studios must keep the interests of their

investors and stockholders first and foremost. Yes, other states have tax incentives, and productions could look at other states or countries. Which among them, though, have no moral or practical warts? Georgia has a proven track record of exceeding the expectations of top-tier productions. Investors and stockholders know that Georgia is a gravy train offering the best and highest quality return on their investment. Boycotting Georgia will hurt the quality of their productions and, ultimately, the bottom line.

FROM AN ETHICAL AND MORAL PERSPECTIVE, IT IS ABOUT PEOPLE . . . not politicians. The lives and welfare of 125,000 people are at stake. Approximately 33,000 women underwent abortions in Georgia in 2016. Approximately 92,000 Georgians work in the production business. Please assume for the sake of this argument that the heartbeat bill stands after court challenges and political wrangling. Supporters of a woman’s right to choose envision the law standing as a dystopian scene directly from The Handmaid’s Tale. If the heartbeat bill creates a dystopia, does undercutting another 92,000 lives help create a better space for women in need? Does leaving the scene help or hurt 33,000 women in need?

We believe the answer is pretty clear. Even if one thinks the heartbeat bill is morally repugnant, in whatever scenario you extrapolate, boycotting Georgia hurts the 33,000 women you are trying to help, and it undercuts the livelihoods and investments of 92,000 hard working men . . . and women. Standing upon one’s principles is always important, but there are ways of standing on principle without walking away from 125,000 Georgians.

Spike, you know many Georgians working in film. You studied film at Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University under the tutelage of our good friend, Dr. Herb Eichelberger. Monty Ross, who co-founded 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks and co-produced Do the Right Thing with you, was on the first cover of Oz Magazine in 1994. To honor the 20th Anniversary of Do the Right Thing, Clark Atlanta presented you and Monty with a Frabel Crystal titled, Solution.

You know up close and personal the warm hearted and hard working Georgians working in the film business. Is a boycott really the solution?

Oz Magazine does not take a stand for or against abortion. We do not express an opinion as to the ethical or moral correctness of the heartbeat bill. We understand the sentiment of those who ask Hollywood to “stay and fight,” but we believe that the “stay and fight” argument misses the chance to make the best choice: stay and help . . . do the right thing.

Gary Powell, Editor, Publisher, Concerned Citizen, Admirer of Spike Lee gary@ozonline.tv

JULY / AUGUST 2019

CONTENTS

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OZCETERA

TALENT STORY

A compilation of recent news and hot projects, from and about industry leaders.

Matt Philliben No Guts, No Glory: Profile of a Stuntman

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FEATURE STORY

FEATURE

Making Something Out of Nothing Remembering Guy Tuttle

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26

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34

The Real Guardian of the Galaxy Marvel's UPM Joann Perritano

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44

Soundboard with Jeremiah Bennett Producing a Spark

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54

From Peanuts to Popcorn Jimmy Carter's Film Legacy on Display

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FEATURE STORY

62 Oz Scene

FEATURE STORY Craig Miller Georgia Gravitas and Tribeca Cool

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Life Aquatic in Georgia Animal Planet Features the Georgia Aquarium for New Docu-series

FEATURE STORY

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Hollywood's Abandonment Issues Does Hollywood Have a Heartbeat?

FEATURE STORY

COVER STORY

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50

Women in Production Summit

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62

Georgia Actresses on Hollywood's Red Carpet

July / August 2019

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JULY / AUGUST 2019

CONTRIBUTORS

Emily Foley

Feature Story: Life Aquatic in Georgia, p.58

Emily Foley is a freelance journalist whose articles appear in publications such as Allure; O, The Oprah Magazine; Marie Claire; US Weekly and Instyle.com. She's interviewed Oscar, Grammy and reality show winners, the designers who've dressed them, and the hairstylists and makeup artists who make them look their best. A multiplatform journalist, Foley can also be seen as a television expert talking all things beauty, fashion, and lifestyle on television shows across the country, and on Instagram, @emilylfoley sharing beauty tips and getting every beauty treatment and procedure imaginable. Foley resides in Atlanta with her husband and their young children.

Toni Perling

Feature Story: From Peanuts to Popcorn, p.54

A native of Atlanta and a graduate of Northwestern University, Toni Perling is a longtime Writers Guild of America member and television writer/producer with credits in nonfiction, documentary, long-form, comedy and drama series. She writes about film and television from a feminist perspective at FemmeCritic.com. She's also the proud mom of two rescue dogs and an advocate for animal adoption.

Tom Oder

Feature Story: Craig Miller: Georgia Gravitas & Tribeca Cool, p.38

Tom Oder is a business writer in Atlanta who specializes in telling the stories of business leaders and innovators and what makes them successful. He was the news editor for The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution. He wrote the famous headline "It's Atlanta!" when the city was awarded the 1996 Summer Olympics in September 1990.

Christine Bunish

Feature Story: Soundboard with Jeremiah Bennett, p.34 Feature Story: Hollywood's Abandonment Issues, p.50

Christine Bunish has been a writer and editor covering the professional film, video, broadcast and advertising industries for more than 25 years. She was a writer at Broadcast Management/Engineering and World Broadcast News and an editor at Millimeter before going freelance.

Rick Limpert

Talent Story: No Guts No Glory: Profile of a Stuntman, p.44

Rick Limpert is an Atlanta-based writer covering the intersection of sports and technology. He is a best-selling author, freelance writer and broadcaster with outlets that include Yahoo News/Sports, GA Followers, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the CBS Interactive family of websites. Limpert also shoots tech segments for FOX News. His syndicated weekend sports tech and travel segment airs on stations all over the world with Atlanta radio and on iHeartRadio. He appears regularly on CBS46, NBC 11 Alive in Atlanta and CBS13 WMAZ in Macon, Georgia.

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OZCETERA

July / August 2019

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OZCETERA Ideas United staff at work. Photo by Drew Perlmutter.

Ideas United Post Production senior editor and lead animator, Cory di Mino, sets up a shoot in the iU production. Photo by Drew Perlmutter.

Ideas United Expanding Operations

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deas United, an award-winning creative studio, will create 30 new jobs in Atlanta after receiving a commitment of $15 million in growth and equity funding from Kayne Partners.

“We are excited that Ideas United is expanding their operations here in Atlanta,” said Georgia Depar tment of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson.

“We are proud of the creative environment that has been established here and are thrilled that Ideas United will have access to a skilled workforce and an extensive network of industry leaders to support the

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growth of their creative studio.”

Founded and headquartered in Atlanta, Ideas United was created more than 15 years ago and currently employs 50 people. This expansion will allow the company to focus on producing authentic, high quality content and events for premier brands, universities, non-profits and networks, including over 30 Fortune 500 brands and 150 universities.

“With our focus on creating original content as well as our expansive work with universities and institutions, Georgia is an incredible place for Ideas United to call home,” said Dan Costa, co-founder and

president of Ideas United. “We're thrilled to help grow an exceptional talent base while leveraging film tax credits, access to exceptional universities and institutions, and an ideal base for international travel.”

Most recently, Ideas United expanded its infrastructure to develop original content, including five television pilots based on the top concepts submitted from nearly 1,000 top emerging creators worldwide.

Ideas United is currently in development on multiple feature f ilms and series as streaming platforms and brands demand more high-quality content than ever before.

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July / August 2019

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OZCETERA CMP's new director Kit Vinsick

Vinsick receives kudos at the Milledgeville-Eatonton Film Festival

CMP Welcomes New Director to Roster

K

it Vinsick has joined Craig Miller Productions (CMP) as a commercial and film director. Vinsick hails from New York.

Before moving to Atlanta, she was gaining notoriety as a commercial and film director.

Vinsick's impact is already being felt at CMP. Her directing talents can be seen in her tourism work for cities around Georgia. Vinsick was

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honored at the 2019 Milledgeville-Eatonton Film Festival for her first film collaboration with CMP. A short documentary Farming on the Flint took home the Best Georgia Film Award, as well as a nomination for Best Original Score.

The seven-minute film focuses on farmers in Southwest Georgia, who are engaged in an ongoing effort to conserve and care for

the Flint River Basin and its tributaries. Craig Miller Productions produced the short with assistance from Casey Cox. Cox is a sixthgeneration farmer in Mitchell County, Ga. “Our farmers are the beating heart of Georgia…and this award means we are a part of that beating heart, too,” commented Vinsick.

OZCETERA

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July / August 2019

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OZCETERA Cast and crew on Mend shot in Georgia

Cinematographer Brock Hanson shot on the Sony Venice camera

Buddy Boy Films is on the Mend

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uddy Boy Films, LLC, just completed principal photography for their first short film, Mend. Written by Atlanta-based actor, Mike Pniewski, the short film brings together an inclusive array of actors, producers and crew committed to setting an example of creating independent stories for the film industry in Georgia. Mend was executive produced by Joanna Olsen and was directed by Shannon Eubanks, with producing team Jaye Pniewski (BlueJaye Films) and Hannah Pniewski.

The stor y is about Mar v Waters, a middle-aged business owner who recently

lost his beloved wife, Lizzie, to cancer.

He has cocooned himself from the world around him as he deals with the pain and loneliness of being a widower. Lost in the sadness and his memories, he is now shaken by the news that his only daughter, Deena, is moving away for work. Still lacking motivation, Marv forced himself out the door and into his old life. It isn't until he opens his eyes to what's right across the street and finds the purpose he so desperately craves. Mend is a story that reflects the importance of community during life’s darkest moments.

M e n d o p e r a te d u n d e r t h e S AG / AFTRA SPA (Special Project Agreement) and features an unbelievable cast of seasoned Georgia actors (Ric Reitz, Susan Shalhoub-Larkin, Njema Williams, Brandon Gilpin, Kwajalyn Brown, Omer Mughal, Kur t Hue, James Donadio, Tess Malis Kincaid, Ava Metallo, Hannah Pniewski and Mike Pniewski). A very committed and hardworking crew shot for four days in the suburbs of Atlanta to create this poignant short film. Mend is currently being submitted to several film festivals and is seeking distribution.

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OZCETERA Tammy Hurt, newly elected national vice chair of Recording Academy

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Tammy Hurt, National Vice Chair of the Recording Academy

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he Recording Academy™ named its newly elected board of trustees, voted upon at the organization's annual spring board of trustees meeting in late May. Managing partner of Placement Music and Georgia Music Partners VP of Legislative Affairs, Tammy Hurt, will serve as vice chair, and record producer, Harvey Mason Jr., has been elected as the chair of the board of trustees. Executive Terry Hemmings was re-elected secretary/treasurer and recording artist and founder/CEO of Swan Songs, Christine Albert, assumes the position of chair emeritus.

"We are delighted to see Tammy step into her new role, which is well-earned given her many contributions to the music industry over the years, both here in Georgia and on the national level through her ongoing service at the Recording Academy. Tammy is both a visionary and a powerhouse on the side of execution, and we can't wait to watch her contributions to the Academy in this new position,” shared Shachar Oren, president, Georgia Music Partners.

Music industry veteran Hurt has been a driving force in Atlanta's music scene for decades and has served on the board of the Recording Academy's Atlanta Chapter for 14 years. A musician at heart, she has played drums professionally, live and in the studio since the age of 14. Hurt is the managing partner of Placement Music, a boutique entertainment firm specializing in custom music, scoring and licensing, which was commissioned by FOX Sports for a second consecutive Super Bowl broadcast to create an original full orchestral score. Additional credits include Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV, HBO, BET, Sony, Lifetime, Hallmark, NFL, NASCAR, True Blood, Dexter, Drop Dead Diva, Mean Girls 2, and multiple custom placements in the indie film HITS, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. A co-founder of the nonprofit organization, Georgia Music Partners (GMP), Hurt spearheaded the campaign to create and pass Georgia's first standalone music tax incentive, the Georgia Music Investment Act.

“I am honored to have been elected by the National Board of Trustees to serve during this transformational era for the Academy,” said Hurt. “I believe that the strategic vision of incoming chairman of the board, Harvey Mason, Jr., and the bold new leadership of incoming CEO, Deborah Dugan, combined with the new community-driven and peer-reviewed membership model, will allow the Academy to begin to holistically build a healthier, more representative membership body. It is indeed a very exciting time to be a part of the Recording Academy.”

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July / August 2019

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OZCETERA Kees van Oostrum, fourth term president, American Society of Cinematographers

Kees van Oostrum Re-elected as ASC President

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he American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has re-elected Kees van Oostrum as president for the fourth consecutive year.

The other officers for 2019-2020, include: Bill Bennett, Paul Cameron and Stephen Lighthill as vice presidents; Levie Isaacks as treasurer; David Darby as secretary; and Curtis Clark as sergeant-at-arms.

"I am grateful to have been chosen to serve the ASC and its membership,” said van Oostrum. "It's an important time for our craft with imaging technologies continuing to evolve at a rapid pace. The ASC and its members are integral to influencing these developments

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so that the integrity of our images can be presented and preserved for audiences as they were intended to be seen."

As ASC president, van Oostrum initiated and continues to oversee the ASC’s Master Class program. The Master Classes, which take place in Los Angeles and at various locations worldwide throughout the year, are taught by ASC members. The program was created for cinematographers with an intermediate-toadvanced skill set. Master Class participants get practical, hands-on demonstrations of lighting and camera technique all within current workflow practices.

Va n O o s t r u m h a s a l s o s i g n i f i c a n t l y expanded the activities of the ASC during the last three years in diversity, social media and web presence, and in establishing the new ASC ARRI Educational Center.

Va n O o s t r u m h a s e a r n e d E m my ® nominations for shooting the telefilms Miss Rose White and Return to Lonesome Dove, which also earned a 1994 ASC Outstanding Achievement Award. He also collected ASC Award nominations for The Burden of Proof, Medusa’s Child and Spartacus.

OZCETERA

July / August 2019

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t the 2019 WIFTA Confab, southeast creatives will showcase their talents in short film and varied categories to share the voice of women in front of and behind the camera in Atlanta. The event will be held on Monday, July 29, 2019 and will begin with a Pitch, Distribution and Crowdfunding Workshop. The night will end with awards announcements.

Each year Women In Film & Television Atlanta (WIFTA), often in conjunction with Women In Film & Television International (WIFTI), hosts a short film and talent showcase that highlights the work of talented filmmakers throughout the Southeast and beyond. There

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2019 WIFTA Confab is a focus, of course, on uplifting the works of strong women filmmakers, crews and leads.

WIFTA accepted entries from independent filmmakers from all genres: drama, comedy, action, sci-fi, animation, spiritual / gospel, documentary and experimental.

"Visibility of women and diversity in the entertainment industry is crucial right now.

WIFTA Confab has been created to support all different aspects of film and television,� says Shellie Schmals, co-chair for the WIFTA Confab and WIFTA Board Member. “As in previous years, we're celebrating international female filmmakers by showcasing local female performers, but taking it a step further to

educate our members with film labs. Having these opportunities accessible to our members to share with the community is strongly aligned with our WIFTA mission."

"This is a record-breaking year for the newly rebranded WIFTA Confab. With over 100 submissions from all over the world, we are excited to showcase and elevate these unique and powerful female voices. Our goal for this event is to further empower inclusive stories and share them with our community," says Melissa Simpson, co-chair for the WIFTA Confab.

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OZCETERA Greg Solomon, owner of FXetc, working on a creature from the TV series Grimm

Sandra Solomon with fake heads in Tragedy Girls

FXetc Sets Up Shop

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Xe tc m a ke - u p s tu d i o i s ow n e d a n d operated by Greg and Sandra Solomon.

Greg has decades of experience working on major studio productions with credits that include Avengers: Infinity War, Zombieland 2, Grimm TV series, Gremlins 2, Fight Club, Sleepy Hollow, American Horror Story and hundreds more. FXetc will provide extensive training and classes to students just beginning to explore the worlds of make-up FX, and also to pros looking to refine their existing skills.

Greg Solomon began his career in 1987 when he was hired by Stan Winston Studios to work on the film Alien Nation. Since that time, he has worked on productions at various levels at many different make-up FX shops and shows. He has worked with some of the industry’s most celebrated make-up artists in the business including Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Tony Gardner, Barney Burman and dozens of others. Co-owner, Sandra Solomon contributes her own set of expertise to the craft.

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FXetc offers both one-on-one training and group classes in all stages of make-up effects and prosthetics covering the entire process, from lifecasting to on-set application. They offer a large selection of classes and courses beginning with basic make -up skills that includes: wounds and injuries, old age out-ofthe kit, bald caps, facial hair, natural make-up, beauty and period make-up, tattoos, prosthetic application, airbrushing and more.

YOU STAY FOCUSED ON THE PRODUCTION WE’LL STAY FOCUSED ON THE BOOKS

OZCETERA

July / August 2019

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OZCETERA Director of Little, Tina Gordon, and star/producer Marsai Martin

Justin Hartley, Issa Rae and Marsai Martin star in Little shot in Atlanta

FotoKem Provides End-toEnd Finishing for Little

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here’s nothing small about the bicoastal post production workflow provided by FotoKem for Universal Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ film Little shot in Atlanta. FotoKem’s Atlanta and Burbank facilities supported the production from digital dailies through finishing with a full Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) finish for this fantasy comedy.

From blockbuster producer Will Packer (Girls Trip, Night School, the Ride Along franchise) and director and co-writer Tina Gordon (Peeples, Drumline), Little tells the story of a tech mogul (Girls Trip’s Regina Hall) who is transformed into a 13-year-old version of herself (Marsai Martin) and must rely on her long-suffering assistant (Insecure’s Issa Rae) just as the future of her company is on the line.

Martin, who stars on the TV series Black-ish, had the idea for the film when she was 10 and acts as an executive producer on the film.

She is the youngest person to hold that title on a major Hollywood production.

Principal photography for Little took place last summer in the Atlanta area. FotoKem’s Atlanta location provided digital dailies with looks developed by FotoKem colorist Alastor Arnold alongside cinematographer Greg Gardiner (Girls Trip, Night School) who shot with Sony F55 cameras.

“Greg likes a super-clean look, which we based on Sony color science, with a warm and cool variant and a standard hero Look Up Tables (LUT),” says Arnold. “He creates the style of every scene with his lighting and photography. We wanted to maximize his out-ofthe-camera look and pass it through to the grading process.” Arnold continues, “The film has a punchy, crisp chromatic look, but it’s not too contemporary in style or hyper-pushed. It’s clean and naturalistic with an extra chroma punch.”

Gordon was also a key part of the collaboration, playing an active role working in the digital intermediate suite (DI), working closely with Gardiner to craft the images. “She really got into the color aspect of the workflow,” notes Arnold. “Of course, she had a vision for the movie and fully embraced the way that color impacts the story during the DI process.”

FotoKem responded to the sharp growth of production in Georgia and entered the Atlanta market five years ago to offer on-theground support for creatives. “FotoKem Atlanta is an extension of our Burbank team with colorists and operations staff to provide the upfront workflow required for file-based dailies,” says senior vice president, Tom Vice of FotoKem’s Creative Services Division.

“Atlanta is an exciting place to be, and we’re thrilled to be part of that community.”

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OZCETERA

July / August 2019

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OZCETERA John Singleton, youngest and first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award at the age of 24. Credit Columbia Pictures, via Photofest.

SCADFILM moderator, Condace Pressley and panelists: Gil Robertson, Adam Fristoe, Jason Perez and Sherri-Daye Scott.

SCAD Honors John Singleton

S

avannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) honored the life of John Singleton who died this past April after suffering a stroke. John Singleton, at the age of 24, was the youngest and first African American to be nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Singleton turned a film school script into arguably one of the most important films of the 20th century Boyz n the Hood (1991). The story follows three men as they navigate their lives through the obstacles of r a ce, v i o l e n ce, cu l tu r a l i d e n t i t y and relationships in L. A .’s Crenshaw neighborhood. The film is preserved in the National Film Registry for its cultural significance.

Subsequent works by Singleton include Poetic Justice (1993) starring Tupac Shakur and Janet Jackson, Higher Learning (1995), Rosewood (1997), Shaft (2000) and Four Brothers (2005). Most recently he directed television shows including Billions, Empire and created, produced and scripted 10 episodes of

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Snowfall.

"SCAD takes its responsibilit y as educators and f ilm industry stewards very seriously. The John Singleton tribute is an example of our unique ability to produce thoughtful and empowering content rooted in the legacy of one of our most important storytellers. SCAD was honored to invite members of the Georgia filmmaking community to our stage to celebrate his life and work,” said SCADFILM senior executive director, Leigh Seaman.

For a screening of Boyz n the Hood, Over 150 guests attended. Guests and artists were encouraged to share their personal accounts of how Singleton and his work impacted their lives. "I felt honored to be included in the SCAD Film conversation of the life and work of John Singleton. Singleton's images and stories reflected my community and the men in it. As a woman-of-color filmmaker here in Atlanta, being given a platform to inspire the next crop of filmmakers and help them better understand how careers

like Singleton's are built is a blessing I do not take lightly. Singleton forged the path I now walk down,” said panelist, Sherri Daye Scott.

C o n d a c e P r e s s l e y, d i r e c t o r o f community and public affairs, Cox Media Group, moderated a panel discussion.

On the panel were Atlanta and industry professionals that included Gil Robertson, co - f o u n d e r a n d p re s i d e n t , A f r i c a n American Film Critics Association; Jason Perez, direc tor ; S herri - Daye S cot t , writer and producer; and Adam Fristoe, SCAD professor, performing arts. Said Robertson, “SCAD’s salute to the late director, John Singleton, was a great continuation of producing programming that is responsive to issues that impact the arts and entertainment community around the world. The turnout for this celebration of Singleton’s work was strong. I was thrilled to represent AAFCA on this effort."

Singleton involved himself in activism for urban communities and youth. He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California in 2003.

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July / August 2019

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Wanda Morganstern Joins LMGI

AJFF prepares for it's 20th film festival

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fter being referred by film industry colleagues and vetted by the Guild, Wanda Morganstern, owner of Film Friendly GA , was invited to join the Location Managers Guild International ( LM G I ) . T h e LM G I s t ro n g l y v a l u e s professionalism and responsibility.

"We are proud to be a member of this fine industry organization. We love the business of representing property owners as a ser vice to the f ilm and television industry. We represent some amazing, beautiful and unique properties!

Our property owners love what we do for them. Film Friendly GA has an excellent track record with production, which is why they choose to use our services again and again," says Morganstern.

She began her career in Atlanta's commercial real estate market over 20 years ago, and has a deep knowledge of the local market and property owners. A few years ago she retooled the business to provide scouting and site rep services for the film and television industry.

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Call For Entries: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

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s the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (AJFF) gears up for its 20th annual festival, submissions for film entries are now open, inv iting f ilmmaker s to contribute to the organization’s mission to entertain and engage audiences with film through a Jewish lens. With nearly 40,000 filmgoers in 2019, the festival celebrates international and independent cinema that reflects Jewish and Israeli identity, history and culture, as well as the intersection of Jewish life with universal issues and diverse communities. AJFF dates for 2020: February 10 to February 27 at various locations throughout Atlanta.

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is the largest film festival in Atlanta, and among the world’s largest Jewish film festivals. AJFF hosts visiting film artists and other speakers

and attracts widespread industry participation and media coverage. In addition to Audience Awards for Best Narrative, Best Documentary Feature and Best Short, AJFF offers Jur y Prizes across six categories, deliberated by an esteemed panel of filmmakers, journalists, academics, and other relevant experts.

“For 20 years, AJFF has been a leader in continuously illustrating how the incredible creative work of filmmakers can change the communit y and f ilm industr y. We remain committed to the belief that film brings together audiences and creates meaningful dialogue within our community,” said Kenny Blank, AJFF’s executive director. “We are always awestruck by the caliber of artistry we’ve seen year after year, and look forward to what is to come for the festival’s 20th anniversary.”

OZCETERA

DigitalGlue's TAG Multiviewr / Monitoring system offices in Atlanta

DigitalGlue Expands Globecast’s Signal Monitoring

D

igitalGlue has enhanced Globecast’s monitoring capabilities by adding 92 channels to existing TAG Multiviewer/ Monitoring system. DigitalGlue, with offices located in California and Atlanta, is a leading equipment, integration, and sof t ware development provider. New channels, all HEVC signals, were deployed to meet the diverse needs of Globecast’s substantial and growing customer base.

“Monitoring the health and quality of its signals is a critical function for Globecast, a company that helps customers manage and deliver their content,” explained Sean Busby, DigitalGlue president. “Reliability can’t be

compromised, so we installed a TAG video monitoring system in 2016 and have been upgrading it over the years as Globecast adds new customers. Today there are 354 channels all running on the same, but enhanced, original platform.”

D igi t al G lu e ini t iall y ins t all e d a TAG MCM-9000 IP-based Multiviewer to monitor 80-channels running on Dell COTS servers.

The scalable, software-only platform, optimized with support for all emerging standards, has enabled Globecast to easily expand in terms of capacity and variety of signals. Prior to this most recent upgrade, the system had been monitoring only MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 streams,

but the incorporation of HEVC signals which involves a higher compression ratio and is far less common takes it to the next level.

DigitalGlue additionally furnishes Globecast with SLA support.

Ken Fuller, CTO Globecast Americas, said, “We all know how competitive the content consumption landscape is and providing a premium quality service to our customers is crucial. Our use of TAG’s Multiviewer and monitoring technology is central to that and the support from DigitalGlue has been very helpful.

As our business continues to grow, being able to easily and cost-ef fectively expand our monitoring capabilities has proved invaluable.”

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OZCETERA Greenleaf's Art Department L – R: Guy Tuttle, Yolande Thame, Michelle Ashley, Shauna Williams, John Hansen, Andrea Cox, Brittin Richter, Alexa Black, Alexa Holland

Something Out of Nothing: Remembering Guy Tuttle

“T

he story of Guy Tuttle’s career is really the stor y of how our business in Atlanta has changed and grown up.” Bruce Harlan remembers that Guy worked in theatre, then on corporate projects, then features and television series.

As a scenic/set designer, art director and producer, Guy and Harlan par tnered on countless projects over four decades. They operated Center Stage and Clifton Studios together, and they pulled off the Southeast Emmy Awards and the Trumpet Awards shows, creating visually rich miracles on tight budgets.

B u d We n d l i n g , w h o p ro d u ce d a n d direc ted most of the special event s at Turner from the mid-80s until the late-90s, remembers how everyone would marvel at Guy Tuttle’s sets. “On the Trumpet Awards, we had everyone from Rosa Parks to B.B. King to Tiger Woods as guests. No matter what the demands, everything was always solutionoriented with Guy,” Wendling said. “He had this tremendous talent and could really make something out of nothing.”

Wendling continues: “We worked for Xernona Clayton on the Trumpet Awards. I remember one time when an enthusiastic but inexperienced volunteer suggested very expensive ideas, and we had to say we couldn’t do those. Xernona laughed and called us the ‘No Brothers,’ but we turned that around and started calling ourselves the ‘Know Brothers,’ because between the three of us, we really could pull off almost anything.”

Few people knew that Guy was a licensed engineer, with economics and engineering degrees from Brown University. “Guy was probably the smartest guy in any room, but he didn’t feel the need to prove it,” remembers gaffer Marivee Cade. “Beyond that, he was just a really generous person, always willing to give his time and talents.”

In his Facebook tribute to Guy, director

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By Suzan Satterfield David Sinrich recalls how he and Guy, “worked on feature films, television shows, events, music shows, and together traveled to India. He supported my band efforts, gave me years of free office space and helped me pilot several show ideas. Together we divined many hair-brained schemes. I will really miss randomly calling him and having him answer with a distracted ‘Yeah?’ as I could discern that he was already having several other conversations in person, on walkies, on other lines, yelling up to people in buckets, under numerous deadlines, but insisting I continue telling him what I needed and having the conversation until he was sure he’d figured out how to help me with whatever it was. He was ‘That Guy.’”

John Hansen, produc tion designer on Greenleaf, interviewed Guy for the art director position three years ago and liked him immediately. When he asked Guy about the time gap in his resume, Guy explained that he had throat cancer and he’d taken time to do some “bucket list” trips, but he missed working. Guy was honest about his health, and Hansen had no hesitation hiring him anyway.

“I love Guy Tuttle. He is the best art director and the smartest person I’ve ever met,” Hansen expressed, “Guy was incredible.

The amount of talent he had and the abilities he had. Honestly, he might have been wealthier and more successful if he’d worked elsewhere because he cobbled together a career here before there was a career to be had in Georgia. But he loved Georgia.”

Hansen remembers Guy loved talking about Atlanta landmarks as they drove, “He used to point out how he never lived more than a couple of miles from the house he grew up in.”

On Greenleaf, Guy could be another producer, a gaffer, a construction coordinator, “and if the location scout couldn’t f ind something, Guy could find it,” Hansen mused,

“He had created his own ver y detailed spreadsheets. Once accounting saw them, they wanted to hire him, too!”

I t ’s im p os sib l e to k now how many people Guy mentored over the years. He never seemed too busy or too tired to help someone. Harlan says Guy continued working long after other people would’ve given up.

“He didn’t want people to think of him as sick.

He worked through chemo and radiation. He genuinely loved what he did.”

For Greenleaf, Hansen says, “We’re very ambitious with our sets. I’d get us into trouble and Guy would get us out of trouble.” With Hansen, Guy talked about how he wanted to die on the job. He always wanted to be valuable . . . and he was valuable. When asked about his official credit on Greenleaf, Hansen answered, “My job title is ‘production design’ on the TV show Greenleaf. But in life, my title was ‘Guy Tuttle’s Friend.’”

Harlan and Guy wrapped a Habitat for Humanity project on the morning of Guy’s death. Although Harlan knew Guy was sick, it’s still hard for him to process that he’s gone.

“I’ll continue the work we did together. We’ll continue,” Harlan admits, “but I still have the urge to just pick up the phone and call Guy... and maybe I always will.”

Dear Oz Reader, In the last issue of Oz Magazine, we ran an incorrect version of this tribute to Guy Tuttle.

It was a huge disservice to a man we admired greatly, and to the writer, Suzan Satterfield.

Our apologies and condolences to all who loved Guy. - G a r y P o w e l l , E d i t o r a n d P u b l i s h e r, Oz Magazine

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MARVEL'SA GATHERER UPMOFJOANN PERRITANO REMARKABLE PEOPLE BY: NICOLE SAGE

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Joann Perritano at the world premiere of Avengers: Endgame with husband Curtis Myer

J

oAnn Perritano, Marvel's unit production manager (UPM) of Avengers: Infinity War is comparable to “Nick Fury”: she pulls in a group of remarkable people together to make something become more.

Perritano has worked with exceptional teams of producers and directors whose films have earned millions to billions of dollars. According to IMDb, Perritano's career as a film production manager began in 1993. Since then she has over 26 movies to her UPM credit. But for Perritano, it was working in 2004 on the film Van Helsing that grossed a respectable $300 million that finally convinced her she was indeed an official UPM.

In 2010, Perritano was the UPM for producers Scott Rudin, Mike De Luca and director David Fincher on The Social Network, a film that earned eight Academy Award nominations. She continued to succeed on film after film with her ability to oversee big, blockbuster productions. Perritano proceeded to work on an onslaught of blockbuster movies: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).

In 2015, Perritano followed Marvel to shoot in Georgia. Pinewood Atlanta Studios was their new “humble abode” where they successfully shot Ant-Man. The next Marvel project she worked on at 30

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

Perritano on set with Jason Tamez, and the doubles for Captain America, Sam Hargrave and Daniel Hargrave

Pinewood was Avengers: Infinity War, and then shortly after that film she continued to work as the UPM on the film that could become the highest grossing ever: Avengers: Endgame. Since 2010, she has worked on films that have collectively grossed over $10 billion in box office sales.

camera at football games, school events and town hall meetings. It was the really dull stuff, but it didn't matter…I loved it. I would read anything I could about filmmaking. There was an aisle at the bookstore that had books about film and TV and the history of old Hollywood and new Hollywood. I just got them all. After college, I decided to move to Los Angeles.

JoAnn Perritano gives an exclusive interview to Oz Magazine’s managing editor, Nicole Sage:

HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START IN THE INDUSTRY?

TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU GOT BIT BY THE FILM BUG. I was about 12 years old. My aunt took me on a trip to Los Angeles. I had always wanted to go to California. We went on a tour of southern California, and Disneyland was the main attraction. But we also went to Universal Studios, which was and is a working studio, but it is also a theme park. Back then, it was more of an example of a working studio. You rode around on a tram and saw actual movies and TV shows filming. I distinctly remember going on the set of The Bionic Woman. It was incredible to see for me!

I always loved going to the movies and watching TV shows, but touring Universal made me realize that I could be part of it…that people actually made films for a living.

When I got back home, I just wanted to do whatever I could to be a part of the film process. We had a local cable station in town, and I volunteered. I ended up doing everything. I ran the

I just wanted to be on the film sets. My first job was working at Entertainment Tonight, and I would visit film sets to cover stories. I had read about Roger Corman and his production studios. I was a huge Jonathan Demme fan, and I knew Corman gave him his start.

Knowing Corman was in production making movies, I went down to his studio in Venice, California and got on set as a production assistant on one of their modest budget films. They didn't pay at that level, but I did it for the experience. I learned the ropes. I continued to PA, then when I worked at NEO Motion Pictures, the team of Joel Soisson, Mike Leahy and Keith Border asked me to production manage a film. It was my big break; they gave me start as a UPM. I had no idea what I was doing; I made it up as I went.

WHEN DID YOU KNOW BEING A UPM WAS GOING TO BE YOUR CAREER? In the early 2000s I had roughly, give or take, 14 feature films under my belt. But I think I accepted and realized I had made

"Georgia provided top-notch facilities and top-notch crews."

Perritano with Mark Ruffalo (David Banner/Hulk) and production supervisor, Jason Tamez

it as an UPM when I started doing a more prominent film…like Van Helsing for sure.

At the time, it was my most significant film to work on. It was my first overseas (Prague) film. It was just a big studio picture with a budget of $160 million which seems like a small budget film compared to the last two Marvel movies I worked on, Infinity War ($321 million) and Avengers: Endgame ($350 million).

Nothing I do as a UPM will ever top those two films.

DESCRIBE YOUR JOB AS A UNIT PRODUCTION MANAGER? A UPM or a film production manager is a member of The Director's Guild of America. I am responsible for supervising all aspects of the film. I work closely with the line producer and directors to put together a production plan for the film. I am responsible for budgeting the project and hiring the crew. I oversee obtaining all the equipment, etc...basically, giving the directors the necessary tools to make a great movie while making sure the project stays on budget, on schedule and all the while being responsible for answering and reporting to the studios.

There's location traveling; it's a challenge. Bringing hundreds of crew members to a location and then integrating them with the local crew is as difficult as it sounds. I have a kickass production team! My job ends at the start of post production. I do not manage anything post related. A UPM’s job is to project manage the production, to reassure the producers and directors their vision will be seen on the screen.

HOW CLOSELY DO YOU WORK WITH PRODUCERS VERSUS THE DIRECTORS AND ACTORS? Well, you certainly get to know the cast, but you are not asked to join them for meals or relax in their trailers. Besides, there simply is no time for that even if they do invite you.

I work very closely with both the producers and directors. So, there is a ton of interaction, especially during the prep period when we figure it all out. For the Marvel movies, we allocate about 30-35 weeks of prep. Breaking down the budget and production plan is the first step. Most of Marvel’s shooting schedules are 70-75 days. No matter how much money there is in the budget,

Disecting the scene with Rober Downey Jr.

it is never enough. Then we roll up our sleeves, start the hiring process, and off we go.

With the producers and directors and in terms of their demands, I think I'm used to working with them and can anticipate their needs. Honestly, it doesn't really faze me. I am honored to help them make their films. I have always had the same work ethic to do whatever it took, whatever it takes.

Loving what I do certainly helps. I learn something new on every film.

Technology changes all the time, so you are always doing new things, especially with these big blockbuster VFX movies. But when I first started working as UPM, my goodness! I had no clue. I just did what I thought was right.

But I am fortunate to have worked with extremely successful producers. They taught me the process and what I need to do. Learning under some of them made me really understand producing. I quickly learned that it's crucial to balance the budget. I never like to say “no.” So, if there is something we can't afford, my tactic is what can we give up instead? I try to take that type of attitude. I believe this is the reason my career has kept moving forward.

WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR WHEN YOU HIRE? DO YOU USE THE SAME CREWS? At our busiest, (on Infinity War and Endgame) we had some 1500 cast and crew on set, in Scotland we had an additional 300 on the construction crew. I think I can safely say that during the height of filming, at our heaviest

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Infinity War final battle in Wakanda, a.k.a. Fairburn, Georgia

weeks, I signed well over 1500 time cards per week, no, probably closer to 2000 a week!

When I hire crew, I look for enthusiasm. I can tell if someone really wants it. I hire most of the same crew on these movies. They are the top crew in the business, which makes my job a little easier! I have my team, and I couldn't do it without them! I am only as good as the folks I hire. I learned that a long time ago.

It takes a village.

WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE FILMING IN GEORGIA? I loved shooting in Georgia! Not so much the bugs and humidity, but it was a great experience for me. Georgia provided top-notch facilities and I hired top-notch crews. I have made some fantastic friends.

Georgia offered many conveniences for me. It's funny. I am doing some additional photography in Los Angeles right now, and we have much of the crew that was working for me in Georgia. Not one hour goes by where one of them doesn't say, "I wish we were in Georgia."

In Los Angeles, it's the annoyance of the parking and the traffic, not to mention that every studio here is crowded, and there is not enough space for filming.

We had none of those issues while at Pinewood Atlanta Studios.

ALL PRODUCTIONS HAVE A FAIR SHARE OF CHALLENGES. WHAT WERE SOME THAT YOU FACED? Yes! There’s more than a fair share of

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challenges. One of the biggest challenges of being the UPM is you must prepare and remind yourself of Murphy's Law: if it can go wrong, it will. This is why you must have seasoned professional crew; my crew are incredible first responders!

They address the emergencies, face the elements, shift gears and adapt immediately. When there is a shift in production I rely on my team to execute the plan B, plan C and sometimes the plan D options.

No one can predict the weather 100%. I have to always stay on top of the weather forecast. We include the forecasts on the call sheet for the crews to know what to “expect.” During Infinity War there were several times that the weather shut production down.

When production is shut down, this is not considered a break or downtime.

Shooting schedules are created based on the talent’s availability. So, scheduling

"I loved shooting in Georgia!" all the stars to be on set at the same time is a real nail-bitter! For example, Scarlett Johansson reports to work, we have 10 days to shoot all of her scenes back-to-back. If weather shuts production down, she cannot break her prior work obligations that she is contractually bound to waiting for the weather to work out and finish her scenes. Because of unpredictable scenarios like this, there are mandatory reconfigurations to the entire production schedule.

At Pinewood Studios we were shooting exterior scenes; the weather changed fast. We were told that there was a code red tornado alert. We had to immediately evacuate cast and crew from

Avengers: Infinity War. L- R: Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark / Iron Man), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/ Captain America), Paul Rudd (Scott Lang / Ant Man. Photo: Chuck Zlotnick.

set to a sound stage, which was the safest location. I remember when we got everyone to the sound stage. Tom Hiddleston (Loki) was walking around to all the cast and crew politely offering doughnuts and coffee and making jokes. It was hilarious, and it put all of us at ease.

No stars were allowed in their trailers (trailers are the first thing destroyed by tornadoes). All equipment was left as is on set because equipment can be replaced; people cannot be. Safety for our cast and crew is clearly the biggest priority.

On Infinity War, we had to recreate Wakanda. We found it in Fairburn, it was a perfect location. We were at this location for a few weeks. Before the base camp was set up, it took over a 1,000 people to excavate the land and remove ant piles and snakes. OH! And we created a man made river!

We had 40 of the “super heroes” on site. We had to have their trailers; we had the catering trucks; there were hundreds of pop-up tents. We made a city; it was insane! I heard the Guinness Book of World Records gave Avengers: Infinity War the biggest film base camp to date. But the weather was a debacle. The rainstorms bore down on us, but as soon as it cleared and was dry enough, everyone was on their mark. The show must go on.

DO YOU SEE YOURSELF WORKING IN GEORGIA AGAIN?

MANAGING A FILM PRODUCTION WITH A CAST AND CREW OF HUNDREDS TO THOUSANDS COMES TREMENDOUS PRESSURE. HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN THE BALANCE AND TO DECOMPRESS? Working on a major motion picture set is extremely hard work. You have to maintain being on point and have laser focus for long, long hours. The misconception is that Hollywood is glamorous; I can assure you it’s not. At a moment’s notice you have to be instantly ready to pack up and go. You live the life of a nomad. But with all the time you are on set working together, the crew becomes your family. There is energy of comradery.

I have comfort knowing that my “family” will be there for me when I fall.

As for personal balance, it's hard. I “try” to keep Sundays to myself, spend time with my husband, and stay away from the computer, but that doesn't always work. Honestly, it's tough because while we are shooting, it is work seven days a week. I think my real balance comes with downtime between the movies. My husband is great and understands my job, and I have his constant support. I can come home and vent, or just say, "I don't want to talk about it." I truly can rest when we travel or sail away on our boat and escape from it all.

I try to recuperate and take care of my body from all the bad things I do during production like the lousy diet, lack of sleep and too much stress. But it's all par for the course. For all the stress, I try to work out when I can, but once we start shooting, after a 12 to 16 hour day that usually goes by the wayside. Even if you're not in the office, you still get the phone calls, the emails, etc.

What puts me at ease is when I can see the light, and I know it is going to end… but on these last two Avengers it sometimes got hard to see the light. We shot way more than 70-75 days, it was something like 220 days!

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO SEE, HEAR AND READ ABOUT THE AUDIENCES’ RESPONSE TO THE MARVEL MOVIES? It's pretty great. I get a lot of amazed reactions of when people know I work on the Marvel movies. So many people love the franchise. If I wear my Marvel crew T-shirt or jacket, I immediately get a reaction; everyone comments. I like to watch the films I have worked on with an audience. Infinity War was really enjoyable to watch with an audience. Our cast and crew are one of a kind; we all are so dedicated to the craft and it is reflected in the work. It does give me a feeling of gratification knowing how much everyone enjoys the films.

IN YOUR OPINION WHAT IS THE MOST CRITICAL ASPECT OF MANAGING A MARVEL FILM SET? I would say safety first, the budget and working within the parameters to stay on budget. Then the schedule. It is critical to maintain a schedule that production sticks to with the day out of days. And of course, making a great movie; that is the ultimate “endgame.”

Perritano, directors Joe and Anthony Russo, and Marvel production team

Yes, I would come back and work in Georgia for sure.

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SOUNDBOARD BY: CHRISTINE BUNISH

WITH

JEREMIAH BENNETT

H

ow many 13-year olds do you know who want to be a producer?

Jeremiah Bennett is one of those rare individuals who had a clear idea of his career path since he was a teenager.

He’s amassed a long string of producer credits over the last dozen years, founded a thriving film festival and is the new chair of the Atlanta Chapter of the Producers Guild of America East (PGA), all by the age of 35.

“I’ve wanted to be a producer from the time I was running church soundboards,” says the native of Athens, Georgia who is the studio manager at Westside Studios in Atlanta. “I used every slot of our 32-channel soundboard, I did lighting for our Christmas musicals and got a small camera, which I took on a

mission trip to Mexico.” He even learned video editing on the executive pastor’s home system.

When Bennett was 15 he was offered a part-time job as the church’s interim media director. Since he liked putting all the pieces of production together, the senior pastor’s wife, a former commercial producer, said it sounded like Bennett would enjoy being a producer.

Bennett began to shoot

weddings and edit some local spots. Before he made a vacation trip to EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina he reached out to producers there and ultimately netted a set designer’s tour of Dawson’s Creek, which “helped motivate me even more,” he says.

Bennett studied business at Athens Technical College while he continued his media work at church. When he showed his tape of the Christmas musical to the twin grandsons of his grandmother’s friend, both producers in Los Angeles, they told Bennett he had talent. One of the twins, David Hartle, became his mentor and long-time friend.

After moving to metro Atlanta, Bennett volunteered at the local public access TV station working behind the camera and as the floor director for live shows.

Jeremiah Bennett visiting production friends on the set of Alvin and the Chipmunks Chipwrecked with Crystal the Monkey while working on EUE / Screen Gems lot for BET Networks

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DIVING INTO THE DEEP END Bennett “jumped into” independent filmmaking with AT3: Air to the Throne in 2006 when the DP didn’t show up. He became the default cinematographer for the entire short film. The following year he produced his first short, Forgotten, set at a funeral. He partnered with some buddies to compete in Rapid Eye Movement’s timed filmmaking contest.

He produced a five-minute western, 31 Pieces, in 50 hours. “We had horses and child actors. We were setting ourselves up for all kinds of problems,” he laughs.

Nevertheless, the short film was one of the competition’s finalists and earned a screening at the Atlanta Film Festival.

Bennett continued working day jobs while taking production meetings at night or early morning and shooting films during vacations. “So many times, I wanted to give up, but then someone would call, and a project would come up to reignite that spark,” he notes.

By 2012, though, he was newly married and working unhappily for a car dealership. “I told my wife if I got three days of production work in a row I’d quit the job, and she trusted me enough to say okay.”

He got a day’s worth of work as a PA on the new cable TV show, Here Comes

“So many times I wanted to give up,but then someone would call, and a project would come up to reignite that spark."

Honey Boo Boo, and another brief PA gig on Auction Kings. But four days on Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Made enabled him to say good-bye to the car dealership.

When the Food Network series wrapped, Bennett was offered more PA work on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, which had still not aired. A couple of weeks on the show turned into continuing work on season one and the start of season two.

Encouraged by his good fortune, Bennett approached the showrunner and asked if he could be an associate producer on the set while continuing to perform his PA duties, all for the same pay. The showrunner agreed. Bennett discovered that reality television wasn’t a lot different from the running and gunning short films he had worked on. “It was very scrappy, like small indies. It was kind

Bennett in 2018 holding one of the Millie awards given during the Milledgeville Film Festival

of fun to work without a script and wait to see what happened. The show always created its own drama.”

Drama indeed: Bennett left four weeks before the stars’ scandals broke, and the show was canceled mid-season.

Before leaving, he produced the 48-Hour Film Project runner-up, Strain, a short zombie film, and worked on OK Go’s kidthemed, live-action music video for I’m

On the set of Sideharm

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Loves Got My Goat production still

Not Through, which won the audience choice award in Saatchi & Saatchi’s Music Video Challenge. Bennett’s next stop: the Atlanta office of BET where he supported the assistant vice president of physical production and the director of narrative content.

LAUNCHING A FILM FESTIVAL FOR FILMMAKERS In 2013, Bennett thought there was room on the calendar for another Georgia film festival and proposed launching one in Milledgeville to director BJ Golnick.

Bennett and Golnick had worked in Milledgeville on Honey Boo Boo, and about half of the feature Bennett co-produced, Crimes and Mister Meanors, had been shot in town. Also, Milledgeville doubled for the chalk mines of Afghanistan in the multi-award-winning short, Almost Home, which Bennett produced.

The antebellum capital of Georgia and home of acclaimed author Flannery O’Connor, Milledgeville was a treasure trove of unique locations. Bennett worked hard to pitch the film festival idea to Georgia College, city officials and local businesses. “Everyone that was enthusiastic became my founding board of directors,” Bennett reports. The twoand-a-half day festival, billed as created by filmmakers for filmmakers, debuted in 2014.

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Bennett’s brainchild took off, and The Milledgeville Film Festival grew by leaps and bounds. It has expanded to the neighboring city of Eatonton and is now branded The ME Film Festival. In 2019 the festival screened 116 features and shorts representing 20 countries. The event included a Lifetime Achievement Award for Oscar-winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr. whose career spans six decades.

Short horror films in the Southern Gothic tradition were viewed on an inflatable screen on the suitably spooky Central State Hospital grounds, once the largest mental hospital in the world. “The Horror Night is our signature event; it’s something truly unique,” says Bennett.

“We also offered kayaking, mountain biking, which was new this year, a tour of the Old Governor’s Mansion and brunch at the Lockerly Arboretum. Filmmakers refer to the film festival as [their] summer camp!”

“I've been impressed with how Jeremiah has sought out opportunities and created them. Case in point: The ME Film Festival,” says David Hartle, manager of physical production for Original Series Comedy at Netflix. “The ME Film Festival has become an annual tradition for me and a very positive part of my year, both professionally and personally. As a native of South Carolina, it's even a little extra special to get back to that part of the country for the event.”

"It’s incredible how the film festival has grown,” says board member Lisa Ferrell. “It has such a beautiful feel to it. Filmmakers come back year after year, whether they have a film in it or not, to participate in all the activities.

Jeremiah has been really good at getting people behind his vision and having them become stakeholders. Milledgeville is truly a part of the film festival: The merchants, the townspeople, they all embrace it.”

Professional networking opportunities abound, too. “Disney and Netflix have been at the festival,” says Bennett. “We love to promote Georgialensed projects, but this is also a chance to form partnerships with people from all over. This year three films submitted were made by people who met at the festival.”

Next year Bennett expects the festival to meet the rigorous requirements to make the list of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Short Film Qualifying Festivals.

GEORGIA BOOSTER A member of the Producers Guild of America East (PGA) since 2013 when David Hartle sponsored Bennett’s membership application, Bennett is the new and first elected chair of the Atlanta chapter.

“We’ve grown to well over 100 members, more than double what it was when I joined. We only started holding elections for officers last year,” says Bennett. “I’m guessing Jeremiah is too busy to run the [sound]board at church these days!” jokes Hartle. “I’m a long-time member of the PGA, and it’s great to see him jumping in to be part of what the PGA is doing in Georgia.”

Bennett would “like to see the local chapter grow with more events for members and the industry at large around training on tax incentives, safety inclusion and working with unions; plus more fun things like screenings and networking events.”

Writer, producer and content creator Suzan Satterfield is the new vice chair of PGA’s Atlanta chapter. “I join Jeremiah in his broad view of what we’re going to do,” she says. “We want to take Atlanta producers to a higher level, including helping more of them qualify for PGA membership.” Satterfield has

concentrated on the issue of women in the PGA for the past four years and is the outgoing Atlanta chair of the Women’s Impact Network (WIN), an initiative of the guild’s national committee.

Bennett and his colleagues are Georgia boosters who are proud of the state’s accomplishments and eager to develop its potential. “Georgia can’t afford to rest on our laurels,” Bennett says. “We have beautiful scenery and locations, and the best crews; just ask Marvel and Disney, Amazon and Netflix. But we need to become our own production powerhouse. We need to start working on writers’ rooms and content creation. We need more large-scale post houses, and we have to build a self-sustaining business."

Personally, Bennett has achieved a great deal in just a few years, but he’s not settling for where he is and is pushing to do more content creation. He believes a new show he’s pitching to networks “has a great chance of being made. It’s important for all of us to make sure we hustle

Whether you’ve been 20 or 30 years in the industry or are fresh out of college, it’s easy to become complacent once you get a paycheck. We need to keep asking how things can be better. We need to challenge ourselves and the industry as a whole.”

“Jeremiah has been good at getting people behind his vision and having them become stakeholders."

Says Ferrell, “Jeremiah is making a huge contribution to Georgia and our journey to creating original content and supporting our independent filmmakers.”

Hartle adds, “I feel that a big part of long-term success in the entertainment business is the dedication to working hard, doing your best and continuing to hang in there, and Jeremiah certainly seems to do just that.”

Louis Gossett Jr and Jeremiah Bennett on the red carpet after Gossett received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 6th Annual ME Film Festival Milledgeville & Eatonton

In video village helping produce a commercial in 2010 with director Craig Rhee

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CRA G M LLER: GEORGIA GRAVITAS AND TRIBECA COOL

BY TOM ODER

Craig Miller has been on a mission for more than 30 years to tell the stories of Georgia communities and businesses via film and video. For much of that time, his mission focused on longer format corporate work and playing a lead role in he helping establish Georgia as the nationĘźs No. 1 state to make a feature film.

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M

iller is the executive producer of Craig Miller Productions in Atlanta, a full-service film production company he founded in 1985 that provides creative strategy, script writing, production design, production management, directing, animation, editing, music, sound design and packaging. He’s also been a critical member of two groups that have promoted Georgia to studio executives in the film and entertainment industry. One of those is the Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Advisory Commission, which the governor appoints and whose members include decision makers in the film, music and digital gaming arena, and which Miller has chaired. The other is the Georgia Production Partnership (GPP), a grassroots organization chiefly responsible for establishing and maintaining Georgia's tax credit program, of which Miller is a founding member.

Before venturing into feature films, Miller built his reputation as a highly regarded producer in the corporate and production world. He did that by creating award-winning projects for an extensive list of Fortune 500 companies and advertising companies. He’s also created video projects for various civic, tourism and trade groups throughout Georgia that have allowed him to express his passion for the state’s diverse landscapes, people and cultures. “A lot of the work I’ve done over the years has been based around Georgia tourism,” Miller says. “My first job when I went out as a company owner was with Callaway Gardens. They were my very first account.”

Marc Pilvinsky, senior editor at Craig Miller Productions, echoes praise for Miller as someone who is incredibly kind and fun to be around. “We've done a lot of pro-bono work over the years, and whenever I start to feel like maybe it's too much or someone is taking advantage of us, things change, and we start to see folks returning the favor,” Pilvinsky says.

“When Craig produced his first feature film Still, I saw how well-liked he is and how he was able to parlay those favors we've done for people into things that really helped get that movie made."

“In fact, Still would not exist if Craig Miller was not a part of it,” says Philip Wages, a freelance director of photography who works with Craig Miller

Former CMP operations manager Becky Ittner, Craig Miller and CMP freelance editor Hayley Zalkin at the Only premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival

Productions. Still, starring Madeline Brewer (Handmaid's Tale), Nick Blood (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) and Lydia Wilson (Netflix's Requiem), is a suspense movie about a lost hiker in the North Georgia Mountains. It won the Georgia Film Award at the 2018 Atlanta Film Festival and was purchased by The Orchard for worldwide distribution.

“During the filming, we had some major hurdles to overcome,” recalls Wages. “One of these hurdles was that we needed a 150-year-old cabin in the middle of a field. Craig didn’t bat an eye. The next thing I knew, we had the perfect cabin, and he negotiated it well beneath our budget. That was one of many ‘miracles’ he pulled off on that film.”

MILLER’S PASSION FOR GEORGIA’S FILM INDUSTRY Pulling off miracles is something Miller seems to have a knack for. However, it's his work as a founding member of the GPP of which he seems most proud of.

The crowning achievement of that work was gaining legislative approval for the most generous film tax incentive in the country, the 30 percent tax credit for qualifying projects filmed and edited in Georgia. The tax credit forever changed the direction of Georgia's film and TV industry and is a key reason so many TV shows and movies are being made in Georgia.

Miller and others formed the GPP in 1995, but Miller said the story that led them to create the group is rooted in a much earlier era of Georgia movie making. He dates that era to the 1972 release of Deliverance. Jimmy Carter was

"LEADERSHIP IS OFTEN DRIVEN BY INNOVATION AND FORWARD THINKING." the governor at the time and, in a move that would have lasting implications, Carter established the nation’s first film commission office outside of California.

It was a time that Miller calls a “heyday” in Georgia filmmaking. The era, he adds, extended into the '80s with movies such as Smokey and the Bandit and included support with TV productions such as In the Heat of the Night (1988-1995) and I'll Fly Away (1991 to 1993).

Then, Miller says, Georgia production seemed to hit a lull. "So, we all got together and asked, 'How can we change this?'" The answer, Miller says, was that he and others formed the Georgia Production Partnership. As serious as those efforts were, occasionally, the GPP meetings produced some light-hearted moments. “I remember a time at Manuel’s Tavern when the guest speaker didn’t show up,” Miller recalls. “Tim McCabe and I were running the meeting, and we had to figure out something to fill up an hour. We decided on the fly to select a GPP member from each table and called the event Meet Your Newest Friend in the Film Industry. Tim and I interviewed a dozen members in front of a room of 200.

It was one of the most entertaining and engaging GPP meetings we had that year!”

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MILLER LEARNED TO LOVE GEORGIA AS A CHILD Chip Campbell, proprietor of Okeefenokee Adventures, Folkston, GA

What the GPP will be remembered for, though, are its major successes. Miller says two of those stand out. The first came in the early 2000s when the group won approval for a sales tax incentive of seven percent that Miller says helped boost the industry a little bit. The big break, however, came in 2008 when the Georgia Legislature passed the Entertainment Industry Investment Act, the 30 percent tax credit for projects shot and edited in Georgia. "In 2008, the economic impact of filming in Georgia was approximately $243 million," Miller points out. "This past year, we had $9.5 billion of economic impact in Georgia." In addition, the industry supports more than 92,000 jobs in entertainment production and support services in Georgia, according to MPPA data.

The boom in the entertainment sector began with building infrastructure.

“In 2008, there wasn't a single soundstage in Georgia,” Miller says. Today, he proudly proclaims, there are more than 100 stages. He focused on film education to train Georgians how to work in the industry. Governor Sonny Perdue, and then Governor Nathan Deal championed the cause, and the state-financed (located at the Atlanta Pinewood Studios) Georgia Film Academy was born, Miller recalls.

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Relocating to Georgia from Virginia when he was nine-years old Miller affectionately says, “I grew quickly to love Georgia.” When it came time to go to college, Miller stayed true to his passion for his adopted state. He attended the University of Georgia, graduating with a radio, television and film degree. “I’m a DAWG!” he proudly proclaims. With his degree in hand, he went to look for a job.

"Back then, you were pretty much going to work for one of the local radio or TV stations." Unlike some who were lured to the big media and entertainment centers in Los Angeles or New York, Miller had set his mind on another career path. "I wanted to stay in Georgia. I was a happy guy."

As it turned out, he got two job offers on the same day. One was to be an on-camera news reporter, the other was to be the video producer. Miller couldn’t resist a little laugh in recalling how he immediately transitioned from a college student to a producer responsible for making decisions and telling stories.

MILLER'S SECRET SAUCE FOR SUCCESS Miller is quick to say that his break into the business was not a traditional way a person becomes a producer. “If your goal is to become a producer,” he explains, “your first job is probably going to be as a production assistant, a prop master, a grip

or a gaffer.”

A key ingredient in Miller’s secret sauce: “I'm not afraid of hiring people who know more about something than I do. I'm always going to have people around me who know more about what they are doing than I do so that I can always rise to their level of capability versus keeping a cap on a project because of the limited amount of knowledge I probably have (in that area)."

Dave Werner, creative director at Craig Miller Productions, vivdly remembers an example of how Miller is open to bringing in new talent. “He stepped in on a tricky job I was freelancing for and decided to bring me on to his team full time to smooth things out. Craig saw an opportunity to grow his company and in turn, bolster the local production and post production community by adding new creative talents. Leadership is often driven by innovation and forward thinking, and I feel that Craig is always looking for new ways to solve problems and support those around him.”

Miller ranks perseverance as probably

"THAT WAS ONE OF MANY 'MIRACLES' HE PULLED OFF ON THAT FILM.”

TRIBECA COOL

Amicalola Falls

the one thing that he relies on more than anything else. "We started the company with an account. We didn't take out any loans because we knew we would have some regular income from a particular client. That helped get things going. But, then, you've got to believe in yourself, and you've got to go out and sell. You've got to market yourself and know enough people and network."

Now, Miller's on a new mission that combines his visionary leadership with his passions for film production and Georgia. Miller's seeking distribution for Only, a feature film he co-produced about a mysterious virus that is killing all the women on Earth. The movie, which was released in a world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival in New York, was shot almost exclusively in Atlanta's Old 4th Ward. In another local connection, it was written and directed by Takashi Doscher, who grew up in Gwinnett.

An apocalyptic sci-fi romantic drama, Only features Freida Pinto (Guerilla, Slumdog Millionaire) and Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton) as the romantic partners, Eva and Will. Eva apparently is among the planet's few remaining women, and Will tries to protect her by quarantining her in her apartment. The apartment happens to be in the loftconversion 1930s-era Western Electric Telephone Factory, which also features one of Atlanta's trendiest restaurants, Two Urban Licks. Will's plan works until Eva becomes revealed. Even worse, they realize savages are searching for her.

So why would Miller, who built his career and legacy doing mostly long format corporate work, want to co-produce a narrative feature now?

As is often the case in life, timing is everything. "What was very unfortunate to me was that all my corporate business went away in roughly 2013," says Miller. "It just went, poof! I told myself, everybody goes through this. The world just changed, and this is the new normal. So, I said, 'You know what? I'm open to other things.' "

One of those other things was film director Doscher, who was introduced to Miller 10 years earlier. "He'd just graduated from the University of Florida, wanted to be a filmmaker, and I hired him to be a production assistant on his first three jobs in the business,� says Miller. “He moved to Los Angeles, and we stayed in touch; we would meet for lunch when he would come home to visit his parents.

So, he calls me one day and says, 'Hey, Craig. I've written a script, I've got the money, I'm going to direct it, and I need a producer. Will you help?' I said, 'Man, yeah! I'm in.'" That was the Georgia-basedindie Still.

Director of photography Marc Dobiecki and Craig Miller on a shoot for The Weather Channel

July / August 2019

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Craig Miller, senior editor Marc Pilvinsky, cinematographer Philip Wages, director/producer Kit Vinsick, creative director Dave Werner

"BUILDING A TRACK RECORD WITH A GOOD FRIEND AND A RISING DIRECTOR IS GOOD FOR EVERYONE.”

Doscher never forgot Miller’s helping hand in getting him started in the industry. “Craig gave me my first job in the industry out of college. I graduated in the spring of 2008, not the best time to be job-hunting, but Craig was one of the few Atlanta producers who agreed to meet with me and give me some advice.

Without his kindness and generosity, I am not sure where I would have ended up. He did such a fantastic job producing on Still that when the time came to film Only, he was one of my first calls.”

While Miller is quick to say that scifi apocalypse is not his favorite genre, there were several reasons he jumped at the chance to work with Doscher again on Only. "Building a track record with a good friend and a rising director is good for everyone. The budget was 10 times bigger than the budget for Still, and I felt

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like Only was a better script.” And, Miller confesses, “Plus, it was going to be shot here in Atlanta, which I loved."

There was much that Doscher loved about reuniting with Miller. “Craig is a ‘people person’ through and through.

He knows everyone in the business and everyone knows him. But more than that, Craig is also just a good human being. The director/producer relationship is filled with friction by the very nature of those roles. When those creative differences arise, it is so important to know that ultimately you are dealing with a good human being on the other side. I think, over the years, people have recognized that quality in Craig and love doing business with him because of it.”

Miller was not able to attend the premiere, of Only. He went to one of the multiple screenings several days later.

"I was thinking, well, I hope our film held up well enough. We're talking about major filmmakers, and I knew that night we were up against Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (the new Ted Bundy movie), which stars heartthrob Zac Efron. It is a serious movie that was going to draw a lot of media and a lot of attendees. And we had a full theater!"

Miller states.

While the attendance was great, he confesses to initially having that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling wondering what the people filling all those seats were thinking. Miller knew the story inside and out and had seen the edited version before it hit the big screen. He remembers looking around at the audience and thinking, "I hope they caught that moment…I hope they see that foreshadowing. You're sort of clinging or searching for those moments when you feel like the audience has really bought into the story. If it's too quiet, you

are going to become really nervous. We had a good audience reaction the night I went. That was great. Then we had two more screenings. So, I was thrilled that we had at least grasped enough audience attention to come and see our work."

He was also happy with the critical reaction! The Musicbed blog called Only one of five Tribeca films to see, Rolling Stone Magazine published what Miller called a “nice write-up,” and CBS senior editor, David Morgan, included Only in the top 15 highlights of the festival. "In general, we were very, very pleased with the reviews,” says Miller.

Now comes another challenging part, waiting to see if the movie sells.

"The project was produced by a company in New York called Tadmor," Miller says.

"They have done some very successful films, and they're looking to use Tribeca as a platform to find distribution.

That's the next step, and how will it be distributed? Will it be bought by a streamer and will viewers see it on Netflix or Hulu? Or, will it just be a video on demand? Could it get a theatrical release? Sure. It could show up in theaters somewhere. We're all anticipating what it might do."

Tribeca, like many mainstream film festivals, can be extremely overwhelming but also has its less stressful moments.

One of those, Miller says, was a chance to catch up with two young people, an editor and producer, he hired for their first jobs out of college who are currently working in New York. "We all met up to go see the screening of Only. It was exciting to think that their first job was with Craig Miller Productions."

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43

NO GUTS, NO GLORY: TALENT

PROFILE OF A STUNTMAN BY: RICK LIMPERT

It wasn't long after watching a 1978 action film starring Burt Reynolds that a young Matt Philliben saw his future.

H

ooper starred Reynolds as Sonny Hooper, known in the film as "The Greatest Stuntman Alive."

The film followed an aging Hooper and his antics as he prepared for the mega stunt that would cap off his career.Hooper became a cult hit and serves as a tribute to stuntmen and stuntwomen and their dangerous profession.

Philliben, now an Atlanta-based actor and stuntman, said it served as an inspiration to him and a generation of stunt workers, many working the film industry throughout Georgia. "I wanted to be a stuntman since I was about four years old," admitted Philliben. "I watched Hooper when I was young, and I thought, man that was cool. Then Point Break (1991) with Keanu Reeves came along."

Philliben was hooked.

"Even though I saw these movies when I was young, I knew this is what I wanted to do."

Fast forward to today, and Philliben has been an actor and a stuntman in film

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and television for almost 13 years. He's chalked up over 60 film and television credits, playing Yuri Bakonov in the popular CW show, Black Lightning, filmed in Atlanta. When it comes to motion pictures, Philliben had the pleasure of working for three months alongside Keanu Reeves in John Wick 3. All this recent work was in addition to his stunt work, including serving as a stunt double for Eminem and Mark Wahlberg.

"Everyone has a path in life," explained Philliben, a Detroit native. "I just knew from an early age; I was going to work in the entertainment industry."

Hard work and perseverance are paying off for Philliben. Doors are opening, but like anyone on a "career path," he paid his dues. "I've worked for free and worked intern shifts, independent movies and security for celebrities. With this line of work, you can't open a book, and it tells you what to do."

Philliben studied film and theatre in

college at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, but he is the first to admit that was just the start of his training for stunt work. "There isn't a degree for being a stuntman. You have to have something that sets you apart: racing cars, martial arts, gymnastics or a skill that helps you find your way in."

Even though Philliben has extensive training in martial arts and hand-tohand combat, he said it helped that he possessed that much desired daredevil personality. "I was that daredevil kid growing up. I built my own ramps on the street and climbed trees that were way too high. I was on the roof of my house. Sure, I'd fall from doing something stupid, but I was always able to bounce back."

Another requirement of the job is not being starstruck by who you might see or working with on set. George Clooney, Ryan Gosling and Hugh Jackman, to name a few, just happen to be some of Philliben's co-workers. "I don't get nervous around celebrities. When you work so many years,

I WANTED TO BE A STUNTMAN SINCE I WAS ABOUT FOUR YEARS OLD.

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TALENT

Will the real Slim Shady please stand up? Matt Philliben doubles for Eminem’s Good Guy music video

they are just your co-workers, and it’s part of the job. I even forget who they are sometimes, but some people lose it."

Although not a Georgia native, Philliben has taken to the state, the city of Atlanta, and says the area's reputation in the industry is a driving force. "I liked the fact that Atlanta and Georgia were established. I was able to work here before I moved, and the buzz about Atlanta was that it was a hidden gem in terms of filmmaking. This was many years ago, and of course, it's really blown up now in the last three to four years. I remember 10 years ago; it had a buzz, and it was on the rise."

Philliben says the ripple effect works both ways as new productions come to Atlanta and as more talent moves to the area. "I heard from a lot of people that Atlanta would be the new film capital, and more productions were coming. We should all thank Tyler Perry! The weather is good, (there) is no snow, no horrible winters, and the people are friendly. I know I don't plan on leaving, and Atlanta always has that positive vibe."

Philliben's first paying job on a set was Real Steel with Hugh Jackman back in 2010-11. This film spent many years in development and filming took place primarily in Michigan. The technology of the time allowed for animatronic 46

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robots to be built for the film, and motion capture technology helped depict the brawling of computer-generated robots and the animatronics.

Philliben says that technology used in stunt work and production of stunts has improved just as quickly as the editing and camera technology that is used in today's productions. "The changes are for the better," explains Philliben. "Big improvements have been made in terms of ‘wire work.’ For stunt people, this is their lifeline, literally. Cables and lines are attached to a ratchet. Ratchets consist of a bar or wheel with a set of angled teeth in which a cog or tooth engages and allows motion.” He adds that, “the cables and lines are now called, ‘tech lines’ with a softer and stronger rope used for added safety.” What stunt performers wear for protection has also been improved.

"Padding has improved," states Philliben.

"It's important since they are the line of protection for our body parts. The newer harnesses are a lot different as they have become stronger." All good news for those ultra-dangerous stunts that might even make an established veteran like Philliben nervous.

"I can get nervous when we are doing something dangerous, but I know how to handle it. If you are too nervous or scared, it can cause problems with your

performance. As a stunt performer, safety is always the top concern and priority.

Everything is so rehearsed, planned out and precise, the newer technology really helps." Philliben stresses that everything is monitored and rehearsed sufficiently, and safety is always a top priority. He said that as a stunt performer, everyone knows what he or she is signing up for in terms of danger.

Phillben on fire is just another days work

"THERE ISN'T A DEGREE FOR BEING A STUNTMAN."

Stunts can range from easy to what Philliben and other stunt people call “more challenging.” “I wouldn’t say there’s such a thing as an ‘easy stunt.’

Everything is challenging in its own way. For me an easy stunt can include falling from a window in the Eminem music video and surprisingly, usually anything fire-related. Anything with fire is really easy,” explains Philliben from his experiences. “You have fire retardant clothing on underneath your wardrobe called Nomex, along with fire safety gel.

It’s put all over your skin and clothing, so the performer is perfectly safe and monitored by a team of fire safety experts with fire extinguishers. Fire burns are the least challenging to perform because all you have to do is fling your arms around and run or walk around like you’re on fire, but it only lasts for a couple minutes until they’re extinguished.”

Anything with an explosion can be classified as a more challenging stunt. Philliben recounts an explosion simulation where he was yanked on a line and flung through the air to simulate getting blown up. The line that was attached ran to a ratchet with a small machine that has compressed air tanks attached. The force and how fast the line pulls is based on the amount of psi (pressure) you let out of the air tanks.

The machine also has a firing system and button to press when the actual stunt takes place. The other end of the line is attached to vest via a safety harness that is strapped on him or under his wardrobe.

Philliben says that sometimes a challenging stunt won’t even see the light of day. “In Batman v Superman, at the end of the movie during the final warehouse fight, Batman slams one of the other gangsters in the warehouse. That gangster had a grenade, and said grenade blew me and him up. The scene ultimately got cut, but I was engulfed in fire and had to dive backward and slam to the ground when the explosion happened.”

When not performing or on set, Philliben makes it a point to get out and give back to the community and cities surrounding Atlanta. "I do a lot of things with kids; The Children's Hospital and the Youth Mentor Program they have.

I feel it's important to seek out sick or underprivileged kids. I've learned this is an important charity to be involved in because they are the future. Any chance I can get to help kids, I'm all about that!"

Sometimes helping kids means offering up encouragement and advice.

Philliben said he loves giving talks in classroom settings. "My number one piece of advice is to work hard at something. For those interested in being a stunt performer or actor, try martial arts, gymnastics and don't stop! Never stop believing in your dream. The power of the mind is an amazing thing."

Philliben on the set of Transformers: The Last Knight

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"THE POWER OF THE MIND IS AN AMAZING THING."

TALENT

Now settled in Atlanta and getting more film work, Philliben isn't one to rest on his laurels when it comes to stunt work or new roles. "The future is bright. If I can get a role, I'm all about it. And for stunts, I'll do that as well. I kind of like doing both. With the entertainment industry, you never know when you are going to get that next job. It's a constant grind and a constant hustle. I'll probably look more at stunt work. Stunts are my first love."

Matt Philliben Film and TV Credits: • John Wick: Chapter 3

• Transformers: The Last

-Parabellum - 2019

Knight - 2017

• Chicago P.D. - 2019

• MacGyver - 2017

• Handy Dandy - 2019

• The Fate of the

• Black Lightning - 2019

Furious - 2017

• Lov-e & Debt - 2018

• Powers - 2016

• Eminem ft. Jessie

Reyez: Good Guy - 2018

• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - 2016

• Venom - 2018

• Orion - 2015

• Tommy Battles the Silver Sea Dragon - 2018

• Divergent - 2014 • Real Steel - 2011

• The Walking Dead - 2017

Stunt Coordinator Credits

Q

uentin Tarantino’s latest film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, received a seven-minute standing ovation at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film, released this summer, stars two of Hollywood’s biggest box-office draws, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. Set in Los Angeles in the late 60s, DiCaprio plays Rick Dalton, a washed-up television actor, and Pitt play’s his best friend, Cliff Booth, Dalton’s stunt double. In the film, Pitt is punched, thrown and kicked by an actor playing Bruce Lee. How many stunt doubles did he have? The list in the credits is long.

Perhaps, just like Burt Reynold’s portrayal as a stuntman in Hooper that inspired Matt Philliben, Brad Pitt’s portrayal of a stuntman in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood will inspire people to have the guts and the glory too.

• Code of the Dim Mak - 2018 • Eloise - 2016 • The Neverlands - 2015 • King Ripple - 2015 • The Listing - 2015 • 12 Monkeys - 2015 • Oz the Great and Powerful -2014 • Mary's Buttons - 2013

Diciplines to Study to be a Stuntman: Aerial Work Martial Arts Auto Racing

Bring in the stuntman! When DiCaprio can’t afford to have his pretty face cracked, but Pitt can?

Credit: Courtesy of Sony Pictures / Andrew Cooper

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July / August 2019

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HOLLYWOOD’S ABANDONMENT ISSUES

By Christine Bunish and Nicole Sage

M

edia coverage of Hollywood’s prospective production boycott of Georgia after the passage of HB 481, the so-called “Heartbeat Bill,” has now spanned the globe. For more than 40 years Georgia has been diligently building a film and television production industry, which sustains the livelihoods of tens of thousands of its citizens. Now this industry is, seemingly, under threat.

At stake is some $9.5 billion in economic impact, fueled largely by the Hollywood film and television community and the jobs of more than 90,000 Georgians working above and below the line. Add to that the multiplier effect of thousands of businesses that benefit from the industry’s presence: hotels, rental properties, transportation

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services, restaurants and a myriad of retail shops in addition to 600-plus new businesses in the last several years alone.

A veritable town has grown up around Pinewood Atlanta Studios.

Also at risk is an emerging generation of industry professionals: students enrolled in college film programs and those taking courses designed to teach marketable, on-set skills.

What It Means in Dollars and Cents Some of those working in production today told Oz what a boycott would mean to their livelihoods. Set designer Christopher Burkhart moved back to

Georgia in 2010 and worked his way up to his present position. “The industry has allowed me to buy a house, and [my wife and I are] expecting our first child in the next few days. I am [now] the sole breadwinner. A boycott would be devastating for my family. And, depending on the length of it, I would have to consider either traveling for work or moving, neither of which are great options with a newborn.”

Set decoration buyer Caitlin Elmes shares similar fears about meeting obligations for a mortgage, student loans and other expenses. “Working in film has become my passion, and I cannot imagine doing anything else for a career,” she says.

“If my husband and I were to pick up and leave the state he would be leaving behind

“

“

DON'T ABANDON THOSE WHO NEED US MOST. Academy Award winning production designer of Black Panther, Hannah Beachler

a job that he loves with a company that is growing and full of great potential to further his career. Both of us would have to start from scratch in a place neither of us knows. Should we stay, I would have to find a new job and eventually a career path that [permits me to] stay in Georgia.

Both scenarios are frankly terrifying to my husband and me.”

A talent agency owner, who asked to remain anonymous, worries about keeping her company afloat since “projects have already started pulling out leaving fewer jobs for actors to submit to or even book. My husband and I are paying the office rent out of our personal funds and shuffle the bills around to keep the business going as long as we can.”

Vyvyan Hughes is a project manager and designer at The Neon Company sign makers. “About 65 percent of our work is directly related to the film industry,” she says. “If the industry pulls out, our staff of eight employees would be reduced to four. I will be one of the reductions as most of my job is working directly with the film industry’s art and set decorating departments.”

Locations manager Mac Gordon notes that, “all the work done over the past ten years to build the industry here could be wiped out in less than a year.

I saw it happen in Michigan when their tax incentives left. In a few months, that state had one movie after having dozens

the summer before. They never came back.” He predicts that “other, more open-minded, states will step in and offer [themselves] as film locations with incentives. And Hollywood will not look back. I rather doubt the state government cares about ‘liberal Hollywood.’ Losing billions, however, might get their attention.”

Responding to a boycott threat, individuals and groups are marshaling their forces to convince Hollywood that they should remain in Georgia. Some in the industry were reluctant to speak to Oz on the record, however. Organizations with 501c3 status are prohibited from making political statements while certain other companies cited the delicate balancing act they are performing as Hollywood weighs its options.

Taking a Political Stand On the political front two powerful female voices have taken the lead.

Georgia State Senator Jennifer Jordan gained national attention with her powerful dissent to HB 481, which went viral and netted more than 3 million views. While she notes that the law “will be adjoined legally and take two or three years to go through the system,” she told Oz that, “the time to get involved is now.

We can’t just say the ACLU is going to save us. They’re going to try. But we need boots

on the ground now.”

Acknowledged as a major economic force in Georgia, the film and television industry can become a major political force via proactive, grassroots initiatives.

“If you don’t have a place at the table, then you’re on the menu,” Jordan points out.

Hollywood needs to support the workers who have served their productions so professionally year in, year out by remaining in Georgia and affecting change from within. “You can’t change policy if you boycott the state,” Jordan declares.

On a June 11th trip to Hollywood former gubernatorial candidate and Georgia legislator Stacey Abrams presented a persuasive case to industry representatives for remaining in Georgia.

“I was contacted because of my longstanding history of working with the film industry,” Abrams told Oz in a phone interview from Hollywood. “I’ve been incredibly vocal about the impact of the forced pregnancy bill; I warned backers about it. And I’ve been crystal clear in my response that while it’s [Hollywood’s] right to boycott, that’s the wrong strategy for change in Georgia.”

Abrams met with “a packed room” of “showrunners, producers, directors, executives and [representatives of] support services.” They gathered to hear “the right strategy” in what was largely a Q&A session, she says. “The group was

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Cast and crew of P-Valley working in Georgia

incredibly engaged, and I was glad to be able to bring forward the concerns of those on the ground in Georgia.” She told the group about the “seismic effect that will ripple across Georgia and stymie progress” if a boycott is enacted. “If you leave instead of fighting you’re open to the charge of abandoning your colleagues to their fate.”

Abrams stated, “We are in a healthcare crisis; this only exacerbates things and makes it more difficult for every woman. If [Hollywood’s] mission is to create spaces that are safe and healthy where women can grow and thrive, they should stay in Georgia. If they stay and fight we will have a real likelihood of success.”

She acknowledges that there’s a risk in “in disparaging those for whom [a boycott] is a moral question,” and that opponents of HB 481 must avoid “a circular firing squad. I think there’s a strategic way to fight this,” she says.

The Grassroots Movement Many of the “boots on the ground” that Senator Jordan mentioned are worn by women.

Launched by four women working hands-on in the industry, #stayandfightga “grew from a real desire to enact positive change in our community,” says 2nd AC Callie Moore who is joined by grip Peyton Brown, loader, Erin Strickland and camera department digital utility, Chandra 52

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Sudtelgte in leading the group.

“We knew that our jobs were at stake after calls for a Hollywood boycott of Georgia had surfaced and that our freedoms, as women, were at major risk as well,” says Moore. “Because of this we joined together to create #stayandfightga, an organization built to be the voice of film industry workers here who want to fight for the rights of women.”

“Stay and Fight Georgia was a plan hatched between a camera-ladies dinner out and a chat around the camera carts,” says Strickland. “We started small with a CrowdRise donation site and a few flyers posted around our stages and handed out to crew members. We announced our fundraiser for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia at our on-set safety meeting. By the first shot of the day we’d raised over $1,000!”

They have been heartened by the “overwhelmingly positive” reactions to the movement, according to Moore. “We just want to keep the momentum going and keep our message relevant,” says Sudtelgte. “This is only the beginning.”

“We support 100 percent what #stayandfightga is doing and how they are directing their energy in constructive ways,” says film production designer Molly Coffee. She and colleagues Jaime Rosegren, a set dresser, and Sara Riney, a set decoration buyer, were outspoken before HB 481 was signed. Their letter, signed by more than 50 film workers, reached out to such influencers as Screen

Actors Guild (SAG), the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and major studios urging them to take a stand and make a difference if the bill was enacted (only the WGA responded). The women also coordinated with Abrams’s group, Fair Fight Action, and organized a press conference at the Georgia Capitol Building, which was preempted by the appearance of a pro-boycott celebrity who quickly grabbed all the headlines.

“It’s easy for people to say they want Hollywood to leave Georgia, but we wanted to humanize who loses in that situation,” says Coffee.

After the bill was signed, Coffee and her colleagues redoubled their efforts by circulating an anti-boycott petition, currently with more than 4,500 signatures, and reclaiming press attention

“

“

WE ARE IN A HEALTHCARE CRISIS; THIS ONLY EXACERBATES THINGS AND MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR EVERY WOMAN.

Stacey Abrams gave Hollywood a persuasive presentation on Georgia's behalf

through direct contact with “anyone willing to talk to us,” including NPR and CNN. “We changed the headlines, and people respected what we were saying.”

She believes that “if Georgia had never gotten Marvel films, if we were only doing normal-size projects, we never would have had this reaction. But the Marvel budgets are so big, and they employ so many that people have realized how competitive Georgia is.” In addition, there is “an element [in Hollywood] that didn’t want to work in Georgia for a long time and is using this as an excuse,” Coffee declares. “When you ask them to take a stand on production in Louisiana [where the governor signed a similar bill], you hear crickets.”

Noting that “we’re playing the long game,” Coffee and her colleagues have

created www.georgiafilmtoolkit.com, an information-packed website “made for film workers, to help them talk about the issue.” Events are planned to encourage film workers to maintain a proactive stance and raise funds.

“It’s important that the conversation stays about jobs and economic impact,” she says. “My hope is that people remain engaged three or four months from now when we’re not in the headlines as much.

We can’t go back to our lives and have this be a blip on the radar. People need to register to vote and vote in local elections, which do make a difference. Productions need to give workers time off to vote.

People need to take ownership of this issue.”

She cites the example of Kelly Rose who has done just that. Rose, who

co-owns Studio 48, an audition taping and workshop studio in McDonough, is running for the Georgia State Senate in a bid to flip seats.

Gaining Hollywood Support Some in Hollywood have expressed their intention to pull current productions from Georgia or boycott the state by moving upcoming projects elsewhere. Others, such as Netflix, Disney, WarnerMedia and AMC, reportedly are reconsidering working in Georgia. Jason Bateman, producer, director and star in Ozark, has pledged not to work in Georgia or any other state with similar restrictive laws if HB 481 “makes it through the court system,” which seems to buy time for his Georgia-produced show.

Advocates for keeping productions in the state have spoken up as well. Peter Chernin is producing his Fear Street film trilogy and P-Valley series for Starz in Georgia and has donated $1 million to the ACLU and challenged his peers to raise $15 million more.

J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele will continue shooting their Lovecraft Country series for HBO in Georgia and pledge their episode fees to the local ACLU and Stacey Abrams’s Fair Fight Action group.

Currently, The Georgia Film Office’s website states the following productions will be shooting in Georgia this summer; Clint Eastwood and Warner Bros. is set to start production on his latest film, The Ballad of Richard Jewell, about the falsely-accused Olympic bombing suspect.

Amazon’s limited series, The Underground Railroad, will shoot in Savannah.

Paramount is slated to shoot in July with Eddie Murphy on the much anticipated Coming to America 2.

Academy Award-winning production designer and filmmaker Hannah Beachler, who won accolades for her work on Black Panther, sums it up in a Tweet urging Hollywood not to boycott: “Leaving comes from a place of privilege,” she wrote. “Stay, donate, help fight [with] the women [and] children…Don’t abandon those who need us most.”

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FROM

TO JIMMY C ARTER’S GEORGIA FILM L EGACY

ON

DISPLAY

BY TONI PERLING

Before Tyler Perry and Marvel turned Georgia into today’s uber-cool, ultraprofitable film production capital of the South, there was Jimmy Carter and Burt Reynolds, whose efforts to get a little film called Deliverance shot in North Georgia planted the seeds for the state as a prime movie location. The duo tended those sprouts and solidified those roots in the late ‘70s with huge Georgia-based hits like The Longest Yard and Smokey and the Bandit. Now Carter and Reynolds are finally getting their due with a new exhibit at The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum in Atlanta.

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G

eorgia on My Screen: Jimmy Carter and the Rise of the Film Industry salutes the history of showbiz in the state with an impressive exhibit boasting a ton of cool memorabilia from past and current productions. The display includes items from Stranger Things, Driving Miss Daisy and the MCU (a complete Captain America costume, anyone?). Dr. Meredith Evans, the director of the library notes, most importantly, “It honors the foresight and economic legacy of Jimmy Carter,” who formed one of the country’s first state-based film offices, kicking off the growth of Georgia’s current $9.5 billion entertainment industry.

The story and the exhibit begin in 1971 when both Carter and Reynolds were still early on their paths to worldwide fame and influence. A former naval engineer, peanut farmer and state representative, Jimmy Carter had just taken the oath as the governor of Georgia, and Burt Reynolds had been working steadily in television with roles in popular shows like Gunsmoke, Dan August and Flipper. Neither had yet broken into the national consciousness. Atlanta author James Dickey was another story, though.

In 1970, the former poet laureate of the United States had just published his first novel, the gritty thriller Deliverance, a tale of four city guys who decide to raft down an unspoiled North Georgia river before it’s dammed up and disappears. The trip takes a dark and dangerous turn when they encounter some backwoods locals.

(Yes, that’s “Dueling Banjos” you hear in your head.)

Dickey’s book was a well-reviewed bestseller, and by ‘71 he’d adapted it into a screenplay to be shot as a low-budget feature by British director John Boorman, starring Jon Voight (hot off Midnight Cowboy) and the handsome, charismatic Reynolds as his stars.

Reynolds grew up in Florida and attended FSU, and he really wanted to shoot the movie in that state, as he told reporters at the Rome Film Festival in November 2017. Then-Florida Governor Reubin Askew had nixed the idea.

Reynolds happened to have a small hunting cabin in North Georgia and was apparently familiar with the Chattooga River, which he surmised would be perfect for the movie. So as the actor, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 82, tells it, he paid a visit to Governor Jimmy Carter.

"You don't find anybody like that.

He wasn't a politician, he was a nice man who grew nuts.”

- Burt Reynolds

"Well, I came to the nicest man on the planet, and I said, 'Can I shoot a movie here?' The last governor said he didn't want me to. And he said, 'We'll fix that.'

He was so nice. … You don't find anybody like that. He wasn't a politician, he was a nice man who grew nuts.”

Shot in the summer of 1971 in Rabun County and at the Tallulah Gorge southeast of Clayton, the production brought serious bucks to those communities. At the time, Ed Spivia happened to be the PR director for the Georgia Department of Industry and Trade (now known as the Office of Economic Development) at the time. “I went up to Clayton to see what they were doing with Deliverance. I nosed around and found out they were buying property along the river, and hotels, and food.

Helping the community. Georgia was having a downtime, and I thought more films would be a good way to get more money spent on Georgia.” Governor Carter agreed.

Deliverance was both critically and commercially successful, earning three Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. It’s unclear whether then Governor Carter knew about that controversial aspect of the movie, but Spivia told Atlanta Magazine that he sat behind the Carters at the premiere.

“When the actor lets out, ‘Yahoo, that’s the wildest fucking river in the world,’ I went under my seat. Jimmy thought it was fine, though. He always said not to inject our feelings about anybody’s movie. We were there to help them.”

That attitude most likely appealed to ‘70s-era push-the-envelope filmmakers,

and with his eye on the economic prize, Carter would soon sign an executive order establishing the Motion Picture and Television Advisory Committee within the Department of Industry and Trade.

The following year, the newly formed organization took out a full-page ad in the Hollywood trade paper, Variety. And in fact, the document is one of the first artifacts you’ll come across at the Georgia on My Screen exhibit.

The ad reads, in part, “Jimmy Carter is the Governor of Georgia. And he works closely with our State Motion Picture and Television Advisory Committee. They don’t censor pictures. They help you make them. In any way possible. For Wooster Productions, they blew up an automobile.

Boom.” It goes on to tout the state’s access to free scouting transportation, info on studios, labs, rentals and even weather forecasts. The tag line: “Georgia. We’ll do anything to be in the film business.”

As Georgia on My Screen then goes on to show, Carter followed up the ad with a trip to L.A. in 1973 specifically to lobby production companies to bring their shows to the state. And while he was there, he took the opportunity to appear on an episode of What’s My Line?, the popular game show that challenged celebs to try to figure out a contestant’s occupation through a series of questions.

Governor Carter showed his growing media savvy by plugging the state’s new initiative as part of his appearance. As he told the show’s host, Larry Blyden, “We have a good program for recruiting motion pictures to Georgia. We’ve gotten into the motion picture business in a big way.” And Carter could speak Hollywood’s language, too. When asked if the weather down South would be good enough for productions to successfully shoot in the state, Carter was ready with a smooth answer: “We’ve never had a film yet that came over the budget or over the time schedules.” He went on to mention Deliverance, and added, “Jon Voight’s been back to make another film,” which would be Conrack. “And we just finished one in our state prison, Reidsville, which is called The Longest Yard, with Burt Reynolds.”

It worked. Before he left the governor’s office in 1975, 26 more TV shows and movies would be shot in the state. The Longest Yard wouldn’t be the

last film Burt Reynolds would shoot in Georgia, either. He’d go on to make Gator (1976), Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and The Cannonball Run (1981), as well as the crime drama Sharky’s Machine (1981), which had its big Hollywood premiere at the Fox Theatre. "Every time anybody wants to make a movie with me about something, I ask, ‘Can we shoot this in Georgia?'...I just love coming here, I love the people here," Reynolds enthused. You’ll find plenty of Smokey and the Bandit clips and pictures at the exhibit, which notes that the film was shot almost entirely in Georgia and was second only to Star Wars that year at the box office.

Carter wasn’t done, either. Another goal was to increase the opportunities for women and people of color in Georgia.

Once he got to the White House, Carter installed the most diverse staff ever.

His office would also go on to produce a report addressing the problems women and minorities faced and still face in the entertainment business. And he continued to work his Hollywood connections.

In an interesting bit of foreshadowing, the exhibit reveals that President Carter actually hosted Stan Lee and the Marvel superheroes at the White House for the kick-off of the Captain America Youth Energy Conservation Program. President and Mrs. Carter also celebrated the 10th anniversary of the American Film Institute, hosting a Marvel superheroes at the Whitehouse to protect and serve.

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First Lady, Rosalynn Carter and daughter, Amy, welcomes Stan Lee's superheroes at the Whitehouse

glam-packed TV broadcast. A copy of his remarks that evening is included in the exhibit and gives a glimpse into his personal connection to the industry. “The movies have touched all our lives, mine as a farm boy. I am sure the first time I saw the White House was from the back seat of the movie theater.” That theater would’ve been the Rylander in the town of Americus. It’s also where young Jimmy Carter went on his first date with future wife Rosalynn and where he learned about segregation when his friend A.D. had to sit apart from him in the “colored” section.

According to the website Gizmodo.com, Carter screened some 400 movies over the course of his single term, more than any other President.

“It gave the

Green Goblin's attempt to abduct Stan Lee on the Whitehouse lawn

Joyce Byers' ouija wallpaper can be seen at Georgia on My Screen - Jimmy Carter and the Rise of the Film Industry

library the opportunity to show how many jobs the industry has created in Georgia, and to focus on the diversity its brought to the state as well.”

- Dr. Meredith Evans

According to Dr. Evans, Carter heartily approved the Georgia on My Screen project as well. “He was thrilled about it,” she reports. “It allowed the library the opportunity to show how many jobs the industry has created in Georgia, and to focus on the diversity it brought to the state as well.”

It’s possible no one’s done more on that score than Tyler Perry, who’s represented in the exhibit both as a visionary who turned the abandoned Fort McPherson into a multimillion-dollar film studio, and as his character Madea, in a tableau complete with house dress and oxygen tank.

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Walking Dead and Lucille

Visitors to the exhibit have a chance to get up-close and personal with screenused props and items that are rarely seen outside Hollywood.

There are several set pieces displayed, including items from The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, the famed living room from Stranger Things, an impressive Marvel Films section featuring everything from Iron Man’s mask to Star Lord’s quad blasters, Thor’s mighty hammer and Black Panther’s mask Walking Dead safe zone? and shield, along with Shuri’s vibranium gauntlets. series that started shooting in Senoia,

It took two years to bring everything Georgia in 2010. “The cast and crew who together, and as curator Carla Ledgerwood worked on the show all nine seasons reports, “Some cold phone calls and were personally involved in curating the emails to studios and studio archives artifact selection,” says Ledgerwood. “The started getting to the right people, and pieces they chose are very iconic and have things started to happen.” One of those become part of pop-culture history.” To things was the chance to get not one, but wit, you’ll see Negan’s beloved barbedtwo actual Oscars on display from films wire bat Lucille, Glen’s baseball cap, Carl’s set in Atlanta: the first from Gone With the can of chocolate pudding, Rick’s cop Wind, the other from the Georgia-lensed uniform, Michonne’s katanas and much Driving Miss Daisy. more.

Those Oscars weren’t as difficult

Unfortunately, there were a few to acquire as one might think. After all, items that remained unattainable. “I was as Dr. Evans reminds us, “We do have on a quest for the canoe from Deliverance, President Carter’s Grammys and a Nobel and I wasn't able to get my hands on it,” Peace Prize on the premises.”

Ledgerwood reports. And the famed

Something amazing happened when bench from Forrest Gump is ensconced in the Carter Center requested items from the Savannah History Museum. But the The Walking Dead, the huge hit AMC Carter Library did manage to score more

than a dozen screen-worn costumes from a wide variety of movies and TV shows, and Savannah College of Art and Design chipped in to provide all the mannequins and styling. It’s an impressive collection, with glam pieces from the CW’s Star, scrubs from Fox’s The Resident, a football uniform from Remember the Titans and many more.

The Carter Center is not done yet.

They have also put together a variety of panels on local filmmaking and screenings of films shot in Georgia, including Black Panther, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Fried Green Tomatoes scheduled throughout the summer.

It’s a more-than-worthy salute to the visionary leader who first brought the entertainment industry to Georgia.

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LIFE

AQUATIC IN GEORGIA

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BY: EMILY L. FOLEY

T

here’s an energy bubbling above the surface of the water at The Georgia Aquarium. Not something tangible that requires a call to the electrician. The Ocean Voyager exhibit one can see excitement and joy on the faces of every guest as they stand awestruck in front of 6.3 million gallons of water, brimming with thousands of fish, a 400-pound rescued sea turtle named “Tank”, the majestic whale sharks and manta rays. That energy is present even before the doors are open to the public each day. Each aquarium employee knows just how special their workplace is, and the tens of thousands of aquatic animals living within those walls seem to be in on the magic too.

It could be because The Georgia Aquarium is one the of the largest aquariums in the western hemisphere (it was the largest in the world until 2012 when an aquarium in Singapore claimed the title), or maybe it’s the sheer magnitude of the more than 700 aquatic animal species living in 10 million gallons of fresh and salt water which compelled the Animal Planet network to make the Georgia Aquarium the subject of its latest docu-series, The Aquarium. After the wild success of the show, The Zoo, which tells stories from the Bronx Zoo, The Aquarium serves as a successor to that show and is a 10-episode series detailing a day in the life of the animals who call the Georgia Aquarium home, as well as the handlers who care for them. The show premiered on May 19th. Some episodes focus on the interesting stories of specific animals such as Pinkie, an elderly otter with a recurring nose bleed.

Others follow the aquarium staff into the wild as they work to release animals they have rehabilitated back into their natural habitats. All ten episodes are a compelling peek into just how complex it is to care for the animals who call the Georgia Aquarium home, as well as the conservation efforts of the aquarium staff as a whole.

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Emily Collins filming fish for the Animal Planet series The Aquarium

Emily Collins films for Animal Planet's new series The Aquarium

It may come as a surprise considering The Aquarium’s flawless fit into Animal Planet’s line-up of shows, but the initial concept for the show came from the Aquarium team itself. It was an organizational goal to be featured in a full-scale docu-series, and they believed strongly that such a show would sustain best as a part of the Animal Planet family.

The aquarium staff worked with the team at Left/Right Productions (the production company behind shows such as Ride with Norman Reedus, Small Town Security, Mob Wives, Odd Mom Out, and in this case most importantly, The Zoo) to create a pitch reel to present to the network, and the rest, as they say, is history. The aquarium team’s initial insight also proved to be spot-on, as the partnership between the underwater zoo and the network has been a perfect match.

Although the negotiation period between the two did take a few months, a shared goal made the process easy.

That goal? To bring the animals that live at the aquarium closer to people to hopefully inspire them to action. This shared vision made some specific terms of the agreement easy for both sides: The network wanted complete access to the aquarium, its animals, exhibits and staff, and the aquarium wanted to ensure that the real keepers who care for and

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work with the animal’s day in and day out were the ones shown in the series.

These similar goals of authenticity and a desire for an accurate representation of what life for and among the creatures at the aquarium looks like made for a relaxed co-working environment for the aquarium’s staff and the production team. While it was indeed a change of pace initially for keepers and other staff to see camera equipment and filming teams setting up shop in their work environment, soon it became commonplace, and with a lengthy filming timeline of six months, it quickly became the new normal for life at the aquarium.

But Animal Planet’s production team isn’t the first to have seen the value of filming at Atlanta’s beloved aquarium.

In fact, the aquarium team receives close to 200 requests each year to film in the space, and just this past March, hired a manager of video content and production specifically to field those requests and coordinate with production teams throughout the filming process.

Marcy Hendryx began working as a contractor for the aquarium in February 2018, but quickly proved the value of her role and was brought on full time. She shares, “All the location fees the aquarium earns during these shoots go right back to our research and conservation efforts, so it is a no-brainer for us to promote the Georgia Aquarium as a filming location.”

But what type of productions take place there? The list is broad and varied. There are request forms on the aquarium’s website specifically for filming, photographer and blogger shoots, and requests that have been approved in just the past few years include everything from commercials for Greyhound and Google Fiber to promotional videos for The Home Depot and Carvel Ice Cream to a contestant intro for the show, The

Bachelorette, a TV special for the Red Bull Soapbox Race and the feature films Pitch Perfect 3, Miracles From Heaven and Alvin and The Chipmunks 4: Road Chip. And the requests that don’t get approved? If you can think it up, it has been requested, and no, the aquarium won’t allow high schoolers to come free dive into the tanks for a YouTube video (insert wry smile here).

However, despite a large number of productions that do film at the aquarium, there is a lengthy and detailed process that takes place before any production gets the green light. “Our primary concern is the safety of the animals who live here,” shares Emily Collins, the aquarium’s multimedia communications specialist. It is the staff’s job to make sure that production doesn’t negatively impact any of the creatures or the guests there to see them. Many requests are declined, or at least amended before approval. One such story shared by Collins and Hendryx involved filming an extravagant dance number in the film Pitch Perfect 3. The scene takes place in front of one of the large acrylic viewing windows of one of the tanks, and the original lighting request would have been too invasive for the fish living inside. The aquarium staff not only countered the request by reducing the overall wattage of the lighting considerably, but they also gradually introduced the animals in the habitat to the increased light before actual filming to minimize any effect on them at all.

Typically, underwater filming by outside production teams is not allowed due to the threat it can pose to the animals. The aquarium’s own filming teams regularly step in and capture any underwater footage requests themselves.

Collins shares that there are already scheduled dives each day within the

Georgia Aquarium's Chris Duncan shoots underwater for Animal Planet

aquarium’s programming. That is when she and other videographers go into the tanks to shoot any needed footage, both for the aquarium’s own use and outside projects. “Since the animals are accustomed to those scheduled disruptions in their habitats, we use that opportunity to get what we need, with the least amount of impact on the animals,” she says.

But while the concept of underwater filming seems like it could be fraught with challenges to the layman, the aquarium team makes it appear effortless.

Collins is rarely without her trusty Panasonic Lumix GH5, with which she captures both still shots and video. When it’s time to dive, she and the rest of the filming team use Nauticam underwater housing equipment to keep their cameras safe. Water sensors, vacuum seals and buoyancy weights on the housings all work to make their job as easy as possible.

While the team’s professionalism means reshoots aren’t often required, they never mind getting back in the tanks.

When speaking with Collins and fellow diver Chris Miller, the assistant manager of the dive emersion program and member of the videography team, their passion for getting in the water is evident. In fact, both Collins and

Miller have expanded their original job descriptions at the aquarium to include more videography work due to their passion and previous work experience.

“When I first started here in 2013, the video equipment wasn’t as high tech, and therefore the videos that divers purchase at the end of their experience were lower quality,” shares Miller. But he quickly showed executives the value of upgrading their filming equipment and has since increased the production value of not only the commemorative videos of the diving program but all the in-house videography in general. And of course, a higher quality product only increases the opportunities to film: a beautiful, harmonious cycle, not unlike that of the aquatic habitats and the creatures living within them.

Of course, all the aquarium’s filming doesn’t take place within the walls of the aquarium itself. With its expansive conservation and research programs, the filming team regularly embarks on exhibitions with those teams to document their field work. As anyone in the industry knows, those two words, “field work,” mean anything can happen. When you add the unpredictability of animals into the already fickle backdrop of nature, absolutely anything can happen.

Fortunately, the aquarium team

knows a thing or two about working with animals, so the unplanned is simply part of the job for them. You might even say they are professionals at navigating circumstance. On a recent field trip to Key Largo, Florida for coral restoration, it was the weather that proved a stiff opponent.

After two days of severe weather that prevented the team from being able to safely boat out to the coral reefs (which translates not only to the aquarium team not getting their work done but also two wasted production days), someone had a stroke of genius: The team headed to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, a famous coral reef which is protected by inlets and mangroves, so there is much less wind and therefore less dangerous water conditions. There, they were able to kayak through the mangroves swamps and see how the area has recovered from a recent hurricane.

Next up, they visited the Coral Restoration Foundation where they attended some workshops and then shared their own expertise to help the foundation’s team create new coral reef trees, a compelling process that while not a part of the original narrative of the episode, makes for intriguing television. With those on-theme schedule changes, the episode was saved as was the production schedule, and on the final day of the trip, the weather cooperated enough for at least one day in the water for the originally planned coral restoration.

As for The Aquarium, the most immersive and aquarium operationsspecific filming production to date, the staff is hopeful that the show will be renewed for more seasons. And considering the runaway success of the show The Zoo, now in its fourth season on Animal Planet, that isn’t a pipe dream.

So, the next time you visit the Georgia Aquarium, enjoy the wildlife and the majesty of the water, but you may also want to wave “hi” to the cameras.

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OZ SCENE

Partnering for Power Team (photo/ Michelle Copenhaver)

Women in Production Summit 2019 Suzan Satterfield - Founder/Chair, Women in Production Summit (photo: Trish Taylor)

T

he 2019 Women in Production (WIP) Summit, Partnering for Power, was held at Georgia Public Broadcasting. A sold out full day included incredible presentations, a gourmet lunch for the guests and a closing cocktail network party.

Organized by: Producers Guild of America, Women’s Impact Network – Atlanta, Women in Film & Television Atlanta, Black Women’s Film Network, Film Fatales (Atlanta chapter of women directors), and the Alliance of Women Directors. WIP’s mission is to make Georgia the most inclusive and women-friendly media market in the country.

Ingrid Veninger, Canada's Queen of DIY Filmmaking: Partnering Indie Style (photo: Michelle Copenhaver)

OneX Studios Panel: Partnering with a Brand (photo: Michelle Copenhaver)

Kim Leadford, President, Areu Bros Studios: Partnering to Create Unique Content

State of Our Industry Panel: How to become Resilient & Self-Sustaining (photo: Michelle Copenhaver)

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WIP attendees (photo: Linda Sayseng)

OZ SCENE

Elizabeth Faith Ludow on the black carpet Godzillia/ King of Monsters

TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood

Georgia Actresses Attend Hollywood Premieres!

T

he world-renowned TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood served as the location for two film premieres, both shot in Georgia.

Dark Phoenix - Featured on the cover of Oz Magazine’s 2019 May/June issue of Atlanta’s Top Talent to Watch, Summer Fontana (10) attended the premiere of Dark Phoenix in Hollywood. Fontana stars as the younger Sophie Turner’s character, Jean Grey.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Elizabeth Faith Ludlow and Lexi Rabe (7)

attended the premiere of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Ludlow, originally from Savannah, stars as Griffin. Ludlow tells Oz: “We all worked so hard together for months and it had been two years since we finished filming, so having everyone together again in this historical theatre was an amazing moment. I was honored to enjoy the final product with my amazing cast and crew! And I loved having my mother as my date!”

Ludlow has starred in other Georgialensed TV and films as Arat on The

Walking Dead, Easik’s mother for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2., and that same year she played Agent Kat Ryan in Max Steel.

Rabe plays the younger character of Millie Bobby Brown, Madison Russell.

“Godzilla is a little scary, but you will love the movie! I’m so happy I got to work with Millie Bobby Brown. She is my best friend!

She sat with me at lunch when we were filming. I hope we get to work together again!” Rabe said at the premiere.

Lexi Rabe and director Michael Dougherty

Millie Bobby Brown, Tyler Crumley, and Lexi Rabe

Georgia actress Elizabeth Faith Ludlow stars as Griffin in Godzilla/ King of Monsters

Summer Fontanta at the Dark Phoenix premiere July / August 2019

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