February, 2010

The new TV series starting March 1st – Starring Russ Cootey

Monday, February 1st, 2010

ED– We are interviewing Russ Cootey, a renowned Hollywood actor, writer, director, and producer who has appeared in and worked with many of the popular television shows being aired today.

ED– Russ, it is an honor to introduce you to our readers. Your work with such shows as CSI, and West Wing is well known. Tell us something about yourself and how you came to be in this business.

RC– Thank YOU, I am honored. Well, the story is somewhat of a full circle kind of story. When I was a kid I was hook into wanting to be an actor and to make films. My mom worked at Universal Studios, and I was hooked when I had the opportunity to visit different t.v. show and movie sets. I knew that cinema was what I wanted to do.

At the same time, I was taking guitar lessons, and as I started to progress in my skill as a guitar player, I started to see some immediate gratification. I realized that “Chicks Dig Guitar Players”(laughs), and decided to pursue music as a career. I actually spent several years in the music industry on a professional level before I decided to enter the coporate world. This career took me to the Nothwest, and after a few years I realized that I was not a corporate guy and I had to get back to being an artist. I had been wanting to persue acting again for awhile at that point and jumped at the chance to audition for projects that were shooting in and around the Portland Oregon area.

After a couple years working as an actor in Portland and in Seattle I decided to come back to Los Angeles, and the rest is, as they say, history. (more…)

Interview with Hollywood Line Producer Julian Moss

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Hollywood Line Producer Julian MossED– The Eerie Digest very happy to share this interview with our readers of Julian Moss, probably the best Line Producers in Hollywood. Julian, please tell us something about yourself.

JM–  Flattery will get you everywhere!  Well, I tell people that I am British, born and inbred.  The one thing I would like people to know about me is that I am a happy person.  I have a great family background and have literally never had a nightmare in my entire life.  I consider myself to be very fortunate to have wonderful parents and a stable fun childhood.  My adult life – well that’s another story!

I live my life by strict ethics and like to think of myself as ‘A man more sinned against that sinning’ (King Lear).  I love mornings. They excite me. They represent fresh beginnings, prospects and opportunities.  I tend to be a ‘Jack of all trades and a master of none’, but my focus now is to master filmmaking as a writer/director.  The producing, line producing, editing, legal work, accounting and set building experience has just gone to make me wiser and more in tune as a filmmaker, I think.

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Interview with Filmmaker Joe Taranto

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Joe TarantoED– We are definitely giving a treat to our readers with our interview with filmmaker Joe Taranto. He is one of Hollywood’s rising stars. Joe please tell our readers a little about your work.

JT– I like to focus my work on stories that take the audience to a different world, and allow the audience to sit back experience anything out of the ordinary. Whether it be a commercial or short film,  I always try to implement this element along with a good dose of comedy.  I’m a cinematographer, editor, and Director, “never all at the same time”, but when I’m in any of these positions I’m always looking for that shot, or the edit, or the moment that will create this unique experience for the audience.

My previous work has consisted of commercials and shorts. I just finished my 1st festival circuit with my short film King of the Ring.
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Interview with Brian Dickett, Special Effects Supervisor

Monday, February 1st, 2010

ED– The Eerie Digest is excited to introduce to our readers Brian Dickett, the Special Effects Supervisor for PlasterCITY Digital Post Production. Brian, your work makes films really “happen”. Special effects are what movies are made of today and you are a leader in that field. Please tell our readers about your business and the impact it has on the Movie Industry as a whole.

BD– These days, there isn’t much content being developed without a plan for some sort of digital manipulation in post.  It’s not just the obvious dinosaur running through a scene anymore; it’s set extensions, performance capture, crowd replication, screen replacements, cleanup.  The list goes on and on.  Almost anything you can imagine doing to pixels on a screen has at least been tried somewhere.  It’s an exciting, evolving, and extremely complicated field and it’s in constant flux.  You’re always a student when you work in visual effects, and films have become bigger and more realistic because of it.

ED– Tell us a little bit about the company that you are with, PlasterCITY Digital Post Production.

BD– PlasterCITY has really positioned itself to be the preeminent stop for all forms of digital post-production in Los Angeles.  There are suites for editing, surround sound mixing, advanced 2 and 4k color grading, and visual effects.  I was brought on by Scot Barbour to fill the visual effects side of the equation.  Before PlasterCITY, Scot’s post-production experience landed him a job at Apple as a liaison to the film industry, and he has also worked extensively with stereoscopic imagery.  PlasterCITY has been moving into 3D in a big way.  The main grading theater is equipped with a RealD 3D projection system, and there’s even a 3D editing suite available. (more…)