Category Archives: Film

Actress, Australian Talents, Film, International Actor, Television, Uncategorized

Actress Jessie McLachlan Details her Journey to film and television Stardom

March 9, 2016 Lorraine Wilder Leave a comment

For Jessie McLachlan, the path to becoming one of Australia’s preeminent film and TV actresses began when she was just 6 years old. It was then she started to refine and perfect her skills by undergoing speech, dance and theatre lessons. Before her 8th birthday, she’d become a National Irish Dancer, and McLachlan found her groove by auditioning and performing in front of her Grandmother, Ann.

“I had found a home in performing,” she said. “It gave me a sense of euphoria, a high, but a certainty feeling.”

McLachlan parlayed those feelings and experiences into a coveted career many pursue and few achieve.

She’s accumulated an impressive filmography highlighted by her acting roles in more than 40 TV episodes for series including Village Roadshow’s “The Shire,” Seven Network’s 28-year running, award-winning drama, “Home and Away,” the hour-long comedy drama, “Packed to the Rafters” and Nickelodeon Network’s “Dance Academy.”

She’s starred in Dan Castle’s award-winning drama feature, “Newcastle,” and in Tom Simes’ feature family drama, “Run, Broken Yet Brave.” She’s been recognized for her singing, dancing and modeling as well that has collectively culminated into a rare package of a true do-it-all actress.

“It has given me a greater in-depth understanding of my passion to create,” McLachlan said. “It has allowed me to use each of my experiences in 20 years of performing to lend an emotion, movement, feeling or expression to a performance and do it with conviction.”

Performing often is a family affair and so was the case for McLachlan. Her elder sister, Zoe, studied film and TV in high school and college. Those choices influenced and paved the way for McLachlan’s introduction into acting.

“I was always in her films and projects,” she said, “so that really sparked my film interest. I’ve never wanted to do anything else.”

One of her early performances came in a play called “Parramatta Girls,” which was about women who had served time in Australia’s most notorious girls’ detention center as children. “It was a really powerful piece I did when I was 15, and something I am the most proud to have been a part of,” said McLachlan.

Inspired by the “Harry Potter” franchise during childhood and influenced by the on-screen work of greats such as Helena Bonham Carter, Daniel Day Lewis and Martin Scorsese, a shortlist of some of McLachlan’s favorite films include “Schindler’s List,” “Philadelphia” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”

She says the best actors are “those who protect their creative essence, especially in this industry. Those who use every scene as a lesson and find the growth and learning from each frame, even if they are an Oscar winner. Remembering passion is humbling.”

Continuing her specialized acting training into adulthood, McLachlan has studied under the esteemed tutelage at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (Sydney, Australia), Lee Strasberg (New York), Stella Adler (Los Angeles) and with the renowned acting coach Michelle Danner, in Los Angeles.

“I wanted to keep learning and be challenged by different techniques. I live my life by being ‘water’ flexible and being able to adapt and I want that to be able to carry over into each character I play,” she said. “Michelle Danner has been my favorite. She really challenges me to lose myself in a character, and she sets in motion out of the box perspectives.”

In 2006, McLachlan acted in her first film, “Spaced Out,” a sci-fi comedy directed and written by Scott Grenke. While 14 years old at the time, she played the role of an alien character in the cast. The experience proved valuable and guided McLachlan’s pursuit of acting for film and TV.

“I learned so much on that set and from my fellow actors,” she said. “It was also a moment of clarity and really affirmed my passion for film and the direction I would like to take my career.”

Two years later, McLachlan was starring as Rachel in the drama feature, “Newcastle,” that won a FilmOut Festival Award and followed the story of a group of Australian surfers. In 2009, she starred as Anna in the feature film, “Run, Broken Yet Brave.” From 2010-2011, McLachlan played the recurring role of Samantha Braxton for 27 episodes of “Home and Away” and she also starred as Jayde on “Packed to the Rafters.”

“I worked with Jessie throughout the third season of the Seven Network’s wildly successful family dramedy, “Packed to the Rafters,’” said Logie Award winning actress Brooke Satchwell. “Jessie performed the leading character of Jayde Smith, a worker at the yacht club owned by the Rafters and a former fling of son Ben Rafter. After taking a gap year following high school graduation, Jayde returns, still wanting and caring for Ben, who is now engaged. The role required an actress who could convey the emotional burden and yearnings of such a character, and Jessie not only thrived in this dynamic but also excelled in any expectations that were made of her and her character.”

McLachlan’s acted in leading roles in short films including in Jeremiah Cleman’s “Modern Day Saint,” Antonio Orena-Barlin’s “Suburbia” and Omer Zekirovski’s “Tibor – Your Not from Gosford Are Ya.”

McLachlan worked with Logie Award winning actress Jodi Gordon on “Suburbia,” a short drama about a man who gets his girlfriend a job as a florist, but later finds out the unassuming front of suburbia isn’t what it appears.

“Jessie’s leading performance as Monica was as impressive of a performance as it was crucial to the driving plot of the film itself,” said Gordon, who played Tara in the film. “I was thoroughly impressed with the way in which she translated Monica’s character traits from page to on camera. The film was nominated for Australian Film Institute Award for Best Short Fiction Film, an achievement that would not have been possible without Jessie’s extraordinary performance throughout the film.”

Comparing feature film roles to those of her TV and short filmography, McLachlan said, “The pace in filming has a different tempo. Morphing into the character is also a different process. A challenging aspect I found with short films is ensuring the layers of the character are portrayed. I put a lot of pressure on myself in really wanting the audience to feel the joy, pain or journey with the character.”

It is international audiences who have enjoyed the characters McLachlan’s portrayed and they’ve each been made possible through her own journey as an actress.

Editor, Film, Film Editors, Reality TV, Uncategorized

Canadian Editing Magician David Guthrie

February 26, 2016 Scott Prewitt Leave a comment

20141105_164014 — Canadian editor David Guthrie

Whether it’s a film, television series or commercial, the amount of time and labor that goes into a production is astronomical. There’s writing, funding, planning, casting, costuming, filming, scoring, post-production, marketing and finally distribution, and it takes a massive and cohesive team to pull it all off. Every production is like a massive machine, and at the heart of it all is the editor.

A skilled editor will work closely with the director to achieve the perfect cuts, and nobody is more skilled than Toronto native David Guthrie. As an editor, Guthrie is responsible for setting the rhythm of the end product, in a sense giving a cadence – a heartbeat – to the final arrangement that will be presented to the audience.

Before working on high-profile and award-winning productions such as “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” “Cold Water Captains” and “Room and Bored,” Guthrie took his first steps into film editing when he was a musician. It was while creating music videos for his band that he discovered the power that video and audio can have when edited together perfectly.

“I love the challenge of crafting a story from seemingly unrelated footage, finding a story thread. I love when you find the perfect shot that helps tell that story, or the right piece of music that just works,” Guthrie said, describing the rewarding feeling of his work. “I love that feeling, it’s a rush… Because then you know how to pace the scene correctly and how the audience will feel.”

After realizing his passion for film editing, he began working at the Toronto-based Rhombus Media production company. There, he quickly worked his way up and learned his trade from the company’s highly-experienced team of editors. After getting his feet wet in the editing world at Rhombus, he landed a role as an editor on the feature film “Billy Bishop Goes to War,” which screened at TIFF and CBC.

Before long he had proven to be such a natural that he was trusted with the enormous responsibility of working on David Gelb’s incredbley ambitious projects, one of which was the feature documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.”

Centered on the man often called the best sushi chef in the world, “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” initially sets out to document Jiro Ono’s daily routine running his world-renowned restaurant in Tokyo. However, the film ultimately tells two much deeper stories about the human condition. One of these is the story of a man who spends his entire life pursuing perfection, constantly coming closer but never reaching the unattainable goal. The other story centers on Jiro’s son and future heir to the restaurant, who works under his father and has spent his entire life in the shadow of a giant, knowing that no matter what he does neither he nor anybody else can fill his father’s shoes.

The film was widely praised by critics and festival-goers. “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” won the 2012 Denver Film Critics Society Award for Best Documentary Film, the Detroit Film Critic Society Award for Best

Documentary, and was nominated for 11 other awards internationally. A global success, “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” was an incredibly valuable and rewarding experience for Guthrie. The countless hours he spent working on the film paid off, and shortly after the film’s success Guthrie found he had established a reputation for himself as one of the most reliable and talented editors in the industry.

After leaving the “assistant” prefix behind, Guthrie’s first project as a full-fledged editor was the first season of the Canadian reality series “Cold Water Captains.” The action-packed series follows three fishing boats in the dangerous waters off the coast of Newfoundland. Guthrie had to pore through hundreds of hours of footage to decide which of it would be turned into the final TV-ready series. After carefully selecting which scenes would make it into the show, he then had to painstakingly cut and arrange it into a compelling and cohesive story to be told over the course of the season’s 10 episodes.

“This show is a monster when it comes to post production… The amount of footage can be overwhelming. That is the biggest challenge of the show by far – trying to cut compelling scenes out of hours of monotonous footage,” Guthrie said, describing the intense process of not only determining which scenes to use, but also of maintaining organization of the scenes and their place in the series. “That was a challenge too, trying to keep track of where I was in each story and how each scene developed the overall story arc.”

Guthrie’s hard work once again paid off when the first season of “Cold Water Captains” was nominated for the prestigious 2015 Canadian Screen Award for Best Factual Series. Guthrie called the nomination a “rewarding” experience after all the hours he and his team spent creating the series. Following the success of the first season, he again worked as an editor for the second season, and in the third season of “Cold Water Captains” Guthrie’s skill and dedication earned him a promotion to a lead editor position.

“I was one of the lead editors on the show and responsible for bringing episodes to delivery to the network,” Guthrie said of the new position. “It is a lot of fun getting to polish the scenes and really make them come alive.”

In addition to his work as an editor Guthrie has also written and directed two projects for television. The first, “Room and Bored,” was a TV movie which Guthrie not only wrote, directed and edited, but also acted in. “Room and Bored” was a hit with both critics and audiences, and was named an Official Selection at the 2013 New York Television Festival. The second and more recent of the two is “Beck and Call,” a pilot which Guthrie calls his favorite project to date. “Beck and Call” follows the hilarious ups and downs of two talent agents as they struggle to make it big in New York.

“Along with editing [“Beck and Call”], I am writing and directing it as well,” Guthrie said. “It has been so much fun working with really talented people, and just making stuff that we want to make… And I love working in the comedy world.”

Few people have a track record that can compare to David Guthrie’s when it comes to producing consistently stellar work while balancing so many irons in the fire. His experience and talent as a writer and director give him a comprehensive understanding of every element of the production process, and serve to strengthen Guthrie’s exceptional talent as an editor. Audiences on the hunt for the next great feature film, narrative documentary or cinematic triumph should be sure to keep Guthrie’s name in mind.

Art Director, Feature Film, Film, Film and TV Crew Interviews, Uncategorized

Creating Realities in Film that Effectively Transport Viewers: Art Director Haisu Wang

February 18, 2016 Lorraine Wilder Leave a comment

Art Director Haisu Wang shot by Tian-ran Qin

As the art director of the films “Is That A Gun in Your Pocket?,” “Contrapelo” and “Day One,” ABC’s hit television series “The Muppets,” the Asian television series “My Sunshine,” and commercials for major global clients including Kia, Chinese native Haisu Wang has carved out an indelible place for himself in the international entertainment industry as someone who’s skill effectively transports audiences into the world of the stories on screen, no matter how far fetched they may be.

While it is no secret that the film industry is full of oversized egos often competing for the glitz and glory, what makes Wang so special, besides his adept technical skill and unparalleled creativity, is the fact that he always lets the director’s vision for a project guide his work.

Never failing to design an atmosphere that creates the perfect environment for a story, the versatile nature of his creative vision compounded by his intuitive approach has allowed him to nail the mark every time.

“My passion is always creating environments to help storytelling,” admits Wang.

It is no coincidence that practically every project that Wang has art directed to date has received coveted accolades. As the art director of the film “Day One,” which earned a nomination for an Oscar Award at the 2016 Academy Awards, in addition to winning two Emmy Awards at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences College Television Awards in 2015, one of which earned director Henry Hughes the award for Best Director, Wang’s work garnered worldwide attention.

About Wang’s invaluable work on the film Hughes explains, “Haisu’s vision and rare skill using digital software to create some of the most challenging sets for ‘Day One’ was invaluable to our production, especially considering the geographic challenges of the location. Without his contributions it would have been nearly impossible to construct these sets in the amount of time and within the allotted budget. He is definitely a huge asset to the film industry.”

Whether he is working on a film, television series or commercial, Wang’s attention to detail combined with his logical and budget conscious approach to outfitting each set with the right props has been imperative in setting the tone and creating believable environments for each and every production he’s contributed to.

As the art director of Kia’s “Extraordinary Day” commercial, also known as “When an Ordinary Day Turns Extraordinary,” which currently has over 900,000 views on YouTube and was produced by BuzzFeed, Wang turned the sets of a simple car commercial into a project that plays visually on screen like a narrative story. From the minor knick knacks of a local garage sale, to colorful balloons falling from the ceiling after one of the character’s wins a raffle in a convenient store—Wang’s work manages to keep viewers engaged as we watch a love connection sparked between two Kia Soul drivers all started from the fact that they share the same kind of car.

For Wang, who also spent time as a visual effects artist for three-time Emmy Award winning VFX and animation company, Base FX, based in Beijing, China, art has been a major part of his life since childhood.

“I practiced Chinese calligraphy with my grandpa since I was a kid and also learned how to make shadow play puppetry with him, and I think that set the foundation of my path in art,” admits Wang.

Wang recently wrapped production as the art director of multi-award winning director Ryan Velásquez’s (“Ojalá,” “Record Breaker”) film “Drowning,” which is slated for release later this year. The film follows Gabe, played by Jovan Armand (“The Middle,” “Shameless,” “Parenthood”), an overweight teen who finally starts feeling good about himself after he musters up the courage to talk to Sarah, the girl of his dreams, and an unexpected friendship forms. However, when the high school bully and bane of Gabe’s existence makes Sarah his newest target, Gabe is forced to decide between remaining a coward in his comfort zone or standing up to the bully and fighting against injustice.

As the lead art director on “Drowning,” Wang had the difficult task of arranging a set to depict Gabe falling onto the ground combined with a montage in water. He was able to build a vertical wall on a track and dress it to appear as the floor so that the actor was able to pretend to hit the ground without hurting himself. On “Drowning,” as he has done on many of his past productions, Wang utilized his excellent CGI skills to create a revisualization animation to rehearse the timing of the scene; this assisted the director greatly in explaining how the scene could work for the actor.

Through his work on screen it is easy to see that Wang is passionate about the worlds he creates for the characters in a story; and, as all of the worlds from film to film are completely different, the versatility he’s shown across projects is just another testament to his seasoned skill in creating the perfect environment for each project on an individual level.

With “Drowning” on the verge of release, and Wang set to begin production as the digital asset art director on the highly anticipated sequel “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” later this year, audiences can look forward to seeing more of art director Haisu Wang’s ingenious work on screen very soon.

Actors, Actress, Entertainment, Film, Theater, UK, Uncategorized

Look Out for Dynamic UK Actress Davina Cole!

January 28, 2016 Lorraine Wilder 1 Comment

Michael Wharley.2 — Actress Davina Cole shot by Michael Wharley

Davina Cole, who recently earned a nomination for a Best Actress Award at London’s 7th annual SOLO Festival of One Man Shows for her performance in “All the Colours,” is one fiercely talented London-based actress that deserves to be on everyone’s radar.

Her performance as Salimatu in “All the Colours,” a captivating one-woman show that she both wrote and starred in, garnered attention across continents with Tony Award winning actress Starletta Dupois saying, “Davina’s performance of ‘All the Colours’ at the 22nd Los Angeles Womens Theatre Festival was very moving filled with twists and turns says The selection of characters she plays takes you on an emotional journey and gives you a clear insight into what it’s like to become a refugee and have to leave your home. The performance was truly moving and brought me to tears.”

As a child Cole would spend her Saturdays watching old films where actresses like Grace Kelly, Julie Andrews, Sofia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn mesmerized and inspired her. Not one to simply dream without taking action, she began taking acting classes, which helped her perfect her craft early on in her youth.

Earlier in her career Cole took on the pivotal role of Mama Sanami in the Kabaslot Theatre’s original production of “Wilberforce Bell,” a dramatic comedy that follows what happens when a prized bell given to the village of Wilberforce in Sierra Leone by the Governor General is stolen.

The production, which was directed by Dwight Short and debuted at The Broadway Theatre in Catford, London marked a major turning point in Cole’s career. While “Wilberforce Bell” resonated strongly with the actress due to the fact that her familial roots are based in Sierra Leone, the production offered her the challenges she needed to grow as a performer and she rose to the occasion with flawless precision.

She recalls, “This play really took me out of my comfort zone, as I had to learn different elements of my home language Krio.”

Prior to “Wilberforce Bell,” Cole took on the starring role of Delilah in “1867” written by Theresa Roche, a powerful sold-out production that received rave reviews.

Since making her name known in the international theatre world, Cole has gone on to prove her prowess as a film actress with an astonishing level of depth that continues to land her leading roles.

Today Cole is known for her roles in films including Rodney V. Williams’ “Therapy Sessions,” award-winning director Francoise Ellong’s “When Soukhina Disappeared,” and Simon Gedney “Cyborg Ninja vs. Vampires,” and the Discovery Channel TV series “Sinister Mysteries.”

Davina Cole has an undeniable knack for taking on strong women characters, something she has proven through the plethora of theatre productions she has done to date; but in Caleb Davis’ film “Two Easels” where the actress played the starring role of Kate, Cole revealed her ability to create the perfect balance between her character’s tough exterior and the subtle vulnerability of her inner yearning for love.

A ‘When Harry Met Sally’-esqu light-hearted comedy, “Two Easels” follows two street artists, Kate and Jack. When Jack tries to move in on Kate’s local wall, Kate gets increasingly frustrated until a competition is set to decide which artist has the strongest skill. In the midst of the heated competition a strong attraction forms between the two artist and Kate and Jack go on to not only fall in love, but form a fruitful artistic collaboration as well.

In Williams’ film “Therapy Sessions,” Cole heightened the story’s drama and showed the sharpness of her proverbial teeth when she took on the starring role of Sandra. A highly regarded and sought after relationship therapist, Sandra appears to have it together, at least when she’s leading a therapy session; but in her everyday life, Sandra struggles with her emotions as much as her patients.

A film that examines what happens when the lines between a therapist’s personal life and her relationship with her patients begin to blur, “Therapy Sessions” follows Michael and Lidia, a struggling couple who hire Sandra to help them work out their issues. When Sandra receives a call towards the end of their session, Lidia’s suspicion over Michael’s infidelity is brought to a head when Sandra violently calls out Michael for having an affair with her sister.

Looking towards the future, Cole says, “I hope to get meatier roles, which will push me further as an artist. I really admire the body of work and talent of Angela Bassett and Viola Davis and I would love to work them.”

In addition to shooting the upcoming soap opera “My Church and Family” where she takes on the leading role of Vivian, Cole is currently taking her one-woman show “All the Colours” on tour in the UK.

Actress, Canada, Canadian Star, Celebrity, Film, Uncategorized

Actress Sidney Leeder Draws Us In

December 11, 2015 Lorraine Wilder Leave a comment

Actress Sidney Leeder shot by Taylor McKay

For an actor, much of the work that goes into physically becoming a certain character comes down to identifying and creating their mannerisms, idiosyncrasies and the way they carry themselves. Movement in itself is a form of communication, something Canadian actress Sidney Leeder knows all about.

Audiences across continents will recognize Leeder from her roles in the films Debug, The Hazing Secret, Salem Falls, and Goon, as well as the hit television shows Beauty and the Beast, Reign, Lost Girl, Debra, Alphas and more; but prior to becoming the sought after actress she is today, Leeder was a professional dancer.

The grace and flawless movement that she brings her characters to life with on screen makes it easy to see that her extensive training as a dancer has made her a more intuitive and dynamic performer than most of her contemporaries.

In the 2011 Lifetime film Salem Falls, an adaption of Jodi Picoult’s 2001 novel of the same name, audiences had the opportunity to see Leeder in the pivotal role of Catherine, a young teen who falls in love with her teacher and subsequently turns his life upside down when she claims rape. Directed by Bradley Walsh (The Listener, Turn the Beat Around), the film follows Jack McBradden played by James Van Der Beek (Dawson’s Creek), a high school teacher who tries to make a new life for himself in Salem Falls after Leeder’s character tarnishes his reputation.

Unfortunately for Jack, his past comes out and turns the whole town of Salem Falls against him except for the one woman, Addie Peabody played by Sarah Carter (Falling Skies, Rogue), who goes to great lengths to track down Catherine and prove Jack’s innocence.

Although Salem Falls was one of the earlier films in Leeder’s career her performance comes across as that of a seasoned veteran.

“In one of the most pivotal scenes of the film I confess to lying about my alleged affair with professor… The scene takes place while walking down a long passageway. It was lengthy and revealing dialogue that required serious mental concentration. This character was also a challenge to play, as she needed to have just the right balance of maturity and naivety,” recalled Leeder.

“Prior to shooting I talked a lot with director Bradley Walsh about the characters motivation and significance. Having the opportunity to delve into such a complex character so early on in my career was an amazing challenge.”

Leeder’s career continued to skyrocket after the release of Salem Falls with the actress going on to land multiple guest star roles on television shows such as Life with Boys, The L.A. Complex, Degrassi: The Next Generation and Satisfaction. In 2014 she was cast to star in another Lifetime movie, The Hazing Secret, where she took on the riveting role of Melissa.

The storyline of the film revolves around the death of Leeder’s character Melissa, a naïve college freshman who makes out with the boyfriend of one of the sister’s of the sorority she’s pledging. Nancy, the sorority leader, revives the old practice of hazing in order to punish Melissa for her mistake, but when she locks Melissa in a coffin the young pledge suffocates and ultimately pays the price with her life.

Over the course of the film, Megan, one of the sorority sisters who is played by Gemini Award winner Shenae Grimes-Beech (90210, Scream 4), makes it her mission to expose the crime and the truth about Melissa’s tragic death. The film, which was directed by Jonathan Wright (Nostrum, A Very Merry Mix-Up), was nominated for an award from the Directors Guild of Canada earlier this year.

If there was ever any question over Leeder’s emotional capacity as an actress her knockout performance in The Hazing Secret proves that she can bring the waterworks with natural believability and make an audience feel for her character like the best actors in the industry.

DEBUG POSTER — Poster for the film “Debug”

Last year Leeder also starred as Lara alongside Adrian Holmes (The Cabin in the Woods, Elsium), Kjartan Hewitt (Capote), Jeananne Goossen (The Vow, The Night Shift) and Jason Moma (Game of Thrones) in David Hewlett’s (A Dog’s Breakfast, Rage of the Yeti) sci-fi horror film Debug.

Convicted of eco-terrorism, Leeder’s character Lara, along with five others, are placed into a work program aboard a dilapidated spaceship where they are assigned the task of debugging the ship’s artificial intelligence, but their job aboard the ship proves to be far more dangerous than simple computer hacking.

“Lara is very intuitive right from the get go. She warns the others that something about this mission feels wrong and explains that she is sensitive to the energy of her surroundings but is ignored,” explained Leeder.

When Iam, the ship’s AI played by Moma, feels the threat of annihilation, he begins fighting back in surprising ways killing most of the hackers aboard the ship including Leeder’s character Lara. Lara’s death is one of the most shocking of all as she is virtually raped to death.

Thinking that she is going to try out a kinky method of virtual fraternization with Mel, her beau on the ship played by Hewitt, Lara follows the ships orders and enters its sensory system not realizing that Iam is luring her into a trap.

“She is asked to remove her clothing and enter a pool of crystal clear liquid. As she does this she is transported virtually to a blood stained prison cell where Iam awaits her. It is there that he, and every other man who has set foot on the ship rape and beat her to death,” said Leeder.

“While mentally she is in this virtual reality, Lara’s physical body is actually drowning in the sensory system pool she entered. By the time Mel finds her it is too late and she is already dead.”

From playing the catty teen girls everyone loves to hate to the sweet and innocent girl next door and everything in between, including a psycho serial killer in the film The Killer, Sidney Leeder has revealed herself as an artist with exponential talent. She also recently finished filming multi-award winning director Rachel Meyer’s film Lunch, which premiered at the Beverly Hills Playhouse Film Festival last month.

“Being on a film set is one of my favorite places. It’s like stepping directly into a storybook. Acting gives me a natural high and allows me to explore myself, connect with others and imagine endless possibilities. I act because not acting simply isn’t an option. The need to perform and create has lived inherently in me for as long as I can remember,” admits Leeder.

Actress, Canadian Star, Film, Television, Uncategorized

Mesmerizing Dramatic Actress Eliana Jones

November 22, 2015 Christina Williams Leave a comment

While Eliana Jones is only 18 years old, her resume boasts the accomplishments of an actor well beyond her age. While she has undoubtedly made her name known in the world of television, Jones has given a slew of knock out performances on the stage and in feature films like Step Dogs as well. Her television career, however, is what has catapulted her to the top of her industry.

While Jones has appeared on array of award-winning television shows over the years, her career got a major boost when she landed the recurring role of the caddy high school teenager, Alexa Sworn, on executive producer Eli Roth’s (director, Hostel series; actor, Grindhouse: Death Proof, Inglorious Bastards) Netflix original series Hemlock Grove.

The Emmy nominated Hemlock Grove tells the story of a small town reeling from the recent murders of several teenage girls. Jones’ character Alexa, and her twin sister Alyssa, played by Emilia McCarthy (Kid’s Town, Maps to the Stars, Max and Shred), are the daughters of Hemlock Grove Sheriff, Tom Sworn, played by Aaron Douglas (The Returned, I, Robot) and the best friends of Christina Wendall, played by Freya Tingley (Once Upon a Time). Often eliciting intense reactions from their peers as they taunt and ridicule students at their high school, the Sworn sisters are the exact opposite of their quiet and reserved friend Christina, and their caddy nature might just make them the killer’s next target; but you’ll just have to watch the first season of the show to find out.

Hemlock Grove has received widespread praise and critical acclaim, and is currently in its third and final season. Other notable actors who worked with Jones on Hemlock Grove include Famke Janssen (Phoenix in the X-Men series), Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible 2, Taken 2, Ever After), and Bill Skarsgard (Vicoria, Anna Karenina, Behind Blue Skies).

The first hit television show Jones landed was Nikita, in which she debuted on screen as the younger version of Alex, one of the show’s lead characters who was played by Lyndsy Fonseca (Kick Ass; Kick Ass 2; How I Met Your Mother; Desperate Housewives). Nikita, which aired on the CW, has been nominated for numerous awards, including two Primetime Emmys.

Jones debuted her versatility in the role depicting young Alex through the show’s repeated flashbacks in nine episodes over the course of the first and second seasons. During many of the episodes Jones had the opportunity to display her knack for dialects and speaking other languages, an asset that has assuredly set her apart from other actresses.

“I often spoke Russian throughout the show,” Jones explained in an interview, “which is something that I had to spend hours learning!”

Her rendition was spot-on, however, which contributed toward many of the subsequent roles for which she was cast. The CW enjoyed Jones’ portrayal of young Alex so much in Nikita, that not long later the network cast her for another younger version of a lead character. In the hit TV series Lost Girl, Jones played teen Tasmin, the younger version of Rachel Skarsten’s (50 Shades of Gray; The Vow) starring character.

Jones has captivated television audiences on many other shows, including the CBC series Saving Hope, in which she acts alongside Wendy Crewson (Air Force One; The Santa Clause), as well as YTV’s The Stanley Dynamic, where leads the series alongside prolific television star Michael Gross (Anger Management; Suits; How I Met Your Mother; ER; The Young and the Restless).

Jones gave yet another dazzling performance in the feature film Step Dogs (2013), where she played the starring role of Lacey, a spoiled teenager from Hollywood who is forced to move to Canada with her aunt and their dog. The plotline follows both Lacey and her dog as they adjust to a new way of life, encountering many surprises, challenges and new relationships along the way.

Currently, Eliana Jones is in production for The Family Channel’s Backstage, a new show that follows a group of extremely talented artists, dancers, singers, painters, and actors. Backstage is set to begin airing in January of 2016.

AFI, Film, Film Editors, Television, Uncategorized

The Magician Behind the Scenes: Sunghwan Moon

November 21, 2015 Samantha E. Pineda Leave a comment

smoon — Korean Film Editor Sunghwan Moon

No medium exhibits the importance of collaborating with a wide array of creative minds quite like film production. And possibly no other title at the center of this marvelous art form holds it all together like the position of an editor.

An actor’s rehearsed lines have no meaning without the editor’s contribution. The director’s constant input lacks any sort of importance or cohesion without the editor working his or his magic. And most importantly, the writer’s story has no discernible narrative if not for the hard work fashioned by the editor, which ties everyone’s work together in the final product.

Sunghwan Moon knows this better than anyone. His hard work, dedication, resilience, and knack for working well with others have helped establish him as a remarkable editor in the world of film and television.

It is no wonder that the Korean-born Moon was one of only 14 film editors selected annually to participate in the renowned American Film Institute (AFI) conservatory program. His talents were quite apparent in the film and TV industries in Korea but once he moved to Los Angeles to attend AFI his career officially took off.

Attending AFI allowed Moon to build a significant and valuable network of relationships, including a couple of directors that would go on to provide him with some of the most challenging, yet satisfying jobs of his career to date.

One such film was director Kristine Namkung’s well-received romantic comedy Head Trauma. This film, which revolves around an Asian-American girl who gets a head injury and loses her ability to control her impulses, was right up Moon’s alley. The film’s simple yet elegant editing style helped gain attention noticed among festival goers including rave reviews at the Los Angeles Shorts Festival.

Shortly after receiving high praise for his work on the film, Moon’s successful momentum in the industry continued when he landed an editing position on writer-director Logan Sandler’s film Tracks. Starring Keith Stanfield (Straight Outta Compton, Selma) and Dominique Razon (Criminal Minds, Scorpion) the film follows the life of an amateur skater who is left to care for the young daughter of his girlfriend on the day of an important skateboard tournament.

“The director’s vision for this film was very clear…He and the DP shot the film in a way so that the camera looks at the main character all the time like a documentary,” says Moon.

In fact, in order to emulate the appropriate effect for Tracks, Moon reached out to veteran editor Nicholas Chaudeurge (Still Alice, Fish Tank) whose work inspired Moon’s editing on Tracks. His advice was immensely helpful and shortly thereafter they became close friends.

“I tried to respect how it was shot and edit accordingly. And this film got into many festivals around the world including this year’s AFI FEST,” adds Moon.

In addition to being chosen as an Official Selection of the Cambridge Film Festival, Rome International Film Festival, and the 24FPS International Short Film Festival where it received a Best Actor Award for Keith Stanfield’s performance.

“I’m happy that he won because a big part of editor’s job is to shape actors’ performance,” explains Moon.

.Moon’s precise edits coupled with the enthralling story and crafty camera work earned the film a Grand Jury Prize nomination at the 2015 AFI Fest.

Moon definitely understands the importance of paying close attention to the director’s vision of any project, as well as the DP’s shooting technique in order to properly accomplish the desired effect.

He says, “In general, I believe how the footage is shot tells you how to edit. The footage tells you how to cut.”

Some of Sunghwan Moon’s other films to date include The Confession, The Superman, Mrs. Alderman, The Lost Generation, Together Alone and many more. Through each of his projects as lead editor it is easy to see this truly talented editor’s intuitive relationship with footage and his ability to create a seamless story that fits the goal of the film, no matter how different one project is from the next.

Actors, Canadian Star, Film, Television

Actor Ian Fisher Continues his Success after the Series “Covert Affairs”

October 2, 2015 Seth Perlstein Leave a comment

High-level CIA officials filled the room, but all he wanted to do was get in, deliver a message and get out without overhearing something above his pay grade.

This was the day-to-day experience of a CIA agent named Patrick, a popular character that Canadian actor Ian Fisher thoughtfully brought to life on the USA Network’s hit spy-action-drama show Covert Affairs.

While Fisher is no newcomer, he was much younger than many of his counterparts on the series, which included accomplished actors such as Piper Perabo (The Prestige, Looper, Coyote Ugly), Christopher Gorham (Justice League: War, Ugly Betty, Felicity) and Peter Gallagher (American Beauty, The O.C., While You Were Sleeping). However, the dynamic approach Fisher brought to his character on the series made his performances flow seamlessly in line with those of the veteran actors as though the cast had been working together for years.

When Fisher first landed his role on Covert Affairs, he decided early on during the process of developing his character that he would approach Patrick with a quote from the film Ocean’s Eleven in mind.

In Ocean’s Eleven, Rusty explained to Linus, “He’s got to like you, then forget you, the moment you’ve left his side”; and, as Fisher’s character in Covet Affairs was continually the show’s bearer of bad news, the quote was the perfect inspiration. Ironically, though Patrick was known over the course of the fifth season for bringing the kind of news that would throw a monkey wrench into the CIA’s plans, this was actually good news for Fisher as his character gained traction with fans and social media.

“My character did this so often that the writers of the show once tweeted ‘Patrick, the harbinger of doom’ during an episode broadcast,” Fisher said.

Fisher’s roles span the gamut. The actor has proven his prowess in practically every genre, but where he truly thrives is in the world of comedy and drama. Last year he guest starred on the series Reign, which received a People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama the very same year, as well as Beauty & the Beast, which won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show that year as well.

Fisher’s impressive career has allowed him the rare opportunity to become a range of different people through his characters, but few have hit home for him like his recent role in Glory River, a film about a small town obsessed with its hockey team.

“It’s kind of along the same lines of what Friday Night Lights did with football,” Fisher said.

Fisher connected with Glory River because he grew up in the small Canadian town of Vernon, British Columbia. Vernon’s local hockey team of 17- to 20-year-olds was so popular that its players were “treated like gods,” he said.

Fisher used his experience of living in such a hockey-crazed town to his advantage for his role as the film’s star, Noah Gallagher, the town’s most-admired player with long shot hopes of someday playing professional hockey.

“I loved playing Noah in Glory River because of the personal connection I felt to him,” Fisher said. “We came from very similar worlds. We both were raised by single mothers, both from small towns, and both have big goals.”

The story of Noah has been the story of countless Canadians, Fisher said. Hockey’s deep and meaningful roots in Canadian culture was a large reason for Fisher wanting to play the part, and play it well.

“I knew I could do him and that story justice,” Fisher said. “It’s a story that is so ingrained in the lives of Canadians. I was really excited to be able to bring it to the screen.”

Glory River, which opened at the 2015 Calgary International Film Festival on September 29 and will screen again on October 4, was directed by Blake McWilliam, whose films have previously been nominated for awards at the Sundance Film Festival and SXSW Film Festival.

With Fisher’s passion for his craft, there’s no doubt that the talented actor will continue to shine for years to come, and his role in Glory River is definitely going to clinch some award nominations on the festival circuit this year.

Actors, Actress, Film, International Actor, Television

Actress Aleksandra Kovacevic Showcases her Talent Across Genres

September 28, 2015 Scott Prewitt Leave a comment

Hailing from Sarajevo, raised in Germany and trained in Los Angeles, trilingual star of the stage and screen Aleksandra Kovacevic has won over audiences on both sides of the Atlantic and become a mainstay in the industry.

In the play 4.48 Psychosis, Kovacevic takes on the difficult task of portraying both a therapist and the therapist’s patient. The play has a deeply tragic history, which is as important to the plot as the actual performance. 4.48 Psychosis was written by British playwright Sarah Kane who suffered from debilitating depression herself. After she completed writing the play, Kane committed suicide before its debut. The unsettling and grim context of the story makes it that much more powerful, and Kovacevic brought that sense of emotional magnitude to her performance in the play.

“The role of the patient was a paradox, like a free spirit trapped in her own prison. She suppresses her path and tries to reflect her fate on others,” Kovacevic said of the role. “She is Sarah Kane, and still can’t accept that she is ill. If she dies both of them die. My character is basically telling her not to give up on herself.”

Kovacevic’s work is not bound by the conventions of genre; she is as at home in comedic roles as she is in psychological dramas. In the 2015 hit Netflix Original Series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, she plays a counselor who auditions for the Camp Talent Show. The series is directed by David Wain (Stella, They Came Together, Role Models), two-time Emmy Award-winning co-creator of the Adult Swim live-action comedy Children’s Hospital. The role sees Kovacevic act alongside an enormous all-star cast, including Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation, Saturday Night Live, They Came Together), who plays the camp counselor and brutal camp play director Susie.

In an incredible display of her talents as both an actor and a writer, Kovacevic played the lead role in Bertilda, a film she wrote herself. As the title character Bertilda, Kovacevic portrays a marionette, which serves as a symbol for the restrictions placed on women in the past and present. Throughout the film, Bertilda gradually begins to break away from those limits. Kovacevic spoke about the ways in which she planned and visualized the production from start-to-finish.

“I started thinking about the role of the female and what I could relate to,” she said. “Things like being seen as an object, being underestimated, men thinking females can’t have a position of leadership and women being seen as the weak link. The change of the female role, now and then.”

She spent countless hours studying not only the history of women’s struggles, but also the finer details like set design and of course, the style with which she would take on the role of a marionette puppet. It takes careful choreography and precise movements to perfectly embody and portray a wooden puppet whose movements are controlled and restricted by strings, and Kovacevic did so masterfully.

“I started to develop my character in her full motion when I started to practice with strings,” said Kovacevic, who actually used both bungee cords and ropes to help her become a living puppet. “To bring this project to life, I needed to practice a lot. A puppet doesn’t have a mind, her head is made out of wood.”

Everything – from the gorgeous set, painstakingly designed like an idyllic dollhouse and overflowing with symbolism to set the mood for observant viewers, to the ‘50s style of decor and wardrobe, down to the Nutcracker-esque living doll at the core of the film – are carefully and thoroughly planned and intended to create what Kovacevic calls “a fairy tale for grown-ups.”

Audiences can catch Kovacevic in the film Bertilda, and in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp now on Netflix. Other upcoming projects include Sebudai, set to begin shooting in winter, and Animal Lovers Anonymous, a feature length mockumentary-style comedy set to begin production in 2016.

Actors, Actress, Canada, Film

From “Swearnet: The Movie” to “The Man in the Shadows,” Sarah Jurgens is an Actress We Love to Watch

September 15, 2015 Lorraine Wilder Leave a comment

Sarah Jurges — Actress Sarah Jurgens in “The Man in the Shadows” taken by Andrew Cymek

For all the fans that feel a bit sad every time an episode of the hit show Trailer Park Boys ends after only 30 minutes, the release of Swearnet: The Movie probably came as quite a delight. Distributed by E1 Films Canada, Netflix and Dada Films, the 2014 release of the film Swearnet: The Movie pulled together the stars of Trailer Park Boys, with the added bonus of Tom Green, Carrot Top and Sarah Jurgens, for 112 minutes of crude laugh out loud comedy.

When CNT denies the next season of their show due to offensive language, Mike Smith, Rob Wells, John Paul Tremblay and Patrick Roach decide to form their own television network known as Swearnet, a haven for all those anti-censorship swear-a-holics, who just can’t seem to curb their tongue.

It seems the boys are back on top, as long as Wells can keep the new network a secret from his psycho girlfriend Julie, played by Jurgens, who brings the perfect dichotomy of anxiety and comedy to the film. The epitome of that crazy, overbearing girlfriend we’ve all known at one time or another, Julie makes Wells’ life a living hell throughout the film.

“I anchored her destructive behavior in deep insecurity and an insatiable desire for attention and drama. It was such a blast to be able to run wild with her,” recalls Sarah Jurgens.

Most viewers will recognize Jurgens from her more dramatic roles on the television shows Covert Affairs, Lost Girl, Republic of Doyle and Beauty and the Beast, but we get to see a totally different side of her in this film.

About working on Swearnet: The Movie, Jurgens says, “The director, Warren P. Sonoda, created a working environment that was fast-paced and creatively freeing. We were often encouraged to stretch the boundaries of the characters behavior, and the improv really kept me on my toes.”

Viewers will have the chance to see Jurgens in a starkly different role than Julie in the psychological drama film The Man in the Shadows, where she plays the role of Rachel Darwin. The film revolves around Jurgens’ character, a newlywed photographer who is haunted by a mysterious man in the shadows who continually appears wearing a brimmed hat.

Based on hundreds of accounts from people around the world who have had similar experiences with this mysterious presence, The Man in the Shadows premiered recently at the Dances with Films Festival in Los Angeles and is slated to screen again at the Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival on September 22.

“‘The Man In The Shadows’ gave me the permission to explore the experience of being haunted, hunted and stalked,” explains Jurgens. “I was given the opportunity to live in a state of mental unraveling. I enjoyed the challenge of playing a character who was wrestling with truth and illusion, experiencing the slippage of her own sanity.”

The film was also chosen as an Official Selection of the 2015 SCARE-A-CON Film Festival where Jurgens is nominated for a Best Actress Award, and the film is nominated for a Best Feature Award.