Los Angeles Film Spotlight
The Extraordinary Ordinary
Directed. Written and Executive Produced by: Natalie Rodriguez
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A college junior and photography major strives to complete an art project from high school, but she struggles to find balance and closure from her past due to her ongoing battle with panic attacks, her overprotective mother, a father who hesitates to have her back, befriending a classmate who comes from trauma of their own, and falling in love for the first time.
Who are you? Tell us about yourself.
Melina Valdez - Associate Producer & Social Media Coordinator: I was born in Montclair, CA. I have three siblings; two sisters and a brother. I never knew I wanted to be in the entertainment industry until junior college. I always struggled with what I wanted to do for the longest time, and I spent so long in community college that I ended up with two associate degrees. I enjoy anything film or television related; I interned with Entravision/Univision in San Diego where I worked along with producers and hosts and had the opportunity to go to the NFL Chargers interviews. That experience really made me want to work in television. Not to mention I also worked in a studio setting in cc, which made me want to go into television even more. I also love watching films, I would have to say my favorite genres are romance and thrillers; they have that combination of adventure, mystery, and horror that I like.
Enrique Buenrostro - Associate Producer: I was born in Torrance, CA but lived in Long Beach, CA the first two years of my life before moving to Orange County. I have four other siblings: two older brothers, an older sister and a younger sister. I also have 3 nieces and two nephews. I had an inkling I wanted to be a writer at a very young age. I would create characters out of the shows I would watch growing up. From anime to soap operas, I had binders full of character names, the abilities they had, their occupation, life story and even which actor I would wishful cast in the role. I remember in I think my 5th Grade class at Fairhaven Elementary School, my teacher, Ms. Amelia Moniz, had us write our own stories in books. I don't remember the name but I know it may have had Wild Thornberrys/Angry Beaver characters. I could be totally wrong. For my senior year at Tustin High School, my English 4 teacher, Mrs. Kim Robinson had me write a screenplay and my Film Analysis teacher, Ms. Jones let me shoot a short film. Unfortunately, I didn't get to finish them because I was so stressed from doing so many things like the SATs. I also spent too long in community college but it mostly because I didn't too well in some classes but I was able to make them up and I got my Associate’s Degree. That was two years ago, I recently graduated with my Bachelor's Degree in Film or as Cal State University Fullerton calls it Cinema and Television Arts AKA CTVA. This was my first Internship ever but I have written for so long and was thought what a 3 Act structure is plus how TV has 5-6 Acts. Every Film professor tells me for writing that it might be best to go into television because in Film it's the director that gets appreciated. I love both TV and film, it's to like I can choose one over the other. My favorite genres are drama, horror and fantasy. I love writing drama the most, must be from seeing soap operas with my mom since I was a little kid.
How did you hear about the project?
Melina: I heard about the project through Titan Connection, it’s Cal State Fullerton’s internship/job search page. From there I emailed Natalie my resume and heard back from her right away. I was glad too, because I had applied for internships later than usual.
Enrique: I was searching for an Internship because it is mandatory for Film students at Cal State Fullerton to get one in order to graduate. So I went on Titan Connection, where students go to apply for jobs and other Internships. There I found a link to The Extraordinary Ordinary and applied for the Production Assistant position. This was actually one of many Internships I applied to. I sent a resume and one of the scripts I wrote for one of my classes.
How did you get involved?
Melina: I got involved right when Natalie said I could become a day player PA. The first time I met her was one of their last days shooting the film. It was crazy, I got involved at the end of the film almost coming to an end. But it worked out, because I was asked to do social media for the films Instagram and Facebook pages. After being a social media coordinator Natalie asked if I could help with press, making me an Associate Producer as well, which was very different for me because it was something I had never done. But I got the hang of it right away, and I’m glad I did because I am always willing to grow and learn more about the industry through different roles.
Jesse Lozano and Melina Valdez
Enrique: I was playing phone tag and email tag with Natalie for several weeks following the initial e-mail. It wasn't for another few days when she finally sent me an email saying that she loved what was on my resume including the script I sent her. She loved it so much she told me that instead of the normal PA position I was going to be an Associate Producer. The following day, she called me and hired me right then and there. I can't thank Natalie enough for this opportunity to learn more about the inner workings of this industry.
What kind of tasks are you involved in?
Melina: I was a production assistant the last two days of filming, which were really hectic days but I enjoyed every part of it, because I got the chance to meet incredibly talented people from actors, the dp, to the director herself, Natalie. After the film wrapped I did social media, posting stills from the film and anything that involved mental health awareness. I also reach out to different organizations, do a bit of press, see how they can get involved and help build on this incredible project.
Joey Bosa and Melina Valdez
Enrique: One of the tasks I did was finding for restaurants nearby each shooting location and determining what the prices on the menu are. I went on food and coffee runs. We ended up eating Panda Express for a few days in a row. I couldn't even look at Chinese food for several weeks. I helped Natalie and the rest of the cast and crew with preventing onlookers from ruining the shot. I would also send out the call sheets and the schedule for each shoot date to both the crew and the cast. I was even an extra in a few scenes. Learning about what happens on set is so mind boggling to me even now after working on this film.
Have you had previous production experience?
Melina: I did some reporting work in community college where I shot footage of high school football games, and did a little interviewing as well. I also edited my own footage throughout that time and did voice over work. I was also a host on a show at my community college, it was fun.
Enrique: Yeah, I do. I did three small projects for my production college class this past semester. They’re on YouTube. Even one of them, I wrote the script for. I also wrote scripts for my scriptwriting class, as well as a spec script for The Fosters.
Melina: I stopped watching The Fosters once Jesus was replaced.
Enrique: Yeah, he was a bit taller than Jake T. Austin, but in later seasons I came to accept Noah Centineo as Jesus especially with the performance he did with the brain injury story.
What are your top three favorite movies and TV shows?
Melina: Right now -- I am really into Riverdale.
Enrique: I hope season 3 does get better. There was a lot going on in season 2.
Melina: Do not ruin it for me.
Enrique: I want to see more of Kevin and Josie. Shameless is also my favorite of all time.
Melina: Yeah, me too. I’m looking forward to the next season of Shameless to come on Netflix in October.
Enrique: I also loved the soaps, but there are too many to name. Buffy and the Vampire Slayer is another one, loved Sarah Michelle Gellar since All My Children. For movies, John Carpenter's Halloween is my all time fave. Followed by Scream and I have to admit I love Ice Princess with Michelle Trachtenberg and Hayden Panettiere.
Have you worked on your own projects?
Melina: I just made short films for a class. They were random scripts. I just directed and shot/DP it also edited myself. It was really tough--I am not a cinematographer, but would love to learn. I would like to do my own YouTube channel, also would like to host too--seems to be fun.
Enrique: What about a podcast? I would do that.
Melina: I did host a show at my community college, Palomar. We would get people on the show if they wanted to promote their restaurants. I was also on the radio there too.
Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
Melina: I see myself, hopefully, working in entertainment industry. Maybe living in LA for some time. I also have a dream of going out of the country, maybe to Korea making dramas--would love to go over there and work. Traveling and going to different countries is a dream.
Enrique: Yeah, I would love to visit Japan or any country in Europe. I would like to write some more scripts. Start working on TV as a writer, as well as create a TV show. I have the ideas in my head and characters.
Melina: Nevermind scratch living in LA. It’s too expensive.
What are your overall career goals?
Melina: I never thought of going into film, until I PA for The Extraordinary Ordinary. Maybe try directing one day. Sometimes, I do wonder if I am picking the right career, because I feel like everyone tears each other down.
Enrique: Yeah, my family asks me too why I chose this field.
Melina: But if you are a creative person, you have to give it a try.
Enrique: I would like to be a writer in general for both TV and film--selling scripts. I would like to try directing.
Tell us some random facts of yourself.
Melina: I can whistle almost any song.
Enrique: I can give the Spock sign, but I think everyone can do that. I like to write maps, I've had some maps I created since 2002. My sister soon-to-be ex-husband’s second cousin is Nikki Blonsky from Hairspray.
If you had to pick...who is your celebrity crush?
Melina: Cole Sprouse is cute. Zac Efron from 17 Again was cute. But then, he got all buff. I thought it was funny when Zac’s character hits on his wife as a teenager.
Enrique: I am a little obsessed with Miles Heizer from 13 Reasons Why. I have been finding myself watching the rest of his work like Parenthood and Nerve and listening to his music on Soundcloud. And I have always loved Mae Whitman too ever since Independence Day. Funny because Miles and Mae are roommates. I have other celebrity crushes too but we'd be here forever.
What are your thoughts on stories that deal with mental health, anti-violence, and recovery awareness such as TV shows like Thirteen Reasons Why and Sharp Objects?
Melina: I have never seen Sharp Objects.
Enrique: I love how much 13 Reasons Why portrays mental health issues such as depression and PTSD in such a realistic way. We just moved so I am waiting to get HBO to see Sharp Objects. Personally I think the backlash between both shows is because people don't want to see the harsh reality of what the mental and physical anguish people go through in their lives both young and old.
Melina: Although I haven’t seen either show I think it’s a good thing to write and produce stories like these that are so realistic. These TV shows show exactly what people suffering through mental health, violence, recovery deal with. It’s real, and we shouldn’t be afraid of talking about it or making films or shows about it.
Have you ever had a funny or strange celebrity encounter?
Melina: When I was younger, I saw Lil’ Romeo with his dad, Master P. at Hometown Buffet. I didn’t go up to him since there were a lot of girls who went up to him. Plus, he had a lot of security guards with him. Another time, I met Jesse
Enrique: My mom hung out with Snoop Dogg once and even lived in the same neighborhood as him. She even saw Jennifer Love Hewitt at a restaurant another time. Brie Larson retweeted my tweet this one time--a photo of her as Captain Marvel with Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman. In 2005, I saw Rihanna at Knott’s; she was performing there for JoJo Jam on Kiss FM.
Would you do a Marvel or DC film?
Melina: I have never been a fan, to be honest. But if I had to choose, I would do a Marvel film.
Enrique: I grew up reading the comics and seeing the movies and animated shows. I would love to write a spec script for the both the movies and TV shows for both Marvel and DC. Sucks that for TV you can't use certain characters because the films use them.
"The D" is a film in 2016 about a twenty-something year old who cannot enjoy a party after his ex starts posting...certain content on social media.
The Director
Natalie Rodriguez
Natalie Rodriguez is a writer and filmmaker from Southern, CA. In 2014, she graduated with her B.A. in TV-Film from CSUF. Her work has been featured on James Franco's "Sex Scenes" Studio 4 (LA) master class; Zooey Deschanel's HelloGiggles; AXS; Defeat the Stigma Project; Dime Show Review; Fictional Cafe; FlockU; Ranker.com; Scriggler; TheRichest , Short Kid Stories; The Huffington Post; Thought Catalog; and Winamop Poetry. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, IMDB, Youtube for more of her work, and Google + or contact her at nataliechristine2010@gmail.com for business inquiries.
The Cast
Brittney Grabill
Brittney Grabill, starring as Roxanne in "The D" is a twilight voice, a liquid silk from a heart filled girl born in Alberta, Canada. Brittney Grabill is not only an actress but a singer/song-writer and guitarist, who is raising goosebumps as a solo sensation with her razor-sharp writing and her songs that just won't sit still. Neither for that matter, will her career: she happens to be recording her first original single, coming now out. Brittney's love for acting and music has grown from the hours of practice and from traveling and meeting industry professionals who have been helping Brittney along the way. This young woman is ambitious and willing to help others along the way to success. You can be assured that Brittney gives it her all every time she gets up on stage or in front of the camera. As for music, her full set of original songs, and her twists on any cover song is sure to entertain. It's all in the voice, a full-throttle alto that fills melodies with taut and trembling emotion. And as for acting, her passion truly shows through her performance.
Jesse Posey
Shaun Guzman who plays Calvin in "The D" is an actor and casting director, known for The Vampire: Valdemire(2016), Medicated Love (2014) and One Exit (2014).
Alon Dina
Alon Dina who plays the character of Adam in "The D" is an actor and producer, known for The Extraordinary Ordinary (2016), 3AM @ Roxy's (2012) and Broken (2011).
Coldwater
A teenage boy's sentence quickly becomes a struggle for survival inside a wilderness juvenile reform facility, where a retired war colonel and his subordinate counselors break an inmate's spirit to correct delinquent behavior.
An Interview With Chris Petrovski
Please introduce yourself to the readers of The Los Angeles Music Magazine:
My name is Chris Petrovski, I am 21 years old and an Actor from Auckland, New Zealand. Originally born in Bitola, Macedonia. My parents immigrated to New Zealand when I was a child. Although I wasn't raised in a family that was in the "Business" I definitely grew up around people that were very dramatic in my household. Screaming, laughing, kicking and crying was my life growing up, and now looking back I guess that's why I feel like I didn't belong anywhere else but in the world of Acting. I always understood humans better than I did numbers. Acting was the only thing that seemed to calm me. It was a kind of outlet and solace. But never in a million years did I think I was going to end up where I did, doing what I do. I moved to Los Angeles in May of 2010 when I was offered a full scholarship to the Stella Adler Academy of Acting by John Jack Rodgers and Academy Award Winner, Milton Justice who discover me while I was auditioning to get into an Acting school in New Zealand. Since graduating from the 2 year course at the Stella Adler as of May 2012, I have booked 4 feature films and 4 short films, working with some very familiar names and being selected for numerous film festivals.
When did you first get into acting?
I always had it in me as a kid, performing skits for all my friends but I really didn't get into acting until half way through high school, I was 15 and did my first play. Hamlet. I played Laertes.
Who inspired you growing up in New Zealand?
I think the most influential people in my life growing up were, Peter Pan and Robocop. Peter Pan told me to never grow up and Robocop taught me to always fight for what I believed in...
When did you decide to come to Los Angeles?
May of 2010
You received a Scholarship to study at the famous Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Hollywood, tell us about this.
I was offered the full 2 year scholarship at the school because of my audition to get into another acting school in New Zealand. The name of the prestigious acting school was 'Untiec'. Little did I know was that one of the judges was Emmy and Academy Award Winner, Milton Justice. He saw something in me that I couldn't see and told me that I had enormous potential and should be studying at the Stella Adler. I very innocently said "What's that?" A few weeks later I found the courage to drop everything I was working for in New Zealand and take the big step forward into the unknown and train privately with Milton Justice as well as attend the Stella Adler.
You count famed director Milton Justice as one of your Mentors. How did you meet him and what have you learned from him so far?
Milton taught me the value of a very famous quote by, William Jennings Bryan “Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”
What do you have coming up next on your agenda?
I'm currently working with Director, Vincent Grashaw who gained the spotlight for his last movie Bellflower, which made it into Sundance last year and hoping to do the same with this next project he hired me for titled, 'Coldwater.' After that I'll be working on another feature film with filmmaker, Bruce Cohn Curtis. Who has been in the business for over almost 60 years. Have to keep my lips sealed in this one though.
Who would be your ideal co-star?
I could only ever hope to be so lucky as to work with either of the legends, Al Pacino or Robert De Niro.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Hopefully making the big movies we all see today.
What would be your advice to other aspiring performers?
Find what moves you, move forward and never look back.
Keep up with Chris Petrovski and his latest movies on IMDB.com
The Your Name Here Story
IceCream, Exploitation, and Rock n Roll:
YOUR NAME HERE, a movie shot in Silver Lake about the Silver Lake music scene, is being released on www.thewatchbox.com . LA Music Magazine caught up with Writer/Director Tamar Halpern and her son, Composer Jordan Halpern, to talk about the music and the movie, YOUR NAME HERE.
LA MUSIC MAG: Variety called Your Name Here “a good-natured family comedy about two buddies trying to form a band in Los Angeles’ uber-hip Silver Lake neighborhood.” Defamer called it “hipster parenthood.” The film was shot in your home and all around Silver Lake and stars your son, Jordan.
TAMAR HALPERN: Poor kid’s been in my films since he was five. Ice cream was a great motivator. He did a cameo in my first feature as a kid with the three-picture deal from Miramax and then played a skate punk who harasses a librarian in my second.
LA MUSIC MAG: Jordan, did you ever feel exploited?
JORDAN HALPERN: Not really. I like ice cream. Slurpees too. My mom would freak when we were shooting of Your Name Here because Mike (McTaggart) and I would get CQ (the sound guy) to drive us to 7-11 for Slurpees. We’d come back with our mouths stained bright crazy blue and red and she would be shouting, “Can’t you eat a white Slurpee? We’re about to shoot!”
LA MUSIC MAG: Tell us how Your Name Here come about?
JORDAN: Okay so, when I was thirteen, my friend Mike McTaggart and I would write songs and rehearse in my mom’s garage, switching off between drums and guitar. The summer we were fourteen, my mom put us in a friend’s garage and we laid down some tracks. And then what happened? Something happened.
TAMAR: Mike and Jordan played all the tracks on seven songs over the course of five days. At one point, I threw a video camera up on them while they were laying down vocals in this crappy little one-car garage.
JORDAN: I remember now. There were spiders.
TAMAR: A couple months later, I watched the tape and I couldn’t believe what I saw. Here were these two kids, singing and taking the process very seriously with a sophisticated level of concentration and commitment. I could see the men they were going to become. And just as I started to lament the end of their childhood, they’d sock each other in the nuts and goof off between takes. The dichotomy was hilarious and adorable and indescribably genuine. I wanted to capture that moment between boyhood and manhood, so I wrote a movie around their songs.
JORDAN: What she said.
LA MUSIC MAG: Is the music from Your Name Here available?
TAMAR: It’s up on iTunes, under “Your Name Here Movie Soundtrack”. The songs are hysterical and completely age appropriate. There’s one about a Girl Scout who stalks them for delinquent cookie money, another is about getting your drivers license and then getting the girl, there’s one about being overcharged for a candy bar.
JORDAN: It’s all candy and money and girls. Still is.
LA MUSIC MAG: Jordan, you’re in your early twenties now. What do you remember about shooting Your Name Here?
JORDAN: My mom waited till Mike and I were out of school the summer we were fifteen and she kept us, are you into this? Are you ready? And we’d say, sure whatever, yes. Next thing I knew, our house was filled with people – actors and musicians from New York and London, producers from San Diego and San Francisco, all family friends. We shot in the house, so there was tons of equipment all over the place. Mike’s mom cooked food for everyone in the kitchen. Between takes there were epic ping-pong tournaments or music jams in the garage. Our DP James Slay played guitar as did our sound guy CQ Quilty. Actors Seth Kanor and Joe Smith played serious guitar and harmonica and sang. Henry Shead, the egg player in the movie, used to be in Stomp and is an incredible singer. Daz (Darren Groucutt), who drummed for Emma Anderson of Lush, plays the drummer whose accent is so thick, we can’t understand him. A lot of it was real life stuff. Half of what Daz says is a complete mystery.
LA MUSIC MAG: So there really was an angry neighbor?
JORDAN: A couple of them. Mike and I played in the garage a lot, so…
LA MUSIC MAG: But none of them ever joined the band.
JORDAN: Negative. We never had a band in real life. We’d just play and write and ponder band names. We’d try to get other kids over to jam, but it was pretty impossible since nobody drove yet.
LA MUSIC MAG: Do you and Michael still hang out?
JORDAN: When we can. He just graduated from USC’s school of music, so he’s deep into jazz and I’m composing for film and commercials, but we dream of having some garage time again someday.
TAMAR: I wonder what would happen if you had another five days in a studio together.
JORDAN: Probably still punch each other in the nuts.
LA MUSIC MAG: Can you talk about the authenticity of the performances in the film?
TAMAR: I knew there was no way I could write the kind of dialogue that came out of Jordan and Mike on a daily basis. They were just too funny and smart and quirky, so I decided the film had to be improvised. Also because I was using a mix of professional and nonprofessional actors. Each scene was a paragraph that described the action so the actors knew the common goal of each scene and where it was headed. We shot with two cameras to capture as much spontaneity as possible. It made for a long editing process.
LA MUSIC MAG: We understand the editing took quite a while.
TAMAR: I don’t really want to talk about it, but suffice to say Your Name Here was the first feature shot on HDV. There really was no editing software that could support a feature at that time, so it was a technical nightmare. But I’m glad the film is done and it got some love at the festivals and in the press. Mostly, I’m ecstatic that people can rent it on Watchbox www.thewatchbox.com - $2.99).
LA MUSIC MAG: Who do you think will enjoy this film?
TAMAR: Surprisingly, grown men who have been in bands. They always came up at screenings saying, “I had a band when I was young. This film really took me back.” I was surprised because I thought tweens would be the ideal audience.
JORDAN: It’s a total-grown-up-but-not-quite-grown-up guy film.
LA MUSIC MAG: Anything left on the cutting room floor worth mentioning?
TAMAR: There was so much material and the bloopers were off the charts ridiculous. Farting during a scene was a surefire way for Jordan to make the crew fall apart, which in turn would make him laugh, which in turn would make Mike laugh. My script supervisor was the only other woman on crew so we would just watch all these guys laughing and wait for them to refocus. Of course, we’d start laughing too, so for a moment, we were all kids together, laughing about a dumb fart.
LA MUSIC MAG: What’s next for both of you?
TAMAR: I just adapted the young adult book Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life and directed it. It’s due out in March 2012 and stars Mira Sorvino and Joe Pantoliano. It’s a really sweet story about kids. Edie Brickell wrote the opening song after she read the script – the song is amazing! Other musicians who contributed are Jake LaBotz, Sing-Sing, Nat Jay, and newcomer Meklit Hadero. Melkit Hadero is getting tons of attention for her album and we were lucky to get all the musicians. Jordan composed and performed the music for the emotional scenes, when Jeremy misses his father and tries to tell his mom that he needs his independence. Now I’m finishing a script for the Thai pop star Bie that will take place in Bangkok.
JORDAN: I’ve been composing for film and TV and just put my reel up online. I’m just looking for more work.
LA MUSIC MAG: No more acting for you?
JORDAN: That wasn’t really acting. I was just being.
YOUR NAME HERE FACTS
The film was shot in Silver Lake, California – a place long hailed for its indie music scene. It features cameos from Skot Alexander, the front man for the Silver Lake band 400 Blows, and Callixto Hernandez, who owned the now-defunct skate store/music venue in Silver Lake called Juvee. Dawn the Bass Player is played by criminal defense attorney Dawn Dunbar. Though she has never acted, she is a serious music junkie and has always dreamed of being in a band. Daz the drummer is played by real life drummer Daz (Darren) Groucutt. His accent is difficult to decipher and he played with the British band Sing-Sing. Actors Joe Smith and Seth Kanor (Managers) have worked with Tamar before. Seth was in her first feature, Memphis Bound and Gagged, and Joe was in her second, Shelf Life, as well as her short John Wang’s Nebraska. Seth and Joe wrote and performed their own music for Your Name Here. The Angry Neighbor is played by former Stomp performer and professional singer Henry Shead. The Los Angeles painter and musician Llyn Foulkes plays Jordan’s grandfather. He built his one man musical instrument, called The Machine, and is the subject of a feature documentary by Tamar Halpern, releasing late 2012. Almost every landmark filmed in Your Name Here has been destroyed or changed since the filming of Your Name Here in 2005. The film is about two kids who want to start a band in Silver Lake, because that is what happens in Silver Lake.
Trailers of Tamar’s work can be found here: www.tamarolandpictures.com
Samples of Jordan’s composing work can be found here: www.jordanhalpern.com
The following is an excerpt from the script that allowed for improvisation from the actors.
Int/ext. Front door - CONTINUOUS
The Angry Neighbor waits for Jordan’s mom to answer the door before continuing his tirade. He mentions he's a pro musician and that he plays the egg, so he knows good music when he hears it. The kids are mediocre at best, but they're way too loud. When she asks him about the egg, he softens, giving a demo, before continuing to complain. She shuts the door in his face.
Int. Hallway, jordan's house - night
Jordan and Mike beg Jordan's mom to drive them to Spaceland. She tells them they can't get in because they're underage. They insist they know the band and they'll get in.
Ext. Some silverlake club - night
Jordan and Mike try to convince the bouncer to let them in, saying they know one of the bands. No such luck.
Mission Hollywood
The Director
Richard Lowry
Richard Lowry is a seasoned talent from the old school of low budget film making very much along the lines of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. Mr. Lowry’s particular core competence has been the realization of high production value within very modest budget constraints. As a writer/ Director/editor, his talents have been best utilized in the creation of unique and marketable subject matter. With the new digital technology, Richard has crafted a style that is very compelling, creating production value far beyond actual hard cost of production. His award-winning features “Monarch of the Moon” and “Destination Mars”, spoofs of 1950’s sci-fi premiered on DirecTV. Richard's current production, "Rapture", is in post production and being marketed at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
Producer and Actress
Johanna Rae
From Texas to Hollywood, Johanna began as a print and Hawaiian tropic model. Since then she has kept her fingers on the pulse of the film industry, determined to emulate the success of her heroes. Creating and connecting with like minded people and finding a way to make her dream happen, Johanna's versatile talents are strongly showcased in MISSION: HOLLYWOOD!
Producer and Actress
Annabelle Gutman
From Israel to Hollywood, Annabelle began her career in the entertainment industry as a fashion model at age 14, then made the transition to working Actress and Producer over the ensuing years. She acted as General Manager and Executive of Hollywood Funders, which produced the acclaimed film BLINK OF AN EYE, for which Annabelle wrote, produced and starred in. Currently, she has another feature film in post production, a sci-fi thriller called RAPTURE, represented by Fantastic Films International, who are already generating pre-sales for the film at Cannes. She has formed the film company Royal 11 Films, LLC, for the purpose of producing positive, entertaining movies with good messages.
The Purpose
The goal of MISSION: HOLLYWOOD! is to target the teenage to college student demographic, the same audience that has made the shows THE REAL WORLD, THE KARDASHIANS, THE OSBOURNES,
THE SIMPLE LIFE, ENTOURAGE and many more so successful. Additionally, the goal of MISSION: HOLLYWOOD! is to inspire and educate individual entrepreneurs the stages of building a successful company, executed in a manner that is both entertaining and enlightening.
The Story
"MISSION: HOLLYWOOD!" is a screwball comedy that combines I LOVE LUCY with BORAT as two women with bizarre and distinct personalities attempt to succeed in the slimy world of Hollywood.
"MISSION: HOLLYWOOD!" is a reality feature film with the situations of ENTOURAGE and the feel of the reality show THE SIMPLE LIFE starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie.
Two ambitious girls from different parts of the world, A Texan and a Jew, on a mission: to build a film production company in Hollywood, produce their first studio film 'Oh, Boy!' and be as successful as Steven Spielberg. The film, documenting the hardships and obstacles of their journey, is a side splitting comedy starring Annabelle Gutman and Johanna Rae. Both trailers are currently being shopped for a television series as well as a feature-length reality documentary. Contacts: Annabellegutman@yahoo.com and johannarae11@yahoo.com
IMPACT
IMPACT is a short film that follows a family as they each undergo their own struggles but discover their love is able to overcome all in the end. The family unit consists of three generations of family members and deals with many difficult situations such as a woman losing her best friend to A.I.D.S., a mother losing her child, a brother losing his sister to cancer, a girl losing her father and a couple married over fifty years having to deal with a life threatening situation, not knowing whether they will ever see each other again. The film is quite complex but touches everyone in the heart and is relatable to all. I wrote IMPACT because everyone has undergone some kind of heartache but in the end, we pull through and survive in the aftermath. I wanted a good quality film that explores how people react to different situations but are able to find the humor and strength and pull together when the going gets tough. IMPACT is scheduled to hit the festival circuit this year. You can follow the film at www.impactshortfilm.com