(On the set of “Queen of the Hill” in Joshua Tree)
Livi Zheng recently directed the music video “Queen of the Hill” featuring Judith Hill a Grammy Award winning artist and contestant on The Voice (US season #4). “Queen of the Hill” is a unique collaboration between two genres of music: funk and Balinese gamelan. The music video itself is a kaleidoscope of funk and traditional Balinese dance and costumes.
“Queen of the Hill” was shot in the Southern California’s Joshua Tree desert. Filming in the desert is always a challenge but doing so in summer, as in the case of this music video, is even more so. Shot in a single day, the greatest challenge for the Queen of The hill team was transporting a Gamelan ensemble during rising temperatures in excess of one-hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Director/Producer Livi Zheng only had access to one set of the large gamelan ensembles and if the set broke during three-hour truck drive, or cracked under the heat…that’s it, show over.
The making of “Queen of the Hill” is featured in the full-length documentary Bali: Beats of Paradise. Also directed by Livi Zheng. Bali: Beats of Paradise will be released in theaters November 16, 2018. This epic story of Balinese music and the spread of gamelan was shot in Bali, Indonesia, and The United States. The executive producers of the film are His Excellency Ambassador Umar Hadi, Indonesian Ambassador to South Korea, former Consul General of The Indonesian Consulate in Los Angeles, and Julia Gouw.
Julia Gouw, on the list of 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking in the US, was born in Indonesia but has lived in the US for the last forty years. Her passion includes promoting Indonesian culture in the US internationally. Julia Gouw and Livi Zheng have collaborated on projects ranging from filmmaking to concert production.
“To me, filmmaking is like making a delicious meal. The process of shooting is like gathering the ingredients for the food, whereas post editing is like cooking. Editors reorder the different materials, and create different dishes through proper dressing and seasoning,” she said.
Chen is recognized around the world for what she does. Having edited highly successful films such as Slingshot Prince, Offsprung, and most recently, I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone, Chen is an industry leading editor in China with her work celebrated both there and abroad.
Chen is also a celebrated colorist, often combining her roles on many films. She has enhanced many films through color with her work, including Maskand The Last Page. The latter was a motivational project for the Chinese native, as she was telling a true story about another artist.
The Last Page is a short film that follows the story of a once famed comic book writer Emanuel Delgado. After a long career of award winning comics, and a mega fan base, it’s been nearly a decade since Emanuel abruptly ended his career because of the death of his brother. He is living in a house littered by the drunken debris of his depression until one of his fans show up who is the same age as his brother and encourages him to restart drawing comic books.
“I like this film because it carries positive energy and is both motivating and encouraging. It’s a story about a person coping after the big mental trauma of losing everything to picking himself up and changing his miserable life. It encourages people to never give up on their dreams, reminding them there are always other people supporting and caring about them. We need to cherish our own lives and do more meaningful things in the limited time that we have. I was totally touched when I finished watching this film. It is not only about remembering the people we’ve lost, but also encourages those people who lost their hope from losing the one they love to get out of the deep sorrow and tell them that there is always somebody else supporting and caring about them,” said Chen.
The film premiered at the Los Angeles Independent Film Awards 2017, where it took home the top prize. Chen was both happy and surprised when she heard that The Last Page was an award-winning film, knowing that it touched audiences the same way it touched her.
“I remembered those countless nights that I was talking with the director about the color grading ideas and how we could make this film into a better piece of art. And right now, we can all be proud of ourselves that we made it to the end, although it was just a small step on a long road ahead of me, I will keep up and be more creative as a filmmaker,” she said.
Chen was in charge of all the color grading for this project. The director described what kind of color effects he wanted for each scene after showing her the editing. Chen marked down every detail he mentioned and spent weeks turning his vision into a reality.
There are a lot of scenes in the film that express a decadence and hopeless feeling, and Chen used color to enhance these emotions. She used a heavy yellow and green color tune for showing the messy house environment. After the character’s internal emotion changed, she used some bright and clean color tunes to represent the delightful changes in his life. The whole color tune changed from cold to warm. Her color grading works highlighted the transitions of the moods and echoed the arc of the story, different color rhythms made this whole film vivid and lifelike. Her work took the film to a new level.
“The film had a big creative space for me to do the color grading, through the discussion with the director, I understood what he wanted and started to do the individual color design. Throughout the whole process I had a chance to use the color analyse from other different film types and apply them to this film project. I like the color tunes from Fight Club very much, and I was always trying to get a chance to apply them into my film projects. This short film fulfilled the wish for me by using the Fight Club dirty color tunes to highlight the messy house when the main character was at his lowest point. Also, it created a big comparison later when the main character was back into his normal life,” she said.
Be sure to watch The Last Page to see Chen’s outstanding work and be moved by Emanuel Delgado’s story.
The acclaimed Turkish art director Cagri Kara always knew his destiny lay in the arts. As a teenager, Kara wasted no time, successfully creating and selling a variety of progressive, eyecatching web designs before graduating high school. After attaining design degrees at university, the ambitious, driven Kara established himself, in short order, as one of the most skilled art directors in hometown Istanbul, the biggest, most sophisticated metropolis in eastern Europe.
The international entertainment, promotion and design communities are a tight knit pool of craftspeople and Kara’s mastery of the universal language—visuals—and impeccable reputation as a reliable, intuitive and groundbreaking artist quickly spread. Kara’s early formal accolades included numerous high-profile industry awards Crystal Apple Festival of Creativity, Kirmizi Advertising and MIXX Awards and the famed Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. All of this notably preceded his 2016 arrival in Los Angeles, where Kara’s characteristic professional alacrity found him taking on a spectrum-spanning array of assignments and campaigns for a wide variety of agencies and clients.
One of Kara’s first, key alliances in California was with the prominent Hollywood agency Forbidden Toast, a relationship which served both as proving ground and springboard for his American career.
“I’ve been working with Forbidden Toast since I’ve moved to LA,” Kara said. “It’s a high end creative services company that focuses on entertainment art work for movies and television The company’s owner, Sherry Spencer, hired me as an art director for several projects she was working on.”
It was a significant break for Kara, and also one that demanded he deliver first rate product. “Forbidden Toast has a very high quality work standard and a clear vision for the work they produce,” Kara said. “I very much respect that and enjoy working with the team. And I enjoy the challenges of producing such great work.”
From the start, Kara’s stylish, skillful contributions fit right in.
“My responsibility with Forbidden Toast is overseeing campaigns in post-production, and ensuring the artwork is correctly executed,” he said. “The projects I worked on were highly visible and vital to the success of the films and television shows for which we developed these campaigns, and my work resulted in both increasing the company’s revenue stream and exposure in the market.”
Kara’s mixture of technical skill, instinctive flair for appealing design and comprehensive grasp on the adaptability each visual element must have is a priceless combination.
“Mainly, we do print ads, large outdoor billboards and social media campaigns,” Kara said. ”The platform is not as important as the flexibility of the art work—it needs to be effective and integrated into all types of media, both internet and large scale print campaigns.
Kara’s keen vision has created important advertising campaigns for productions by some of the biggest names in the business—Sony, HBO, Fox, Netflix, Starz, National Geographic and numerous others.
“I worked intensely with Sherry in producing the final art work for the client,” Kara said. “The art gets approved directly by the studios and, often, also by the talent. And they were all very happy with the results.”
Kara’s successful ventures include campaigns for shows with wildly disparate themes and content. He successfully worked a winning campaign for the current season of comic provocateur Bill Maher’s “Real Time” (“The show is very timely and, I feel is very important to the American political climate. It was very special to be a part of the production of the art work for this series. The art went all over the United States and the show was highly rated and successful”) preceded by one completely opposite, 2017’s launch for the National Geographic television series Genius.
“It was very exciting and challenging,” Kara said. “The talent needed to give the impression that we were actually looking at Albert Einstein. Sherry and I worked closely together to produce a successful final product that appeared not only throughout the city but also appeared on the one of the most visible billboards in the city including—the entrance of the Fox studios.”
Whether it’s documentary, fantasy, film, television, album cover art or an international promotion for FIFA giant EA Sports, Kara’s sweeping creative scale, holistic grasp of his field’s requisite elements and most effective practices create the foundational basis upon which Kara’s formidable natural skills excel—and Forbidden Toast continues to reap his bounty.
As company president Sherry Spencer said “I’ve worked closely with Cagri over the last several years—I’ve been impressed by his ability to successfully lead teams of artists and watched his creative skill and impressive talent push my company even further into creative entertainment marketing. “
Every fiction contains at least a kernel of truth, but a great writer knows when not to let the truth get in the way of a good story. Taking inspiration from the people and experiences in her own life, Canadian writer Sonia Gumuchian is in a class of her own. With boundless curiosity, keen instincts and extraordinary perception, Gumuchian constantly watches and listens to the world around her, filtering everything she observes through the prism of her rich imagination.
Her most recent project, the film “Home Entertainment,” which Gumuchian wrote, co-directed, produced and edited, reveals her uncanny ability to translate real life experiences into laugh out loud stories that resonate with audiences. Told in three parts, the film takes place in a house that is rented out to temporary residents each weekend by its owner, who has a voyeuristic streak.
“Every story in this anthology, believe it or not, was heavily inspired by true stories- whether they were based off of our personal experiences or ignited with the help of a fascinating person that, at some point, crossed our path,” explain Gumuchian and her co-director Katherine Eaton in a Director’s Statement.
From a couple’s floundering romantic getaway to an unconventional sex-driven memorial and more, “Home Entertainment” follows a different set of house guests each weekend, all watched by the homeowner’s group of rich oddball dinner party guests through livestream security camera footage.
Eaton says, “Working alongside Sonia, it is evident that she is nothing short of an amazing writer, whose vision and leadership stands out beyond the norm. Apart from her great work ethic, she has this incredible creative ability to tell great stories, which are not only outrageously funny but also grabs and tugs at the hearts and minds of her audience — essentially getting people to think. I believe these elements make her an incredible asset in any film environment.”
Gumuchian’s talent for creating captivating stories based, at least in part, on truths from her own experiences, was apparent even in her earliest work, and it’s one of the reasons her writing is so magnetic. Her vivid imagination proved invaluable when, as a young girl, Gumuchian was rarely surrounded by kids her own age. Aside from her parents and grandparents, her closest companions were often books, movies and TV. By the time she was a teenager, Gumuchian had taken to creating her own stories. During her first year of high school she met a strange boy with a bizarre hobby, and he quickly became her first muse.
“His name was Liam, and he told me stories of how he loved spending hours stalking people he barely knew, gathering intel on their lives, and even going as far as breaking into his school’s office and reading up on everyone’s medical history. Suffice to say, Liam and his strange addiction fascinated me,” Gumuchian said. “So one day, I sat down and wrote an entire novel from his point of view. It was through that experience that I found how exciting it was to spend hours escaping into someone else’s point of view.”
It was soon abundantly clear that the young Gumuchian was a bona fide prodigy. As soon as the ink was dry in her novel about Liam she focused her full attention on training withLEAP, a prestigious academy for promising young playwrights in Vancouver. By the time she finished high school she had already distinguished herself as the writer of two one-act plays, both of which were chosen to be produced and performed by the community of professional stage actors and writers at the Vancouver Arts Club Theatre Company.
The young writer’s remarkable abilities and accomplishments earned Gumuchian acceptance into the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, which was once again ranked by theHollywood Reporter as the #1 film school in the country — where she studied Writing for Film and Television. Gumuchian was quickly tapped by networks, producers and prominent figures spanning every corner of the industry to contribute her skills much earlier than most writers. Though still in school, she began taking her first steps as a writer by learning from the brightest executives who oversaw shows on FOX, HBO, ABC, and virtually every network and studio from across the industry’s proverbial alphabet soup, such as “Big Little Lies,” “Barry,” “Silicon Valley, “Game of Thrones,” “Family Guy,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Black-ish,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and more.
“After working at TV and cable networks, at studios, and on independent films, I fell in love with the process of bringing stories to life,” said Gumuchian, recalling her early experiences as a writer in the industry. “From script to screen, my exposure to the inner workings of content creation taught me a lot about the craft and… shaped the industry professional I am today.”
Years working in creative development at many of the biggest networks in the world gave Gumuchian a staggering wealth of experience.XS Media Director of Development Julie Zhang, who worked alongside Gumuchian at HBO, says, “Sonia brings a contagious energy to the table that hooks you from minute one. Apart from amazing taste and her eye for good stories, she is a go-getter, and very determined to achieve the goals she sets for herself. In this business it’s sometimes more important to be perseverant than talented, so it’s good that she is both.”
As she grew in experience, so too did she grow in her determination to write and share with the world a story entirely of her own. With her 2017 script for the ambitious fantasy-comedy series “Loyal Royals” — which she created as well as wrote — that Gumuchian revealed once again that she is an imaginative and engaging writer in the modern era of television. The story is at once a whimsical and refreshing comedy, a farcical fantasy set in a world of knights and dragons and magic.
“Set in a medieval town, the recently divorced King Robert is forced to move into his daughter’s castle across the lands and aims to regain the little dignity he has left,” she explained. “Princess Lilian and Robert, her conservative dad, are at odds when he disapproves of her engagement to a frog, pisses off a local population of culturally sensitive unicorns, and continues causing ruckus in her kingdom.”
Her original pilot for “Loyal Royals” was exceptionally well received by critics and festival judges. Spotlighting Gumuchian’s talent on an international level, “Loyal Royals” earned First Place at theHollywood Hills Screenplay Competition, Fifth Place at theLondon Film Awards, theLos Angeles Film and Script Festival’s Honorable Mention Award, the Jack Oakie Doubletake Award for Exceptional Achievement in Comedy, as well the award for Best Unproduced Script at theLondon Filmmaker Festival. “Loyal Royals” was also chosen an Official Finalist of theWorld Series of Screenwriting, a Semi-Finalist at theScreenplay Festival, as well an Official Selection of theAtlanta Comedy Film Festival. The success of the script proved once again that she is on par with the best writers in the industry, and it opened the door for her next project, the film “Home Entertainment.”
Ambitious and original, “Home Entertainment,” which Gumuchian marks as her biggest project to-date, stars Brock Ciarlelli (ABC’s “The Middle”) and features a soundtrack composed by guitarist Benjamin Sturley, known for his work with Noah Cyrus and Grammy-winner Selena Gomez. Hilarious and thoroughly unexpected, the film recently had its Los Angeles screening and is preparing to begin its festival run.
Actor Brock Ciarlelli & Gumuchian on set of “Home Entertainment” (Photo by Penelope Eaton)
Perhaps Gumuchian’s greatest asset as a storyteller is an uncanny talent for identifying and appreciating the huge reserves of untapped narrative potential hidden in the most unexpected, overlooked and eschewed recesses of everyday life. Borne of her innate perception and indefatigable imagination, an endless stream of stories pour from Gumuchian’s mind — their impact compounded exponentially by the years she’s devoted to honing her already razor-sharp writing skills. Curiosity, imagination and an unrivaled mastery over the written word enabled Sonia Gumuchian to deftly ascend the ranks of cinematic academia, and she’s fully on her way to becoming one of the most sought-after writers in this burgeoning new golden age for film and television.
Art Director Cagri Kara, whose professional reputation reaches all the way from his native Istanbul to current headquarters in Hollywood, has established himself as one of the leading, most sought after talents in his field. A renown award-winning talent whose skill and professional capacity effortlessly spans a wide variety of visual platforms – posters, billboards, web, television – Kara is currently enjoying a fruitful alliance with home entertainment giant Netflix, making key contributions to promotional campaigns for their acclaimed original series.
Most recently, Cagri was key in the launch of a groundbreaking international project for the company, one where his own Turkish heritage played a critical role. Having previously executed well received campaigns for Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet and Grace and Frank, when Kara got a call from top Hollywood entertainment marketing and advertising agency Rhubarb, the results were all but inevitable. Truly in the right place at the right time and brimming with the skill to make him indispensable, the stars aligned for Kara when he was given the green light to art direct promotional efforts for an ambitious new fantasy adventure series The Protector.
“I’d worked on several campaigns with Rhubarb in the past,” Kara said. “When Andrew told me about the project I was very excited and felt very lucky to work on this Netflix project in Istanbul. They brought me on-board right away.”
Kara’s instinctive ability to command and extend the delicate co-dependence which advertising and pop culture share is reliably invaluable. This unrivaled skill has also earned him a shelf full of awards and recognitions: his groundbreaking 2015 Woman with No Voice Campaign for Polisan Cosmetics was took both the Crystal Apple Festival of Creativity’s Most Creative Use of Social Media and the Kirmizi Advertising Awards’ Best use of Medium-length Video in Social Media honors; the year prior, Kara’s boundlessly appealing Coca-Cola 50th Anniversary in Turkey Campaign won the Crystal Apple’s Best Integrated Campaign award and along the way he’s earned additional trophies from the MIXX Awards and the prestigious Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity
Significantly, Kara’s works seamlessly in any setting, always displaying with an authority, ease and understanding of his role that is internationally successful.
“It’s important to understand the culture when you work on a project from a foreign country,” Kara said. “Advertising is basically a communication channel to speak to the public. So it’s imperative that you understand people’s cultural and societal filters, especially when they look at printed media or a TV commercial for less than 15 seconds.”
For the Protector, Kara’s heritage and comprehensive mix of intuition and commanding visual design was ideal.
“There were lots of advantages to me being a Turkish art director,” Kara said. “The story is about a young man given mystical powers by a talismanic keepsake. Fighting shadowy forces, he learns about himself and his past along the way. It is the first superhero show in Turkey and it also has a lot of historical content and deep significance that would be harder for a non-Turkish person to research and understand in such a short time. The ancient history that is woven into the show is something Turkish people cherish and are very proud of.”
Kara relished the layers of societal and cultural elements the project features, and approached the project with characteristic sensitivity.
“We had many great concepts that we needed to cover in the production,” he said. “The story plays in our current period of time, and it connects modern day Istanbul to its past. It was challenging to juxtapose the ancient history of the city with a modern execution. The photographer and motion director for the campaign were very well known and had many years of experience as artists in the field, so that made things go very smoothly. Also the cast were amazing with their patience.”
“The show’s importance for Turkish culture cannot be overstated,” Kara said. “It was very exciting for me to work on something that will be seen as groundbreaking and, eventually, a part of Turkey’s entertainment culture history”.
“I’m very satisfied with the result of the production and very excited to see the campaign out in the world. There is already a lot of buzz in print and television media about it.”
Kara’s involvement and enthusiasm are second only to his elevated sense of craft and ingenuity, attributes which define both his acclaimed professional reputation and the accomplished depth of skill he brings to any project. This winning formula—which makes Kara’s presence indispensable— guarantees an ever heightening professional profile.
As the Rhubarb agency’s owner-creative director Andrew Irving said, “When Netflix asked us to help with their first original Turkish series, I immediately thought of Cagri. He flew to Istanbul to direct the marketing photo-shoot, which was shot by Tamer Yilmaz, one of Turkey’s leading fashion photographers. He played an integral role in creating the marketing campaign, and Cagri directed the cast with such finesse that the client said she didn’t know how we would have accomplished the shoot without him.”
Recognized as an influential storyteller with tremendous success in the festival circuit, acclaimed Writer and Director Adrian Prospero can be described as a young Ridley Scott; a filmmaker whose sole focus is on his craft and in getting the job done- and done right. This preeminent Australian director has made himself indispensable to the industry by crafting films that are uniquely his.
Celebrated Australian filmmaker Adrian Prospero, who writes, directs, edits and produces various projects, on set for an upcoming production.
2018 has been a defining year for Prospero, having received glowing recognitions from festivals all around the globe including the Los Angeles Film Awards and the Berlin Flash Film Festival.
Adrian Prospero received great acclaim in his film “The Hunt” about an absentee son attempting to reconnect with his father by going on a hunt for a beast that no one believe exists. Prospero showcased his capabilities in building suspense in this drama that leaves the audience at the edge of their seats. The film earned the Best Australian Film Award at the prestigious Canadian World International Film Festival which recognizes the very best of world cinema with submissions from over 90 countries around the world.
“The Hunt” was also recognized by the Accolade Film Festival, a festival celebrated by Movie Maker Magazine as one of the Top 25 Festivals in its category, and was a finalist at the New York Film Awards. For his screenwriting, Adrian was recently a finalist at the Ojai Film Festival in recognition of his compelling script for “The Marketplace,” a highly anticipated project which will continue to build Adrian’s impressive reputation.
Prospero’s dedication to his craft can be seen through his investment in himself as a filmmaker, having qualifications in Film Production, Marketing and Accounting. This explains his great ability in keeping productions within budget, and being able to excel in the festival circuit due to his deep understanding of what sells to an audience. In addition to that, as an esteemed member of the DGA, Prospero has also invested in various Masterclasses and have taken several short courses in directing, screenwriting and photography in order to become a well-rounded filmmaker.
The distinguished writer and director admits “I see great value in investing in yourself in order to become a better version of what you currently are. You are your greatest asset and you should always seek to improve yourself”.
Prospero also takes pride in his multitasking abilities which allows him to take on several projects at any one time. He explains “multitasking allows me to explore my creativity in various platforms. I can be directing a narrative film that demands creative storytelling while also direct a commercial that utilizes creative problem solving. It provides me a balance in my work while harnessing all facets of my abilities and also keeps me on my toes.”
The Australian native began his career in directing television commercials, and have since worked with successful Australian service industry companies like RAC, Novotel, and the multi-billion dollar company CBH Group which is Australia’s leading and largest exporter of grain in which he travelled through the West Australian Wheatbelt for two weeks, capturing stories of the communities and their community service projects.
An eye-catching still from one of the many impressive commercials Adrian has produced as writer and director. This one was promoting the alternative energy company, Elan Energy.
It is noteworthy to mention Prospero’s directing style in commercials that leaves fellow directors in awe as he is able to engage an audience with excellent use of motion and fluidity in his shots whether through the blocking of actors or camera work, or a combination of the two.
When asked about his recent work, Prospero was ecstatic to talk about his directorial work on the Australian workplace comedy mini-series “Unrealty” in which he directed all seven episodes. “It was a really rewarding experience directing for a comedy series as it demands a different kind of skill set and challenges you as a director to trust your actors and your gut, and to really just dive into it”.
“Unrealty” is an excellent example of Prospero’s attention to detail in regards to using colours to his advantage. The use of primary colours in the show emphasizes the series’ fictitious and comedic elements, and serves to distinguish characters from one another. The use of symmetry and dutch angle shots are also unique and serves the story well.
A still from the hilarious comedy series Adrian directed, “Unrealty.”
Prospero’s ability to tell a wide range of stories is impressive, ranging from horror to comedy, and more documentary oriented stories of human nature and experience. Shifting between genres can be challenging, but seems to be second nature to this seasoned storyteller who has been in the industry for over a decade.
Often the director of the films that he writes, Prospero focuses on each film’s particular needs and has the advantage of understanding the film to its core. “Being a writer and director of a film allows me a creative independence in what I want to convey to the audience. It is a wonderfully surreal intimacy which grounds me in keeping an honest conversation”.
His tenacity in the film industry goes beyond writing and directing as Prospero also plays a critical role in the company Stareable, a platform that seeks to connect web series creators with their audience. Stareable currently holds the title of the largest community of web series creators.
Adding to his already impressive CV, Prospero has also been held to high esteem by becoming a judge in film festivals such as the International Hollywood Short Film Festival in Los Angeles, California and the Jackson Hole Film Festival in Wyoming, USA. “It is an honour to be a judge in these festivals. There are so many great stories out there, and to have the opportunity to watch all these incredible films and judge them- it truly is a gratifying experience, one that I do not take lightly.”
Adrian recently served as a juror for the International Hollywood Short Film Festival, reflecting the high-regard with which many in the industry hold Adrian
Prospero further acknowledges that being a judge for these films can be a very educational experience as it forces you to break films down into various components and to analyze each aspect individually like story, cinematography, sound, and editing in addition to viewing it as a whole.
Being compared to Ridley Scott is most certainly daunting, but Adrian Prospero is definitely up to the challenge. His work demands attention, and he has definitely been successful thus far. He is thrilled to continue living his passion as a writer and director and we are excited to see what’s next for this notable Australian filmmaker.
An arresting still from “Ambience,” one of many gripping film projects directed by Adrian Prospero.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
While well-known actress Millie Samuels will strike anyone with whom she comes in contact as a truly down-to-Earth Australian, this young thespian has most certainly reached the level of international player after more than a decade in the film industry.
Millie Samuels, as shot by renowned photographer Marnya Rothe.
Millie, who honed her craft at Oscar-nominee William H. Macy’s Atlantic Acting School, has forged her place in entertainment by way of playing a wide range of characters in numerous successful productions. The topic we’ve sat down to discuss with the leading lady on this occasion though is specifically her successful partnership with streaming giant Netflix. That association has seen her leverage critically acclaimed Australian TV show “The Gods of Wheat Street” to international audiences. In turn, fans around the world have become familiar with the Sydney-local, who has also had projects screen in prestigious film festivals in New York and Los Angeles. Online series Girt by Fear, directed by Hyde & Seek’s Yianni Andrikidis, screened at the NYC Webfest in 2017, while film Three Hearts notably screened at the TCL Chinese Theatres in LA for the Dances with Films Festival in 2015. In both projects, Millie played the lead role – adding to her impressive roster of diverse screen performances.
Millie trained at Oscar-nominated actor William H. Macy’s Atlantic Acting School in New York City, alongside “Pirates of the Carribbean” actor, Travis Jeffery.
Regarding Netflix and Gods of Wheat Street, Millie enthusiastically outlines her character Anastasia Hamilton. “[She] was integral to the plot as I had the romantic storyline. Viewers enjoyed watching this romance grow with every episode and to see Anastasia’s morals outgrow her bigoted father and eventually convinced her mother to abandon him too. Although not initially apart of the Freeburn clan, it was her heroic heart that would do anything for love that eventually lead her to be accepted.”
Millie has enjoyed playing leading roles on shows which have been popular with Netflix subscribers.
Millie adds with a smile, “Everybody loves a good romantic storyline and the relationship between Tristian and Anastia surely gave audiences that…it was so well received that Netflix bought the streaming rights.”
Millie Samuels with SyFy Hunters star Mark Coles-Smith in a scene from Gods of Wheat Street, a show that’s been a hit for ABC and Netflix globally.
This awareness of how her characters fit into the storylines of each project in which she has been cast has allowed Millie to develop an excellent reputation amongst filmmakers, a testament to the notion that being a hard-working team-player – especially with companies like Netflix and ABC – never goes unnoticed. When assessing her body of work, it’s clear Millie is an top-tier actor because she understand that she’s one part in a bigger machine, yet still gives 150%. This is a testament to a unique and strong combination of self-belief when it comes to her craft, but no ego when it comes to her status.
She further explains, “Now that Netflix has picked it up the show, the viewers only get larger as word travels and they are able to watch the series in its entirety. To have this touching series be given another chance to win over audience’s hearts was definitely a highlight for me.”
Undoubtedly, Millie’s ability as an actor to simultaneously tap into strength and vulnerability helped propel the story forward. Were it not for her gripping performance and chemistry she created with Tristan – played by SyFy Hunters star Mark Coles Smith – the evolution of each character would not have happened. As Millie clarifies, “It is the love and connection between these two characters that helps to break down the racial tension in the town… She brings hope and resilience to the story, she is determined to prove to the Freeburn’s that she is nothing like her father…inspir[ing] Anastasia’s mother to leave her abusive marriage.”
Undoubtedly, the crucial role her characters plays in the series, and how successful the show has been for Netflix, goes to prove that Millie is firmly a part of the Netflix family.
On the other end of the spectrum is Millie’s portfolio of film work. Compelling stories which have called for Millie’s craft include film The Passenger, which screened at the prestigious Chauvel Cinema in Sydney’s Paddington, and Flow, which drew packed crowds to the biggest independent cinema in the southern hemisphere, the Cinema Nova Carlton Melbourne. The diversity of the showcases in which Millie’s work has appeared ensure that she has a reach in different pockets of the industry, leading to her appointment as a judge for the highly regarded Monthly Film Festival, and various roles in production at companies like Network 7 and most recently for a film with a Disney star who boasts an enormous social media following.
“Judging [the Monthly] is an honour…the panel love my input as I have such a broad experience within the industry…even working with Disney star Sofia Riley, who has 1 million followers on Instagram, gives me a comprehensive understanding of how everything works at an international level.” She adds with a laugh, “I can’t believe Instagram is a thing now!”.
Of course, while this reputation might lead someone to develop an ego, as we stated in the beginning of this article, Millie is first and foremost down-to-earth. Her type of relatable personality, combined with her success, has meant she was selected to be the face of Arnotts, Australia’s most iconic maker of biscuits which retains its Aussie charm in spite of the fact it boasted a gob-smacking revenue of $1.09 billion in 2015.
“I was the face of the new line of shapes and was exciting to see the ad played nationally for one of Australia’s largest food companies in the Asia Pacific region” Millie states.
Millie looking glorious in a shot from her Arnott’s campaign.
Arnott’s exports continue to grow, with the company’s Australian-made biscuits now being shipped to more than 40 countries around the world including Japan, the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Tahiti and New Zealand.
Millie in another shot from her Arnott’s campaign for ‘Shapes’ biscuits, an Australian icon.
Millie elaborates that “having that kind of…exposure for such an iconic company like Arnott’s was surreal, shapes have been in my life ever since my first lunch box in first grade.”
The continuing evolution of Millie’s body of work ensures that roles in projects for a company like Netflix, independent films, or international brands, will undoubtedly continue. “I’ve been very lucky,” Millie gleefully exclaims.
When asked about his growth as an actor over the years, Cooper van Grootel is confident but still unassuming. “I am extremely proud of my development as an actor and to see how far I have come over many years.”
Aussie star Cooper van Grootel on the red carpet for the Revelation Film Festival, one of Perth’s most highly regarded film festivals.
Indeed, Cooper has forged a path in the industry that’s unheard of; switching between film and TV projects at a rapid-fire pace, and he’s still only the tender age of 17. Such is the degree to which Cooper is in demand in the film industry, this interview had to be scheduled in between takes on set where he is filming a yet-to-be-announced project.
Previous performances Cooper has delivered to critical acclaim include Brayden in the highly regarded mini-series Mystery Road, the second time Cooper had been hired by Rachel Perkins after the two had already worked together on award-winning feature film, Jasper Jones. A second casting by an acclaimed director like Rachel is a rare occurrence in the industry, and serves as proof for how Cooper is held in high-esteem within the industry.
Cooper as ‘Brayden’ in the acclaimed ABC series, Mystery Road co-starring Oscar-nominee Judy Davis.
Notably, Cooper’s time on both sets was spent being antagonistic towards main characters, reinforcing the view that Cooper’s journey to the top is unconventional. Most teen actors are typecast as the boy-next-door, but Cooper brings an authority and intensity to his screen performances that ensure he always stands out.
“I really like playing the bad guy,” Cooper exclaims. “It’s a lot of fun,” he adds with a laugh.
Cooper van Grootel, in another scene from Mystery Road, which was shot in the outback of Australia.
Adding to that, Cooper showered praise on his director.
“Working with Rachel Perkins was an honour and one of the highlights of my career so far.”
Award-winning director Rachel Perkins and her company Blackfella Films, are huge fans of Cooper’s and have hired him on multiple occasions to appear in their acclaimed projects. Photo by Meg White.
Jasper Jones received positive notices from around the world, including a review from Trespass which described it as “well scripted, shot, and acted…it streamlines a story without sacrificing complexity, and it is both entertaining and thoughtful while it’s at it.”
Jasper Jones also featured The Matrix and Lord of the Rings star, Hugo Weaving.
While on set, Cooper had to be racist towards a Vietnamese character, played by Jeffrey Lu, giving way to revelations around racial tension concerning one of the film’s leading characters.
“It can sometimes be hard to relate to characters with derogatory attitudes like the guy I played in Jasper Jones.”
He elaborates. “Moments like that in films though make a valuable point about characters being lonely and misunderstood in Australia.”
What’s unique about Cooper is his ability to simultaneously retain his position at the top of young Australian actors and an affable quality that guarantees audiences always fall in love with him.
In the film project Resonance, Cooper played a key role under the direction of inspiring filmmaker Jade Chamberlain.
When asked about Cooper’s screen presence and ability to take direction, Jade beamed. “I would recommend him to anyone as he is a great actor.”
Cooper also received extremely positive notices from industry professionals for his role in the chilling mini-series Monday Night Menace, co-starring fellow teen star Shannon Berry who recently starred in the #1 Sci-Fi movie on Amazon, Alpha Gateway and the big-budget SyFy show, Hunters. She was recently announced as part of the cast for Amazon’s The Wilds.
“Shannon Berry is a creative, strong-willed and a brilliant young actress who brings so much realism and energy to the screen,” Cooper generously and enthusiastically said, when asked about his co-star. Cooper’s humility is clear when he recognises how, even when he might be considered at the top of his field, he points to the creative lessons he continues to learn from his A-list co-stars.
“Shannon helped me push the boundaries, in very difficult scenes, and from this I learnt some much about myself as an actor.”
Monday Night Menace also gave Cooper the opportunity to work with innovative filmmaker Blake Hay.
Cooper played the leading role of Daniel in Monday Night Menace.
“Blake Hay made us push boundaries with our acting,” Cooper quickly asserts.
Of course, Cooper is used to pushing himself as an actor. The blue-eyed youngster’s ability to continually stretch himself and push for a higher-standard in his abilities was reflected when Showcast, Australia’s leading casting network, awarding him the 2017 and 2016 awards for Outstanding Achievement in Acting.
“Winning the award from Showcast was a very humbling and delightful experience,” Cooper eloquently stated, adding that he was also especially grateful to CAA-represented producer Lauren Elliott and Mazair Lahooti for judging his work and making a decision about the prize.
“I can’t thank Showcast enough for giving me the award for my work,” Cooper reiterates.
There’s no doubt this gratitude will see Cooper continue to grow and jump between projects. In the meantime, he tells us he needs to get back to set.
“I’ve gotta go run lines!” he laughs.
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