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Actor, Film, Reviews, Interviews & Features!

Poland’s Maja Lakomy shines light on mental illness in acclaimed film

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Growing up in Kielce, Poland, Maja Lakomy was always fascinated by performing. Whether it be in a film or on a stage, she found herself constantly impressed by what actors were capable of and the effects they could have on the audience. She began to realize even at a young age that she wanted to become like one of those incredible actors and do the same thing to the audience. She was encouraged to choose a career that could make her happy, and acting was therefore the only option for her.

Throughout her career, Lakomy has worked on a number of successful projects. Recently, her award-winning film Diminuendo saw critical acclaim at many prestigious international film festivals and is expected to continue to do so throughout the year. She also shot a music video for Andrea Bocelli, the Grammy nominated and Golden Globe winning Italian musician who has collaborated with greats such as Celine Dion, Ed Sheeran, and more. Lakomy is doing what she wished for as a child and loves every day she steps onto a set.

“I imagine that it hardly ever happens that people are so lucky to do what they love as a career. Nevertheless, I went that direction and knew I would never give up and would always keep working towards my dream. Now, I am one of those lucky people who have their passion as their job,” said Lakomy.

One of Lakomy’s first tastes of international success came from her work on the film Star House. The film was uploaded on Vimeo, the online platform for video-sharing in December 2017 and is available worldwide. The project also received attention from the prestigious Berlin Fashion Film Festival. The representatives of the festival wrote a comment, that’s visible under the video on Vimeo, leaving a compliment about the project and offering participation in the festival under the category “Fashion, Lifestyle and Beauty Film – Emerging Talent”.

Star House follows two girls who break into an intriguing home they come across in the woods and decide to stay until the owner returns. The story is very unpredictable with a fun twist, something for the audience to look forward to. The drama also showcases two distinctive characters, with a disturbing and surprising realness to their psychological construction.

“I think that a lot of women could identify with the story and the message of it. Nearly everybody has some part of themselves that they don’t accept and makes them feel weak. Everybody has somebody like my character in their lives, who let their insecurities drive their mental health to the line where sane meets insane. This story shows how obsessive one can become while pursuing perfection. It’s also a sort of commentary on body dysmorphia and the dynamic among females who have the tendency to constantly compare themselves to one another. I think all of these aspects are very important,” said Lakomy.

Lakomy’s character, Cleo, is very interesting and complex. She lacks everything that the other charactor, Rose, possesses: confidence, beauty, spontaneity. Rose also has a certain type of control over Cleo. Cleo was mesmerized and infatuated by Rose. The irony, however, in this story was that the girls look very alike, but Cleo is only able to notice her own flaws and insecurities that she believes Rose does not possess, which is why she was so compelling and perfect in Cleo’s eyes. The idea of perfection that Rose represented was only in Cleo’s head, and that is what makes this story touching.

Lakomy excelled when presenting Cleo’s feelings and what she goes through, knowing the importance of her character and story for females in the audience who may feel similarly.

“I hope women that watched it or any other film with a similar message realize that being a perfectionist is not healthy and we need to accept ourselves as we are and not let other people criticize us, bring us down and objectify us,” she said.

After being hand selected for the role by the Director, Allison Bunce, Lakomy was eager to begin playing such an insecure and controlled character, offering a challenge she had not encountered yet in her esteemed career. She had previously played a similar character in the play Angels in America, and therefore applied the same principles when it came to portraying Cleo; this time, however, in front of a camera.

“Acting with the other lead actress opposite of me was very interesting when you’re aware her character doesn’t really exist. At the same time, she was one hundred percent real to my character, so I had to focus on remembering that,” Lakomy described.

Star House was also shot on 16mm film and a Super8 camera, so it had a very unique visual style to it. Lakomy had previously never worked with this type of camera equipment and she now says she is a fan of the style. The best part of the experience for the actress, however, was those she worked with.

“Working on this project was truly a magical experience. I loved working with such a professional crew. Every single person on the set has been committed, successful, and excels at what they do. It was a great pleasure to be around them and learn from them. I think we made up a great team,” Lakomy concluded.

Check out Star House on Vimeo to see Lakomy’s outstanding performance.

 

Written by Annabelle Lee

Art Director, international Talent, Interviews & Features!, Production, Reviews, Interviews & Features!, Style, Women

Graphic Designer Laura Suuronen’s Flair for Arresting Visuals

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Graphic designer Laura Suuronen’s command of virtually every conceivable visual format—designing everything from billboards and logos to web sites and product packaging—has established her as one of the preeminent leaders in her field. Suuronen’s gift for delivering a final product which surpasses her client’s original expectations is a skill that’s earned her an international reputation of significant renown.

She has a particular affinity for projects from the world of art and publishing—sophisticated platforms where her impeccable visual style and deep well of skill and instinct really come into play and one of Suuronen’s most striking achievements was her design of a monograph on famed artist Timo Heino for a retrospective exhibition at the Helsinki Art Museum.

“Timo Heino was represented by Galerie Anhava, the leading contemporary art gallery in Finland, who is a client of mine,” Suuronen said. “I’d seen his installation ‘Addiction’ when it was exhibited there, but otherwise I wasn’t familiar with his work. I’d already designed the 20th anniversary book for Anhava, and when Heino asked the gallery directors for recommendations on designers to do the catalog for his retrospective at the Helsinki Art Museum, they dropped my name.”

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This was no simple task. Heino is an acclaimed artist with a distinct approach that frequently emphasizes a striking juxtaposition of man-made and organic substances, and Suuronen relished the chance to complement his visual style. The project required her to bring all of her creative techniques to the table—art direction, graphic design, typography, photo editing, layout design—and the book she produced was a stunning example of Suuronen’s versatile design genus.

She managed every aspect of the challenging task from the top down, and typically, expanded her role to also create a visual identity for both the exhibition and its promotional materials.  “I created the entire book,” Suuronen said. “The client only provided me text files and photographs. I art directed and designed the whole thing book from the format, materials and photo editing on up. I decided the size and shape of the book, how it’s bound, selected the papers. I chose the typefaces, designed the typography, selected the images, and conceived the structure of the book, its rhythm, its pace, and further highlighted that by the use of different paper stocks.”

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From there, Suuronen went directly to the source to finalize the project. The whole process was pretty informal and most of what I presented got approved straight away, from the structure and layout style to paper stocks,” Suuronen said. “For the cover I offered several options, and they chose the one which best fit Heino’s work—we made it into a curious object, a hard cover book complete with soft, squishy cover boards. Seriously, who makes a book to be like an egg?”

Upon publication, Suuronen’s eye-catching mixture of elegance and eccentricity quickly earned significant notice. The monograph was recognized as a Beautiful Book by the prestigious Finnish Book Art Committee’s annual Most Beautiful Books competition and also by the Finnish Art Society with an honorable mention in its Literature Awards category. The Book Art Committee described Suuronen’s work with particular enthusiasm: “What is this? Human skin, animal hide, marble? The cover of this book casts the reader straight into the physical nature of contemporary art: grab, squeeze, open. Anyone who dares to venture into this book is rewarded with a fine introduction to the artist´s works and a pleasant reading experience. The difference between the natural-yellow of the text pages and the chalk-white paper of the photo pages, the calm and well-paced layout and the modern typeface all deserve due thanks.”

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Typical of Suuronen’s intuitive style, the book’s design itself reveal as great a depth of insight to the subject as the text and illustrations. “The book presents an experience similar to viewing Heino’s work in a museum setting, but with deeper insight into the artist’s philosophy and approach,” Suuronen said. “The text pages are printed in black only on uncoated cream-colored paper, while the projects are presented in full color on bright white, coated pages. The differences in paper stock not only create rhythm and pace into the flow of the book, but also make each section better functioning: the text sections are easier to read from the off-white, and the artworks are better reproduced on the coated paper. There’s also a few underlying narratives that run hidden throughout the book, should a reader really commit to the experience… there’s different levels in it.”

This is key to Suuronen’s constantly expanding international profile—her innate ability to enhance and elevate a project to the point where it assumes an even greater impact and significance for its audience. As the esteemed American designer Vanessa B. Dewey, formerly Mattel’s Lead in Creative and Development Experience and current LA Design Festival Board of Directors member, said, “I’ve been a fan of Laura’s work for some time—it is a fresh voice that stands out from current design. It possesses a refreshing elegance that catches your eye and pulls you in. While exploring, you’ll discover thoughtfully designed books with brilliantly sophisticated type to vibrant sculptural branding or poster design. Overall, it’s intelligent, simply brilliant design that’s never forced.”

The Los Angeles based Suuronen’s professional recognition steadily grows with each project, making her one of the most in-demand graphic designers anywhere—so much so that her current, very high-profile work load is subject to client mandated non-disclosure agreements. But, with her distinctive flair for arresting visuals, you’ll know it when you see it.

“I’d designed books and record covers before,” Suuronen said. “And these are the most permanent and culturally relevant mediums in the field of graphic design. I actually prefer making things that stand the test of time, as opposed to short lived, more commercial projects. I’m not interested in adding to the noise and clutter, but seek to create work that connects with people. I do love what we ended up with—I live for this stuff.”

Featured Actress, Reviews, Interviews & Features!

Alina Smolyar to star in upcoming horror ‘Skeleton in the Closet’

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photo Valery Sobol
Alina Smolyar, photo by Valery Sobol

Growing up in Odessa, Ukraine, Alina Smolyar always believed she would be a painter. She had been drawing since the age of three and gained recognition for her work around the world. However, at twelve-years-old, she quit it. Even at that age, she knew she did not have the inspiration or the drive to become a visual artist; this was her parents dream, not her own. She knew she had another passion to explore, one that excited her beyond anything else, and that was acting.

As a childhood pastime, Smolyar would put together small plays or sketches with other kids in her neighborhood. They invited audiences of their parents and neighbors, and every time Smolyar would perform she felt an energy that was unparalleled with anything else she had ever experienced.

“When it came to that point when I had to choose my future job I totally knew what I wanted to do. The only problem was that I had to convince my parents that I could do it. They didn’t want me to become a professional actress. They are not related with show business at all,” said Smolyar.

Now, Smolyar has indeed shown not only her parents, but also the entire world just what she is capable of as an actress. She starred in her own filmMolehill, taking home several awards for Best Actress for her performance from many prestigious film festivals around the world. She has been in several national commercials and acclaimed television series. She has worked alongside Hollywood’s elite, like Denise Richards, Val Kilmer, and William Baldwin in the upcoming comedy 1stBorn.

Smolyar’s latest film is the action/thriller feature Skeleton in the Closet. The film tells the story of Jason, 20-something slacker and computer savant who, on a dare, hacks the White House computer servers. He covers his digital tracks, but a hacker buddy boasts of Jason’s exploits online. The FBI tracks down the friend – then breaks down Jason’s door. The events that follow are a race against time, a battle of wits, and a fight to the death for two young computer prodigies pitted against a group of armed, determined criminals who will stop at nothing. In the end, the difference between life and death rests solely upon superior intelligence – and willingness to trust, but as things spiral further and further out of control, the question for us is: will they make it?

Valery Sobol
Alina Smolyar, photo by Valery Sobol

“It’s so fresh right now audiences will love it. It’s going to be a Ukrainian-American project, a thriller with some action elements. I won’t give you details about the story but it’s very hot and new for this particular time. It’s a thriller, you will see a lot of action and of course everything is based on love. You’ll see some drama, elements of comedy. David Ransil is a script writer, you will enjoy it for sure. He definitely knows what he does,” said Smolyar.

In the film, Smolyar plays a pivotal role. At first, her character appears to be very nice and helpful, but she is also very deceiving. She aims to benefit herself in every move she makes. She also is pivotal to the climax of the story, helping audiences better understand every characters’ motives.

Smolyar is very excited to be working on such a unique film. Not only does she like the story, but she loves the team she will be working alongside. Shooting will begin in September, with an expected release date of next year.

“It’s very important to have a great team. I like the script, the idea, my character and the place where we are going to shoot it. It’s a huge mansion with an amazing lake. I am really looking forward to it,” she said.

Smolyar has quite the year ahead with Skeleton in the Closet and1stBorn. With so much going on, she still remembers being a young girl in Ukraine with a dream that her family didn’t support, and now, for others that may be facing the same challenge, she offers the following advice.

“Think wisely before choosing this career. You always have to be prepared to hear no and just move on. The best phrase for that if you can see yourself doing something else besides acting, do it, don’t start an acting career. But if you decide to take this road you have to understand that it takes so much commitment, inside power, taste and knowing what you’re selling. You are a product, know your brand,” she advised.

To stay up-to-date with Skeleton in the Closet, check out the film’s website here.

 

Written by Annabelle Lee

Film Editor, Reviews, Interviews & Features!

Editor Yun Huang introduces China to rest of the world in compelling docuseries

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When Yun Huang was just a young child, growing up in China, her passion for film was born. Her grandmother was a movie projectionist and would share stories of her job with her granddaughter. She encouraged Huang to not only watch films, but to appreciate them. Since then, film has been an important part of Huang’s life, and she knew it was more than a hobby. Now, as a seasoned editor, Huang works in filmmaking every day, living her childhood dream.

Having worked on several successful projects, Huang is an internationally sought-after editor. Earlier this year, her commercial “Choice” amassed millions of views online, and her work on the film Stardust led the project to many awards at several prestigious international film festivals, including Huang herself being honored with Best Editing at Festigious International Film Festival.

“It’s important as an editor not to have one specific style. Your job is to help the director to create their own style. You can provide different editing styles that you think can be used, but you must respect the director’s thoughts. That is what makes a great editor,” said Huang.

One of Huang’s ongoing projects is Unveil China Outside China, a documentary series that allows her to share her country with the rest of the world. The series is distributed on people.cn, a large-scale news platform built by The People’s Daily. The People’s Daily is the biggest newspaper group in China. The paper is an official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, published worldwide with a circulation of 3 million.

“Yun was our video editor when we were doing the post-production of this documentary series. I have known her for a couple of years and always like her work. Yun works effectively and always has a good attitude for communicating with the crew. I believe her talent in editing will bring even more fancy artwork to the world,” said Leiqi Lin of The Oriental Vision, Inc.

While making the series, Huang and her team have conducted many interviews with foreigners, from American politicians to ordinary people in the streets of San Francisco, from the founder of international think tanks to the engineers of Silicon Valley. The idea of this, from an overseas perspective, is to let them tell the story of China. What kind of role does China play in today’s world? How does the world see the development of China? What is the expectation of the future of China? Through their narration, the audience can find different answers.

“The documentary series include aspects of Chinese achievements, innovation in China, ‘Made in China’, Chinese diplomacy, China’s economic globalization, important meetings of the Chinese government, reform and opening-up, and so on. We interviewed many foreigners who told stories of China in overseas perspectives. I like to know more about China in different angles. I’m so proud that I can introduce China to the world by editing this series,” said Huang.

Having had previous documentary experience, Huang knew she was up for the task of creating and launching Unveil China Outside China. The monthly series involves a lot of work, and when Huang receives the footage, she only has a few days to turnout a compelling installment. At first, she found this to be a challenge, but now she finds it exhilarating.

“I only have three or four days to finish an episode, which was a challenge for me in the beginning, because I also have to work on the stock footages and special effects, find the background music, and more. However, after I had edited two episodes, I knew that I enjoyed such high intensity work. It let me have a sense of accomplishment. I believe resilience is a skill that all editors should possess,” she said.

The first episode premiered in October of 2017 and was published on both people.cn and People’s daily app. The premiere received over 810 thousand views in its initial month of being live, and Huang knew then and there that they were making something special. Now, they have ten episodes, each more successful than the last.

Unveil China Outside China is just one of the many projects that exemplify what a versatile and talented editor Huang is. She knows that the most fundamental aspect of her job is storytelling, and she encourages all editors that are looking to follow in her footsteps to make sure they know just how to do so.

“Try to learn more things rather than simply editing, such as fine art, music, literature and so on. These are extremely important skills and knowledge while you are editing videos with various subjects,” she advised.

You can watch one of Huang’s most recent episodes of the series, Unveil China Outside China: Riding on a bullet train is fabulous, here.

 

Written by Annabelle Lee

Art Director, Reviews, Interviews & Features!

Art Director Cman Wong works with award-winning film composer on captivating video

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Cman Wong

Always interested in all things art and design, Cman Wong was, in a way, destined to be an art director. Although she did not always expect to express her passions in the form of advertising, she found it a way to explore her creativity in a way she never thought possible. When creating dynamic visuals for the world’s largest brands, she feels a thrill.

“It’s a fancy job title with the responsibility beyond the job title. As an Art Director, you’re basically responsible for all visual elements of a product or campaign, from the presentation deck to the overall look and feel. You have to provide a visual direction that not only is eye catching, but also relates to your target audience and divert the message through it,” said Cman.

As an in-demand Art Director, Cman is consistently impressive. She has worked on projects for Marvel, Ferrari, and Undercover to name a few. She is always stimulated by her work and finds that although it may seem like she simply works in marketing, she is truly an artist.

Cman has also had the opportunity to work with acclaimed artists and filmmakers throughout her career. In December of 2016, the Art Director collaborated with Tan Dun, an Academy Award and BAFTA Award winning film composer and conductor. This experience was one of Cman’s highlights of her career.

“It was such a great honor to collaborate with such a prestigious composer like Tan Dun. It is one of my favorite experiences in my career and my life as a whole. Cross discipline collaboration has expanded the possibility and audiences of my work. It was another example to prove the boundless and flexible art I could make,” said Cman.

The project in question was that of the Modern Media National Spirit Achievers Awards 2016. The National Spirit Achievers Awards was first issued in 2007. It is a pioneering work of the Modern Communication Group to carry out “Everything Monthly” sincerity for the eternal moments of the times. It aims to recognize Chinese leaders who have achieved excellence in various fields and created an era. Eighty-one creators, including IM Pei, Fan Jin-shi, Xu Bing, Tan Dun, Ye Jintian, Zhang Yimou, Mao Yuchen, Zhang Xiaogang, Zeng Fanzhi, Ding Lei, Jia Zhangke, Chen Qigang, Huang Yongsong, and Lang Lang, were honored with awards in fields such as art, music, film, architecture, business, education and more. Nowadays, the National Spirit Achievers Awards has become an award with outstanding influence. Each awards ceremony has also become a glorious moment for elite leaders from all walks of life to meet.

For the ceremony, Cman provided the art direction on the video content for the main performance, setting the overall artistic style and visual image. In doing so, she developed key frame content that transformed the audience’s experience, adding another level of entertainment and layer of enjoyment to the performance. Rather than simply listening to the music, they had a visual spectacle created by an artist like Cman.

The video visualized the rhythm of the music in a poetic way. It was inspired by the music and culture of Tibet and Chinese traditional performance. In the breathtaking opening scene, dust begins moving, followed by a cinematic Chinese opera theme form in the 13th century during the Song Dynasty and digital ink Chinese painting scene. It reformed the best image of traditional Chinese Art in a modern way.

The response for the video was tremendous, and Cman personally received not only great feedback from the client, but also the audience who were completely immersed in her creation.

“I like it most because it’s a live performance to see the actual reaction and feedback from the audiences. It’s such a great lesson and inspiration to work at such a high level of international standard performance,” she concluded.

 

Written by Annabelle Lee

Cinematographers, Film, Reviews, Interviews & Features!

Cinematographer Yang Shao personally connects to award-winning film ‘Once More’

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Growing up in Changzhou, a small town in the Eastern part of China, Yang Shao found himself drawn towards filmmaking. As a child, he would pick up his family’s handy-cam and experiment, filming everything he considered interesting. In such a way, he was destined to be a cinematographer. He always had a good eye for photography and frame composition, and when the average person would just see tall buildings while walking in the city, Shao saw letters, signs, magic. He spent his youth thinking of what angle every image he took in would look the best, and he still applies this mentality now, years later, as a celebrated cinematographer.

Shao has put his artistic touch on many film and television ventures. Projects such as A Better World, Life is Horrible, Under and The Great Guys have gone on to see international success with the help of his talents. Audiences can soon expect the same from his upcoming features: Need, In the Middle of the Night, and Excel on the Highway.

The highlight of his career, however, came just last year when Shao worked on the film Once More. It perfectly showcased his talent and passion for cinematography, as the Director and Producer were eager to let him explore his creativity. He was also eager to share the story with the world.

“I was really moved by the story this movie tells. I believe in the importance of telling good-hearted stories and this one is a perfect example of that kind of story. Also, we had an amazing team who was working on the project and working with those folks was really a pleasure,” said Shao.

Once More explores the tale of a psychologically collapsed dancer who failed in a renowned competition and broke his left leg. As the remedy to this life, he intends to commit suicide, but he is accidentally saved by a neighbor girl he was in secret love with. This subtlety encourages him to get back to the stage by dancing with the bum leg.

“At the present time with the #TimesUp movement showing the toxic environment in the film industry that was exposed in the recent year, I think there’s still a lot of room for masculine vulnerability. In fact, that kind of trait in men actually gives me hope in our future. And this movie is a good example of bright and pure emotions that are left in men’s souls. I believe in importance of bringing up the stories that have to be heard but at the same time I know that good-hearted and kind stories is what will make this world a better place,” said Shao.

Once More premiered in March 2017 at the Hollywood International Moving Pictures where it was a semi-finalist on the festival program. From there, it saw great success at many international film festivals, and Shao himself was recognized at many of them, winning Best Cinematography at the American Movie Awards, the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival, Top Shorts!, Festigious International Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Awards, and more. In total, the film brought Shao seven awards for cinematography, and also numerous awards for Best Film, Best Director and Best Producer. Such acclaim could never have been possible without Shao’s artistic eye.

“I always knew that Yang is a talented cinematographer and always wanted to work with him. He brought his outstanding skill-set to the project. I’m looking forward to working more with Yang,” said Kees Van Oostrum, Executive Producer of Once More.

It was Van Oostrum that approached Shao to be a part of the film. He knew Shao’s cinematography style and that he would be vital to the production. As the cinematographer, Shao chose to use more of the natural light because the story is very elevated by itself and a lot of artificial light would only have hurt the picture in his opinion. A large portion of the movie takes place in a theater, and he made a decision to use abstract lighting to highlight the emotional state of the character and emphasize the stress that the protagonist was going through.

Coming from the East, Shao shot the story with an Asian flavor, bringing the best traditions of the eastern cinematography combined with his extensive experience working in the film industry. This allowed him to obtain angles many would not have, and this tactic was fully supported by the Director, Rachel Zhou and main actor, Jaeme Velez.

“I think we found something very precious there on set. When people’s energies start to bounce around and more importantly play in the same key, that’s when the real magic happens,” said Shao.

Above all else, however, Once More was special for Shao because of the story. He saw himself in the main character, connecting to the protagonist’s artistic journey. It provided a beacon of hope during a difficult time for the cinematographer, and he will never forget what it gave him.

“His passion and will resonated with me on a deeper level. His struggle and obstacles that were on his way to his dream are similar to mine in a way, and to most of the artists’ paths. There was a time in my life where the only thing that was left was hope and big desire to create something larger than myself. And actually, this film came along right around that time. It was like a big sign telling me to keep going, and I think in the end it paid off really well,” he concluded.

 

Written by Annabelle Lee

Film, Producer, Reviews, Interviews & Features!

All eyes on Producer Sherry Du for acclaimed new film

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1,August(San Diego International Kids Film Festival)
Sherry Du

From a young age, Xiangrong (Sherry) Du always enjoyed watching film. Sitting in front of the screen, she felt the ability to transport into a whole other world. As a child in Heilongjiang, China, it was her favorite past time, and as she grew, this love for the art form did not falter. Despite such a passion, she never thought of it as a career path. It wasn’t until she was a teenager that she realized she had to pursue her passion and decided to become a producer. She wanted to have the power to change the Chinese film industry and producing was just the way to do that.

Du has since made quite a name for herself as an industry leader. Having worked on several acclaimed films like Front Door and August, she aims to tell impactful stories that resonate with worldwide audiences.

“Filmmaking is a form of art exploration; they express a feeling they want to say to an audience; they form a connection in that moment,” she said.

Earlier this year, Du’s latest film Eyes on You premiered at the Oniros Film Awards where it took home the top prize. It tells the story of a lawyer named Gilbert. He knows that his wife is dating another man, but he does not hate his wife at all. Rather, he still loves her so much, even though he is a control freak guy. He has already decided to murder a man named Duke, as he thinks that this is the only way that he can keep his wife with him. Gilbert plans to meet with Duke as another identity, so that he can have him comes to his house. Unfortunately, Gilbert kills his wife before Duke comes to meet him. Somehow, Duke manages to survive.

“Even though it’s hard to finish the film, it was definitely worth it. Every time I complete a project, it just encourages me to keep doing more,” said Du.

Du had previously worked with the Director of Eyes on You, Guoqiang Sheng, on the film August back in 2017. Sheng was instantly impressed with the producer’s work ethic and asked her to take part in his independent film.

“Guoqiang is a really hard-working person, the exact type of director I like teaming up with. The moment he asked me to join his project, I said yes,” said Du.

When it came to filming, Du found it to be one of her favorite experiences of her career. Everything went smoothly on set, and one of the easiest ones she has worked on. The crew had worked together previously, and a certain chemistry existed that was unparalleled.

The one challenge was the location. Finding the ideal place, the shoot provided some obstacles that Du was quick to overcome. Her vast experience producing allowed her to get the permits she needed.

“Once we had the location all set, I didn’t need to worry about too many things since the crew knew each other. Once I got them fed each day, everything went perfectly,” she joked.

Growing up, Du could only dream of having the career that she does now. Producing is where her heart lies, and she encourages other children in China to never give up on the same dream if that is their passion.

“Make sure you love your job otherwise it’s a waste of your time. Producers need patience and need to know how to work under stressful conditions. Work hard but don’t give up your own story,” she advised.

 

Written by Sara Fowler

Actor

A how-to of staying in shape on set

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Andrey Ivchenko, photo by John Hong

As the brilliant Toni Sorenson once said, “If it was easy, the reward at the end would mean nothing.” This statement comes from a woman, mother, and author, who grew up in an orphanage and on the streets and chose a path to victory.

In the entertainment business, victory means booking a new role in a television series, feature film, producing a project you’re passionate about, selling a script you wrote or getting it optioned and made. Most people don’t realize though how big of a part fitness plays into those, especially with actors.

Hollywood, the entertainment capital of the world, has people from all over the world, near and far, looking to pursue their dreams and to make those dreams turn into a reality. Staying in shape while in pursuit of those dreams is not only important for one’s physical health, but their mental health as well. With rejection being one of the biggest struggles someone just moving to Hollywood will have to deal with, it’s very important to always have a healthy outlet for the ups and downs you will face on your journey.

Being an actor in Hollywood isn’t for people with thin skin. It tends to focus so heavily on what its idea of the “perfect image” is as we see daily from network TV shows, to commercials, to magazines, to models on billboards, you get the idea and know what I’m talking about. This business in particular holds people’s image to a much higher standard than one would face living anywhere else in the world. With that being said, the pressures that come with that responsibility are extremely high especially for an actor that will be seen on the silver or big screen.

The reason I mentioned the above is because throughout my experience of being in Hollywood, being a big guy, everyone is constantly judging. When I began this journey, I got into stunts since it seemed like a natural fit – I’m a big guy, 6 foot 3, built, with an accent, and told I could play bad guys all day because I guess that’s the “tough guy” image I give off. Given that that’s the direction I decided to pursue, I had to make sure that my image lived up to the hype. I was in the gym for several hours a day, 6 days a week, eating 7-8 meals throughout the day that consisted of consuming approximately 5,000 calories a day. Believe it or not, eating that much every day and working out that much isn’t easy, even for the big guys that make it appear that way.

As I transitioned into the acting side of the business, I was often told I was “too big.” Too big? I was just told for years I need to be bigger and tougher looking to be the bad guy and now I needed to become less bulk and leaner because now I would be playing more leading man roles, not just henchman types, and needed to be able to be diversified that way if casting or producers saw fit. So, the process began again and now instead of going to the gym six days a week, I was going four days a week and cutting my calories to 3,000 a day. Having been an athlete my entire life since I was a child, serving in the military, and also having a master’s degree in Kinesiology, made finding the discipline to re-write my fitness programs and stick to them pretty easy for me, but they require a lot of discipline! I’d say having discipline when it comes to fitness is one of the biggest skills one can achieve. Setting goals, making plans, and sticking to them. No one ever said looking “Hollywood” good was going to be easy! However, at the end of the day making all of those challenges and sacrifices can be very rewarding mentally as well as physically.

The entertainment business as a whole has put an emphasis on fitness since it was established. From physical comedy actors like Charlie Chaplin, to Steve McQueen, Ronald, Reagan, to action heroes like Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood, and Dwayne Johnson. In addition, there are also actors who perform their own stunts like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible, and Jackie Chan. Staying in shape for these guys is essential to their careers. For example, most people don’t realize what Hugh Jackman went through to achieve his transformation to become Wolverine. His training consisted of two or more hours in the gym six days a week and consuming 5,000-6,000 calories a day to gain all that muscle and then had to transition into a much lower calorie diet to lose all the water weight and increase his cardio, so he could get shredded for the role.

Working on Television shows like Nikita,XIII: The Series, and Warehouse 13, I was grateful that I was introduced to martial arts and gun skills at a young age because it really made it an authentic look for the characters I played on those shows. As well as feature films I’ve worked on like Freezerand Way of The Westthat were both very physical and challenging as well but required a lot of those trained skills that I already had.

In regards to stunt work, it’s not just about looking the part, but being able to execute the part. Doing stunts is tiresome work and requires extremely long hours and repeated choreography and actual physical fighting to get it right. Sometimes they change the whole thing altogether and you have to relearn from scratch all over again but staying focused mentally and physically is the key. You have to be really physically and mentally ready to keep up, stay alert, and be on point for every take and also take direction correctly from the stunt coordinator and the director. There are a lot of moving parts while shooting an action scene so it’s very important that it always be executed properly every time. I have worked through injury, blood, sweat, tears, and I can honestly say it was all worth the challenge in the end. Good work is applauded and recognized in the entertainment business and word of mouth about people can spread very quickly and, in some cases, can even lead you to your next job if you remain humble, keep the right mindset, and positive attitude which is the key to success in this business.

When I booked the feature film Freezer, I was eating about 3,000-4,000 calories a day to get bigger because the director wanted me to look big and intimidating in comparison to Dylan McDermott. And when I booked xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, Vin Diesel and the director, DJ Caruso, also wanted my character ‘Red Erik’ to appear really big and tough, but in some of these scenes my character was going up and down flights of stairs, so I made sure to really increase my cardio training, so I wouldn’t fatigue while shooting those scenes over and over. In addition, it required me to learn motorcycle stunt training which I hadn’t done since I was about sixteen years old. But I’d say because of my fitness level and ability it allowed me to re-learn quickly and efficiently. At the end of the day the stunts they decided to go with were so extreme they hired a stunt double for those that you see in the film, but I was still required to go through the training as if I were the one doing the stunts myself as well. Had I not been fit enough to be up to the task of creating the character vision they had and physically doing the stunts they wanted in those scenes, I don’t know if I would have booked the role at the end of the day.

Fitness, especially today, is a constantly growing trillion-dollar business that’s probably more trendy and popular now than it’s ever been before. With social media and all the pressures of having to post images and videos of your personal and professional life constantly, you frequently feel vulnerable to the pressures that Hollywood gives to always look your best. Regardless though of what the trends are, one thing always remains true which is that being healthy is essential so implement it into your everyday life regardless of your schedule or profession, and also make sure you get enough hours of sleep a night which is a key element that’s more important than most people realize. Resting the body keeps a healthy mind and allows the body to recover. Set your goals, make time for yourself and watch how many doors achieving those goals will provide in your life, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Again, as Toni Sorenson once said, “If was easy, the reward at the end would mean nothing.”

 

Written by Andrey Ivchenko

Film, Producer, Reviews, Interviews & Features!

Olivia Jun helps Rain Zheng bring ‘Esther’ to life in blood curdling horror film

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Olivia Jun headshot
Olivia Jun

Unlike many niche professions in the Arts and Entertainment industry, film producers wear many different hats under one blanket title. There is no one-size-fits-all version of their job and they tend to assume responsibility for a wide variety of different tasks involved in seeing a script through from inception to completion. For instance, some producers handle budgetary planning, whereas others oversee contracts, permits, and hiring duties. Some work on set, others do not. Despite this reality, one thing remains constant: they are always in charge of collaborating with each department involved in making the film and ensuring that each and every member of the production is on the same page in terms of how they want the film to turn out. Esteemed Chinese producer, Olivia Jun, understands these demands all too well. Throughout her career as a producer, Jun has learned that it is her job to find the ideal avenue to achieve the best possible result for any project she works on. She is a master at her craft and she knows that with the right amount of hard work and dedication, she will be able to continue helping tell compelling stories and entertain audiences for the rest of her days.

As a film producer, Jun has lent her talents to a number of successful films and commercials over the years. For instance, in 2017, Jun produced an advertisement for eHi Car Service, which featured the highly esteemed, professional basketball player, Stephen Curry. She is also no stranger to the movie world, having produced films like Luz, The Gift, and Donna. She has even tested her hand at the art of producing documentaries, music videos, and prestigious events such as Jackie Chan’s Yaolai International Cinema Open Ceremony/The Karate Kid Premiere. There are few limits to what she can achieve when she sets her sights on a goal and she is energized knowing that she gets to do it time and time again for each new project that comes her way.

Earlier on this year, an old colleague of Jun’s, Rain Zheng, requested that she join him in bringing his script for a horror film, Esther, to life. Her reputation, coupled with their shared interest and passion for the film’s script, made for the ideal team to make this dream a reality. Estherfollows the story of a teenage girl living in a remote, rural outpost in an undisclosed nation in the late 19th century. The events of the story kick off when the girl discovers a bloodcurdling message written on her bedroom wall: “you’re mine to kill.” The subsequent events that transpire are enough to send shivers down the spine of even the most avid horror film lovers.

Although Zheng was the brainchild of the film’s story, Jun helped him to develop the script and determine how best to bring the film success. Due to its historical elements, Jun ensured that she researched and studied the time period in order to determine the best shooting locations, product designs, wardrobes, hair and makeup looks, special effects, and cinematography. During her research, she came across a house called Cohen Bray House in Oakland, California, which accurately captured the type of house represented in the script. She then liaised with each department to bring them up to speed on her and Zheng’s plans for the film, detailing exactly what they’d need to do to keep audiences on the edge of their seat for the duration. She also satisfied the role of guiding Zheng through pre-production, selecting cast and crew members, whilst dealing with budget planning and scheduling matters. As a result of her contributions, the team were equipped with an exceptional shooting plan, schedule, permits, insurances, release forms, agreements, locations, equipment, transportation, and much more. She was instrumental to the entire process and Zheng quickly learned that he had made the correct choice when he approached her about the opportunity.

Upon completing the film, Jun distributed it to more than 50 festivals where it went on to receive an astonishing 16 awards/official selections and counting at a number of well-known film festivals like the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival and the Top Indie Film Awards. She, Zheng, and the rest of their cast and crew were blown away by how well received the film was and felt an overwhelming sense of pride in knowing that their hard work and dedication had paid off in such a big way. Overall, what Jun enjoyed most about this experience, however, was the unwavering amount of passion and joy she shared with her fellow cast and crew members from the very start of the project to the very end.

“I loved my cast and crew. I could sense their passion and their efforts throughout the entire process. We may be from different countries, and we may all do different jobs, but we had one dream in mind for the film and we made it come true. All of the crew worked for free, donating their time and talent. Still, they came up with the best work that they could, encouraging each other and making each other love being present on the project every day. It was a passion project, and I could not be prouder of the outcome,” she concluded.

 

Written by Sean Desouza

Commercials, Visual Effects

China’s Aaron Wei on the importance of VFX and living his dream

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Avatar, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings. It isn’t difficult for cinephiles to think of how visual effects broadened their minds, transforming their favorite films and making the impossible, possible. In modern entertainment, it is an essential part of the filmmaking process, often in the most unobvious ways, cleaning up blemishes that makeup cannot, or adding a pivotal piece into the background.

“VFX visualizes the idea and surreal environment the writer has in mind. It enables so many possibilities, empowering the film production. VFX is the most direct way to translate the idea to the viewers. It is just stunning, period,” said Aaron Wei, Senior Compositor.

Wei is celebrated in both his home country of China and the United States for his work in Visual Effects. Using his skills to help make projects like The Americans, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Shades of Blue, and Gypsy the successes they have become, millions around the world have seen Wei’s work, and often didn’t even know it. He strives to make his work unidentifiable and natural, knowing that it will help audiences feel fully immersed in the story.

“Aaron is a passionate and talented artist. His enthusiasm and perseverance was evident in his approach to each project,” said Eran Dinur, Visual Effects Supervisor.

In addition to movies and TV shows, Wei enjoys using his skills on commercials. Companies like Toyota and Smart Car have benefitted from his artistic knowledge, and he loves being able to see his work on a YouTube ad or national television screens, which is just what working on commercials offers on a regular basis.

In China, Wei has worked with industry leading companies, like Canon. In 2013, he worked on the camera company’s commercial. He knew that for such a popular company, he had to ensure every shot was perfect so not to damage their reputation and to draw consumers to the product.

“We needed to composite a Canon camera bag on the model’s shoulder. The work was done by another artist, but I found the shadow casted by the bag put on her was not convincing. Then I took over, looked very closely at the real shadow on her clothes and creatively painted the shadow for the bag. Because I was trained as a painter for a long time, this task was not very difficult for me, but could be very challenging for others,” said Wei.

Wei also worked on a unique project titled The Soul of Dance to promote the work of the Tang Hui Studio Department back in China. It was creative work for building the company’s image, like an experimental lab.

“It’s like there’s no limit of what we can do. No clients’ requirement and no official deadline, it’s like a dream position. This project was one of many I have done in the studio,” said Wei.

Rather than using video editing software, Wei worked in Photoshop, using filters to create each key frame for the video, and then did the final assembling in After Effects. This approach was unconventional, but it worked. Even years later HuiTu image showcases this video as their iconic work in the company’s history.

Undoubtedly, Wei has had an extraordinary career, with many exciting projects lined up. For those looking to follow in his footsteps, he offers the following advice:

“Make sure you understand what the career you are heading into entails. I have seen people complaining about the job, saying things like ‘I don’t want to face the computer all day long in a dark room.’ Yes, that’s exactly what your life will end up being, so make sure you are okay with that. Understand your passion and personality. Before you pick up this job, do some research on the different departments in this industry. There are CG artists, producers, compositors, technical directors, creative directors, and so many more. You may excel better in one concentration than another,” he advised. “But most importantly, love what you do, and try harder. You may be asked to execute an idea that you do not necessarily agree with, and you may strongly believe your idea is better, but you have to give the higher-level executive what they want. You can certainly bring your idea up, but in the end, you are doing whatever your clients ask for, and they are always right.”