Episode Seventy-Three: Script Supervisor Veda Semarne from The Office
The script supervisor has one of the most important and difficult jobs on set: making sure what’s in the script ends up in the can (or in the case of The Office, the plastic tape case). The script supervisor, also known as the scripty, rarely has a free moment on set as she or he is constantly taking notes for each take, timing each take, and supervising the continuity of the script including actor’s lines, props, wardrobe and much more! Join us as we discuss the duties and responsibilities of this valuable position with Veda Semarne of The Office.
Episode Seventy-Three: Script Supervisor Veda Semarne from The Office [60:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Veda Semarne- Script Supervisor
Veda Semarne received a Ph.D. in Art History from Yale, writing her dissertation on the Lumière brothers and the first films in France. She taught film history, theory, and screenwriting at Yale University, Trinity College, and Long Island University until 1996, when she moved to L.A. to explore the world of film production first hand. In 1997, she took a script supervising course at the American Film Institute and has been working as a script supervisor ever since, on feature films and television series. She has worked in many genres, but comedy is her favorite. She just completed her seventh season on the NBC’s The Office. Her feature projects include Cedar Rapids and License to Wed. She has had the honor of working with many fine directors, among them Ken Kwapis, Paul Feig, Miguel Arteta and Harold Ramis.
Lynda Lopez- Producer
Lynda Lopez started her career in film as a Production Designer working on student films with friends from art school where she was a Graphic Design major. She then went on to assist some very talented Production Designers on studio films while still working in various capacities on short films and indie films. Due to her fascination for all aspects of filmmaking, she has become more involved with the Production side of things working as a Director’s Assistant and Producer.
Lynda is currently working on a charity project for All Hands Volunteers, a non-profit organization that provides hands-on assistance to survivors of natural disasters around the world. For more information about Lynda’s project to help this organization please visit Film Method’s Facebook page.
For more information on All Hands Volunteers visit their website at http://hands.org/
Jenna Edwards- Producer, Film Method Co-Host
For more information about Jenna Edwards please visit the About page.
Producing Sunflowers Website
Burbank International Film Fest
Episode Seventy-Two: The 2nd A.D.s
The role of the 2nd A.D. is an extremely important one and is very different from that of the 1st A.D. While the 1st A.D. spends all of his or her time on set, the 2nd A.D. is primarily in the production office, working with the producers to make sure that the production is running smoothly and planning the next day’s shoot. Holden Hume and Meredith Corrado join us to discuss both the 2nd A.D. and the 2nd 2nd A.D. positions in depth and explain how their jobs fit in to the grand scheme of a film production.
Holden Hume- 2nd A.D.
Holden was born in Sterling, Colorado and lived most of his life in Sidney, Nebraska. He gained a love of film at an early age, watching everything he could, which was at times difficult given the fact that the nearest movie theater was 30 miles away. When the local theater opened back up some years later, Holden began writing movie reviews for the local paper. He later went on to earn his degree in Film and Video studies at the University of Oklahoma. After graduation he moved to LA to pursue a career
in film production. He started out in LA as an intern for a small production company on the back lot of Universal Studios by day, and a night Auditor for a motel on Hollywood Blvd by night (an experience that was about as far removed from small town Nebraska as you can get). Holden’s first industry job was as a PA for 300 dollars a week on a small Horror Movie called DARK RIDE. He and went on to become a 2nd 2nd AD a 2nd AD and eventually a 1st AD for non-union productions Film and Television. He met his wife Meredith Corrado (also an AD), on a film set, and they now have a 1 year old son named Homer. They are both currently ADing, producing and writing. They live in the San Fernando Valley.
To get in touch with Holden or Meredith you can email them at hume8617@yahoo.com
Meredith Corrado- Producer, 2nd 2nd A.D.
I was born in Albany, NY, raised in Mexico, MO, and went to college at Hendrix College in Conway, AR. After college, I moved to Chicago, IL for a few years, and at some point realized I wanted to make movies. I volunteered my help at Movieside Film Festival and quickly fell into working on a documentary. Around the same time, my twin sister was graduating from special effects school and wanted to move to Los Angeles, and here we are. Finding a job in Los Angeles wasn’t easy, as I found out, you need to know someone. I went from Production Assistant to Craft Services and eventually up the Assistant Director ladder to now Producing. With my own production company, Corrado Studios, my husband and I get to work together doing what we love.
Jenna Edwards- Producer, Film Method Co-Host
For more information about Jenna Edwards please visit the About page.
Producing Sunflowers Website
Burbank International Film Fest
Episode Seventy-One: Lighting a Set
For obvious reasons, lights are some of the most important elements on a film set. Without light, you wouldn’t see what’s in the picture and without the picture, you wouldn’t have a movie! The lighting department is filled with many peculiar sounding crew member titles like best boy, grip and even a griptrician (what you get when you cross a grip with an electrician). Chris Lewis joins us to talk about motivating his department on set and the proper etiquette for running a well-oiled G&E team.
Chris T. Lewis- Lighting Designer, Chief Lighting Technician
Chris started his career in the entertainment industry in 1982 while living in Phoenix, Arizona. He got his basic training by working with a Phoenix corporate and trades production company and learned all the basics of production from the beginning of design concept stages to the end of deep storage wrap. They had a small staff and everyone was cross trained with a hands on approach. Chris then moved to Page, Arizona where he worked on commercials and videos being shot at Lake Powell including the Sports Illustrated 25th Anniversary Swimsuit Video and his first feature film Highway to Hell.
In 1992 he was offered a position on Babylon 5 and he made the decision to move to Los Angeles, California, to work full time in the electrical department. Since then Chris has moved up through the electrical ranks and is now a successful Lighting Designer and Chief Lighting Tech. He owns his own business, Corsair Lighting, which rents electrical equipment.
Chris also stays up to date with his US Passport, is Padi Certified, and Dan Insured. He’s worked all over the world including Africa, Costa Rica, and Prague. He is local to Los Angeles, CA and Kaneohe, Oahu. Currently (2011), Chris is still employed as a Lighting Designer and Chief Lighting Technician.
He has just finished Season 14 on The Ultimate Fighter television series and has upcoming underwater projects being shot at Fantasy II Film Effects in Los Angeles.
Written by: Christina Christensen Lewis
Corsair Website
Chris’ Facebook page
Lynda Lopez- Producer
Lynda Lopez started her career in film as a Production Designer working on student films with friends from art school where she was a Graphic Design major. She then went on to assist some very talented Production Designers on studio films while still working in various capacities on short films and indie films. Due to her fascination for all aspects of filmmaking, she has become more involved with the Production side of things working as a Director’s Assistant and Producer.
Lynda is currently working on a charity project for All Hands Volunteers, a non-profit organization that provides hands-on assistance to survivors of natural disasters around the world. For more information about Lynda’s project to help this organization please visit Film Method’s Facebook page.
For more information on All Hands Volunteers visit their website at http://hands.org/
Jenna Edwards- Producer
Jenna Edwards began her film career in Minnesota where she was signed on as talent with Easter Hailey. Quickly after being signed Edwards was hired by the agency as a full time employee giving her a head-start on her Hollywood education. After two years of rising through the Minnesota film community Edwards made the move to Los Angeles.
Soon after Edwards moved to Los Angeles she was hired by agent Jamie Ferrar. It was while Edwards was working for Ferrar that she developed an interest in the casting process. Before long she had moved from talent agencies to working in casting with such industry leaders as; Sally Steiner (Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Boy Meets World), Barbie Block (Jonas, Pepper Dennis) and Allison Jones (Superbad, The Office).
During this time Edwards was also able to gain valuable production experience working with studios like Disney, MTV, FOX and CBS.
After several years of successfully navigating her career through the Hollywood studio system Edwards made the leap to independent film with her first feature April Showers and has since successfully produced 4 feature films as well as co-hosting the Film Method podcast and teaching producing classes at New York Film Academy.
After her success with April Showers Edwards formed Mattoid Entertainment with partners Jeremy McGovern and Andrew Robinson where they produced the first ever made-for-internet movie, In the Darkness, which premiered on Hulu.com. Mattoid has recently made the leap to distribution, where they have acquired three feature documentaries to be released in 2011. The first, Adopting Haiti premiered as the #1 documentary on Hulu.com.
Aside from continuing to work at Mattoid, Jenna is busy working on budgets for several independent films, producing 2 feature films and developing projects for television as well as teaching producing at New York Film Academy.
Burbank International Film Festival
Episode Seventy: The Hierarchy on Set
When you’re on a film set, like in any business, there is a certain structure that should be followed in order to finish your day and ultimately to finish your film. Of course on a film set, just like in any business, things don’t always go according to plan, and this is when the members of the crew need to get creative. The 1st A.D. is the eyes and ears of what goes on during principle photography and most of the decisions that are made on set go through him or her. Frank Caridi joins us to talk about the hierarchy on set, set etiquette, and who can fire who.
Frank Caridi- Film Worker
Frank started his film career in Chicago in the mid 90′s, first in industrial videos, then in the fast paced, insanely challenging indie film scene. In Chicago in the 1990′s, being an indie film worker means you are comfortable wearing several hats on set, and possibly a bartender’s apron off set. He became an integral part of a film production team headed by Christina Varotsis, and known for its resourcefulness and stretching budgets to the breaking point. That reputation landed that crew the first season of HBO’s Project Greenlight.
After a the minor notoriety and Hollywood Awakening of Project Greenlight, Frank decided to move to Los Angeles. Although he left the bartender’s apron behind, he did manage to bring both his love of rough and tumble low budget film making as well as his solid, Midwestern work ethic. The rush of overcoming the challenges of making a film happen without the comforts and resources of an ample budget became addictive, and a niche as a low budget 1st AD was found…then abandoned for the paycheck of commercial production.
After years of working in commercials in Los Angeles, Frank returned to independent production to make music videos as head of production for both Propeller Productions and then for Highway 114. Producing music videos employed the creative problem solving of indie film production, but also introduced the creative freedom that is unique to short format videos. Everything about music video production is short, including the business model of a music video production company. When Josh Tickell of the Veggie Van Organization approached Frank to build and promote a sustainable vehicle to promote the theatrical release of his film, FUEL, Frank became a builder and green engineer.
Frank’s Email Address: madcap1314@gmail.com
Lynda Lopez- Producer
Lynda Lopez started her career in film as a Production Designer working on student films with friends from art school where she was a Graphic Design major. She then went on to assist some very talented Production Designers on studio films while still working in various capacities on short films and indie films. Due to her fascination for all aspects of filmmaking, she has become more involved with the Production side of things working as a Director’s Assistant and Producer.
Jenna Edwards- Producer
Jenna Edwards began her film career in Minnesota where she was signed on as talent with Easter Hailey. Quickly after being signed Edwards was hired by the agency as a full time employee giving her a head-start on her Hollywood education. After two years of rising through the Minnesota film community Edwards made the move to Los Angeles.
Soon after Edwards moved to Los Angeles she was hired by agent Jamie Ferrar. It was while Edwards was working for Ferrar that she developed an interest in the casting process. Before long she had moved from talent agencies to working in casting with such industry leaders as; Sally Steiner (Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Boy Meets World), Barbie Block (Jonas, Pepper Dennis) and Allison Jones (Superbad, The Office).
During this time Edwards was also able to gain valuable production experience working with studios like Disney, MTV, FOX and CBS.
After several years of successfully navigating her career through the Hollywood studio system Edwards made the leap to independent film with her first feature April Showers and has since successfully produced 4 feature films as well as co-hosting the Film Method podcast and teaching producing classes at New York Film Academy.
After her success with April Showers Edwards formed Mattoid Entertainment with partners Jeremy McGovern and Andrew Robinson where they produced the first ever made-for-internet movie, In the Darkness, which premiered on Hulu.com. Mattoid has recently made the leap to distribution, where they have acquired three feature documentaries to be released in 2011. The first, Adopting Haiti premiered as the #1 documentary on Hulu.com.
Aside from continuing to work at Mattoid, Jenna is busy working on budgets for several independent films, producing 2 feature films and developing projects for television as well as teaching producing at New York Film Academy.
Burbank International Film Festival
Support From Start to Finish with Steve Everson
May 1, 2011 by cindy
Filed under Support from Start to Finish
This new feature from Film Method will highlight different crowd funding campaigns each month. Producer Steve Everson is our guest blogger this month as we focus on the Indiegogo campaign for his short film A Midsummer Nightmare.
In the early pre-production of Midsummer, our goal was to avoid two pitfalls of many of the short films that we had seen or worked on, in the past. First, we decided it is important that the story have an extremely strong hook that incorporates elements that are new to viewers. The other main pitfall to avoid, as we saw it, was to stifle the film’s creative efforts by attempting the film unprepared.
To address the former, it was decided, rather than create a typical horror film with a faceless killer stalking the cast until the end, the main inspiration is drawn from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The latter became one of the primary reasons for the crowd funding campaign for A Midsummer Nightmare – The Betrayal.
As fans, we know that the popularity of both the horror and fantasy genres are strong, but the tie-in of Shakespeare opened the door to fans that may not have donated to a horror or fantasy film.
Writer & Director Josh Siegel did a great job with this and really ran wild with the story to create something both scary and fantastical. He put all the characters that you would expect to see in Shakespeare’s play, including King Oberon and Queen Titania of the Fairies’ court, and, of course, the mischievous Puck. But then, we turned the whole story on its ear. (Including an appearance by William Shakespeare.)
The Story: England, 1596. The Brotherhood of St. George uses William Shakespeare to trap the Faerie Court within an enchanted book, sparking a secret war with the pagan Feyists. 250 years later the book is opened and the magical beings are freed in a California forest.
Lord Oberon and Queen Titania are not happy after their long imprisonment, unleashing their wrath upon mankind. Three cowboys fight to survive long enough to stop the vengeful faeries and the murderous prankster called Puck.
Once the film is complete, the film will go on the festival circuit. We have a lot of confidence in its ability to perform and compete in the festivals we have targeted. These include about 30 of the top festivals in the US and Europe that are horror and fantasy themed.
When it has completed its tour, we are working on making the film available for download from a variety of outlets via the Internet (most are still in the preliminary stages) and of course, DVDs will be available with supplemental content including concept art, cast and crew bios and interviews and much more.
On behalf of the entire cast and crew, we would like to invite the listeners of Film Method to join us at any of the following links (hopefully all of the links) to keep updated on the progress of the film, help boost the word of mouth or even throw in a few dollars, if possible.
And thank you so much to Cindy Freeman and everyone at Film-Method.com!
To checkout our crowd funding campaign
Indiegogo:
http://www.indiegogo.com/A-Midsummer-Nightmare
Keep updated with all developments
The Blog:
http://midsummerfilm.blogspot.com/
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/AMidsummerNightmare
Twitter:
A Midsummer Nightmare – The Betrayal
Produced by Steve Everson, L. Jeffrey Moore and Joshua Siegel
Steve Everson- Producer
Steve holds a degree in Communication Design, Media Arts from CSU, Chico. He spent three years as a commercial producer for Charter Media. Following that, Steve was hired as the Cinematographer and a Post Producing Consultant for the feature film Bloodwood Cannibals. The next year, he was hired as a Assistant Director and Co-Producer on the feature film Lesser Miracles. As a MFA student at the Academy of Art, Steve has served as a Producer twelve short films and a music video.
