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Showing posts from July, 2019

Editor Graham Fortin dives into the world of wrestling with new Viceland series

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Editing a film is far more than simply putting shots together. It is an art form, making connections where there weren’t any before. It is about discovery, figuring out how to turn endless footage into a cinematic masterpiece. It is about storytelling, captivating audiences by cutting together the most emotional takes. It is about passion, something Canada’s Graham Fortin knows better than most. Fortin is a renowned film and television editor in Canada, working on many acclaimed projects that millions around the world have been entertained by. Films like Free Spirit, Roam, and Pour Retourner and television shows such as Mister Tachyon and Abandoned showcase his vast talent and versatility, and he has no plans on slowing down. “As an editor, I can be away from most of the chaos and craziness on a set. Not that I don’t enjoy popping in from time to time, however, for the most part I like being alone in my edit cave and figuring out what I’m working with,” he said. ...

Cinematographer Zhihan Zhang sheds light on important issues with his work

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Growing up in China, Zhihan Zhang was always enthralled by the arts. In his youth, he wanted to be a painter, loving the idea of creating beautiful images for the masses. However, as he grew and explored the arts, he found his interest in painting shift to photography. Once he began understanding the craft, he knew that he was destined to become a cinematographer, combining those innate artistic skills with filmmaking to achieve what he always wanted: creating beautiful images for the world. Being a cinematographer, for Zhang, is similar to being a painter, but instead of using watercolors and acrylics, he uses lights and shadows to create a stunning picture. His beautiful work can be seen in a variety of successful projects, from fashion films D-Express and The Lady In White for NOWNESS to the popular television series Behind the Spotlight , and many more. Zhang also is aware of the importance of using film to shed light on pressing issues and to educate his audience rat...

Scott Hall talks about his passion for classic board games

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Scott grew up in Northern Virginia after his family moved from New York when he was 5 years old. After graduating from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, he spent several years living in South Florida prior to moving back to the Washington, DC area. He and has family have resided in the Ellicott City, MD since 2005 and the Baltimore area since 1997. He has spent the majority of his professional career in retail operations, with the last few years spent working in the personal mobility space. What is your hobby? I’m into collecting classic board games from the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s – before console games really entered into today’s world. How did you get started with this hobby? What inspired you? My parents were both avid board game players and introduced me to them at a very early age. As an only child, it was both a way for them to relate and spend time with me as well as provide my parents with a social endeavour, as we often spent time with other...

Editor Shuo Wang talks new documentary that explores life in Shanghai

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When Shuo Wang was only nine years old, a Chinese television series named My Fair Princess began airing. Wang became enthralled and credits the show for sparking her interest in film and television. It was the first time she became aware of the magic that film can create. “I could be happy, sad, nervous, or even mad depending on what happened in each episode. It is a story that happened in China a hundred years ago, but from this TV series, it made me feel like I was also in that story following the characters’ emotions,” she said. After watching the show, Wang became curious of how such television series and movies were made, and what the behind-the-scenes of a production would look like. She decided at that young age that she wanted to pursue filmmaking as a career path and has since dedicated her life to bringing that magic to the big and small screen. Now, Wang is an internationally in-demand editor, working on countless award-winning films including Mire, 100 Day...

Alexis Ohanian, Angel Investor and Mayor of the Internet

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Who exactly is Alexis Ohanian? Forbes dubbed him the Mayor of the Internet in 2012, and the label stuck. But as a young success story with much of his career ahead of him, the man himself remains something of a mystery to many people. So let's take a closer look at the 36-year-old businessman, who exactly he is, and where he's going next. Reddit Ohanian is best known for co-founding Reddit, the "front page of the internet , spawning a generation of Redditors and their seemingly innumerable subreddits along the way. The platform now provides advice, assistance, amusement, and information to users around the world. Need to know how to reset a Walmart photo kiosk because the employees won't help? Reddit has the passcode and the instructions. Need a pick-me-upup during the afternoon? Check out the subreddit /r/birdswitharms, dedicated to photos of - you guessed it - birds with arms. Those are just a few scattered examples, but the point is that Ohanian essen...

Bruno Romagnoli takes on antagonist in award-winning web series ‘Jesus Freaks’

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Growing up in Córdoba, Argentina, Bruno Romagnoli realized even at a young age that he had a passion for performing. His mother was a professional photographer, and as a child she would bring her son to various events to learn about the cameras and the lighting. He realized then that he loved being in front of the camera, rather than behind it. Since that moment he has dedicated his life to the pursuit of his dream of becoming an actor, aiming to make people feel something with every performance. Now, Romagnoli is a renowned actor in his home country and abroad, with a series of celebrated projects decorating his resume. He has starred in countless films and television series, including The Farmer, Blood, Soldado , and many more. And he has no plans on slowing down, currently working on a variety of different projects, from the highly-anticipated new show Cat and Mouse to the new film Devil’s Canyon . He has a lot on the go. “The highlight of my career is happening right ...

Shuntian Jiang talks passion for cinematography and award-winning film ‘La Pieta’

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When Shuntian Jiang was a teenager, he found himself easily distracted from his studies. He felt he didn’t need school, and knew he was an artist at heart. However, he didn’t know what kind of artist or where to begin. Instead, he immersed himself in sports, until one day he broke his foot playing basketball. To pass the time during his injury, he would watch movies, and that is when the magic happened. He watched more than 1000 movies that year. He wasn’t just entertained; he fell in love with the art of cinema. He knew then and there he was destined to become a filmmaker and he has never looked back. Now, Jiang is a renowned cinematographer. Known for films like Path to Salvation , music videos such as Mona Haydar’s “Barbarian” and viral commercials including a recent spot for Japanese sporting apparel brand Descente starring Chinese icon and Hollywood star Daniel Wu, Jiang is at the top of his game. He loves what he does, and knows that those years he spent lost in his teen...

Western Fence Co - Interview with Jason McLaughlan

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Family businesses always end up facing hard times at some point. This was inevitable for Western Fence Company, Inc. The McLaughlan family had been running this friendly fencing company in the Utah area since 1948. Their business was run successfully for the first forty years. However, things began to change whenever the market changed in the area. Western Fence, Inc. was slowly being run into the ground by the individuals that were in charge. The business would eventually face bankruptcy in the early 2000s. However, there was a change in the way things were done that would eventually save the business. Jason McLaughlan bought all the shares of the company in 2003. He would become the sole proprietor for the business and had a plan to save what his family had worked hard on. Success came relatively easy for Jason McLaughlan . He would utilize new business tactics to improve the way the business was run. The company would find themselves experiencing more innovations than ever bef...

Summer Knight: Sculpting Stories of Inner Greatness with Emily Zhai

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In life and in art, you can follow the path of others and impose the same “tried and true” methods or you can take risks and strive for greatness. Both of these choices come with the potential for great success or great failure. Having the right professionals with a shared vision helps to ensure the former, as evidenced in the film Summer Knight . While at first glance this seems to be the tale of a young daydreaming boy, the film reveals itself to be itself to be a story of how powerless people of all ages can feel and how they may redirect their circumstances. While this transcendence is the careful crafting of story by the cast and crew, the masterful role of editor Emily Zhai is profound in this production. Summer Knight is truly an international phenomenon with director/writer Xing You filming in China, Zhai cutting the film in Los Angles, and awards that span the world from Japan (Winner of Best Film in the “Asian Futures” at the Tokyo International Film Festival) to a nominati...

China’s Yihan Xu animates viral video for ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’

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Whenever celebrated Motion Designer Yihan Xu begins working on a new project, she feels the same sense of euphoria that she did as a child picking up a pen and paper ready to draw. Her passion for what she does translates directly into her work, and the millions around the world that have seen her animations can see her vast talent. Xu is known for her work on concert tours for Justin Bieber and Chris Brown, collaborating with some of the world’s biggest brands like T-Mobile, Apple, and AirBnB, and a variety of online projects, including popular website ATTN’s viral video It’s Time to Rethink the Electoral College . No matter the medium, she finds the process of creating an illustration from start to finish a very fun and rewarding process. “In my job, you get to work on all these amazing projects that then get millions of views online or aired on a big television channel. It’s incredible exposure for an artist,” she said. “And you learn something new every day. Your newes...

Jyothi Kalyan Sura talks VFX for new hit film ‘Men in Black: International’

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From the time he was a child, Jyothi Kalyan Sura loved drawing. He always doodled, sketching his favorite cartoon characters and world’s he imagined in his mind. It seemed only natural for him to find a way to explore this innate talent as a career, but as he grew, he found himself drawn to creating art not on paper, but on a computer in the world of virtual design. It didn’t take him long to realize he could use these talents as a visual effects artist, a job in the field of filmmaking that he had long admired. Now, as a renowned VFX artist in his home country of India and abroad, he spends each and every day doing what he has loved since his earliest years. “Though CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) is a younger branch of the visual arts, visual effects is as old as cinema itself. From the early days of cinema, in-camera visual effects have captured audience’s amazement. Today, visual effects is an indispensable tool for filmmakers, as it enables them to create awe-inspiring v...

SHINING A LIGHT ON THE EARTH’S HEROES WITH TIMBERLAND AND JAHVED CROCKETT

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Getting the message out is actually quite easy these days. Nearly everyone on the planet has access to some type of device which will disseminate their thoughts and opinions to the masses. The true difference between saying something and being heard is presenting it in a way that holds someone’s attention. Jahved Crockett is a master of this. No, not in the sense that he performs wild stunts on YouTube but rather with his directing, editing, and art direction. Shaping content into a sincere and captivating manner is why so many huge companies have utilized his talent. For Timberland’s FW19 Campaign, the goal was to highlight individual’s committed to making a positive difference globally whether in their own backyard on in a country deeply in need of it; Crockett was the professional tasked by the nearly century old company to manifest this. Fashioning a series of interviews with an eclectic group of change makers, Jahved’s mini-productions inspired throngs around the world by telling...

Kevin Dennis talks making Canadian Theatre history with ‘Sweeney Todd’

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Kevin Dennis was only eight years old when he fell in love with acting. Growing up in the nineties in Hamilton, Canada, he and his friends would get together and make their own films just for themselves, not for the YouTube or social media hits like nowadays. They would come up with different concepts and stories and edit them to VCR tapes in Dennis’ basement. “It was painstaking work, but so rewarding when you’d show them to five people in your living room and get one or two laughs. My sequel to Braveheart was a particular hit amongst friends and family,” he said. Dennis has since come quite a long way from that kid making his own movies, and is now an internationally sought-after film, theatre, and voice actor, known for his work on shows like Reign and Busytown Mysteries , and the highly-anticipated animated feature Tabaluga , which will be making its way to theatres around the world later this year. Whether using his voice in a studio, standing in front of a camera...