Pretty Little Liars Bring Style To ABC Family

The hit teen drama Pretty Little Liars which airs on the ABC Family network has more than a suspenseful plot to boast about.

PLL features four seventeen year-old girls - Aria (Lucy Hale), Emily (Shay Mitchell), Hannah (Ashley Benson), and Spencer (Troian Bellisario) - being harassed by an anonymous stalker/team of stalkers that refer to themselves as simply "A."

Despite all the life threatening texts, e-mails, notes, etc. all the girls somehow manage to get themselves dressed every morning. And not in just anything, but in outfits years ahead of their fashion forward minds. The magic of Hollywood - and a team of professional wardrobe-related staff members.

Out of all the girls, my favorite is definitely Hannah. Although some of her outfits are a bit out there and she more often than not can be seen in sky high heels that look like they weren't made for walking the halls of any high school seen - she's altogether consistently trendy.

Even though I'm not convinced her outfits are entirely appropriate for the age of her character, at 26 I would completely rock them!

Are there any characters on TV now that you would want to raid their imaginary closet? Let me know!

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 Is A Long Title..

Now that I have experienced The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1..twice, I feel that I am more qualified to have an opinion. 

The first time I saw the film was at midnight (well, 12:10) on opening night, a tradition that I started with New Moon.  And, just like the last two middle of the night movie forays, I left slightly disappointed.  It's not that I didn't like the film - but I didn't immediately love it.  There wasn't that instant, jaw-dropping moment as the credits rolled down the screen that I wanted to have.  I'm not sure if it was that exhaustion had set in at that point, or that my mind was still consumed in dissecting the differences that exist between the cinematic version and the novel.  Either way, it always takes me at least a couple viewings to decide whether I really liked it or not.

Critics are always quick to dismiss the Twilight films, like those in academia do for the books.  I, on the other hand, can appreciate the escapist feelings that the novels invoked and the attempt to translate that into a visual format.

I must say that after seeing the film for a second time, I am more likely to give it some praise.  There were definitely moments from the book that I would have liked to see expanded on screen, i.e. the scene between Jacob (Taylor Lautner) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) on the driveway after Jacob discovers Bella (Kristen Stewart) is pregnant.  It is supposed to be an enormously complex emotional scene between these two guys that hate each other when Jacob finds something to appreciate in Edward's desperate plea - at this point in the text, we are seeing things from Jacob's point of view.  Jacob describes Edward as a "burning man" and feels this uncontrollable surge of empathy for his situation.  Instead, we get a fairly pathetic, "hey man, can you talk to Bella?" type of scenario.

As for realism, the birth scene - incredible. Bella looked like a corpse for sure, it was quite a sickening sight. As for the dress they choose for her when she is transforming into a vampire - another scene that could have been spoofed up with some additional dialogue, even if it was just Bella's internal monologue, like in the book - wouldn't have been my first choice. The color is darling, but I thought it would have been more flattering to her new "perfect" physique.

Other than that, there were some funny scenes.  Any of them with Charlie (Billy Burke) in it is almost a guaranteed laugh out loud moment!  He is just amazing at delivering those one liners.  The honeymoon after Edward decides that sex is out gets pretty funny as well.  His attempts to distract Bella from naughty thoughts and exhaust her are definitely amusing.

Overall, I give it a solid B (which may or may not improve after I see

it another dozen or so times).  But, let's face it, even if the movie was a total drag, I would have seen it multiple times in theaters and bought every version of it when it hits DVD. 

Worth Movie Theater Prices: The Descendants

Lately, I've been concerned with the lack of Blockbuster films that have rocked my socks.  I find myself falling into the "that was ok" rut when leaving the movie theater.  Considering the outrageous prices that movie theaters themselves are charging these days (costs that I supplement with Fandango gift cards, free passes, and movie screenings) - due to inflation based on economic hardships caused by whatever the latest means of illegally obtaining films - I feel that movies should be more than "just ok."

I want to walk out of a movie and say "wow, that was excellent" or "that just blew my mind."  Even the latest installment of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 didn't do it for me, and I am a huge Twilight fan.  Although my movie viewing time as of late has been lackluster because of other more pressing responsibilities, the time I do spend enjoying a film has been less than stellar - until this past Friday evening.

I was extremely impressed by The Descendants starring George Clooney.  I found it to be a powerfully simple story of responsibility in the light of tragedy and the bond of family.  Clooney plays a father struggling to understand what he's overlooked in life after his wife is in a boating accident that leaves her in a permanent coma.  As he tries to let go, while caring for his two daughters, both of whom have problems of their own aside from the most recent, he learns a lot about the person he really is and who he wants to be.  The director and crew did a great job of bringing this story to life.  It was touching without being overly dramatic.

On a side note, seeing Clooney as a father gave me a new appreciation for his acting range.  I'm so used to him playing the silver fox with a lovely waiting in the wings lately that this role seems almost foreign for him - and I loved it!  Also, the film starred Shailene Woodley as one of the daughters.  If this role is any indication, Woodley has a bright future ahead of her.  I look forward to seeing where her career goes from here.

Who is Amanda Dreschler?

Amanda Dreschler.  Why would you know who that is?  Well, you probably wouldn't..yet.  One day I firmly believe that you'll hear that name and utter something that sounds a lot like "Oh yeah her, she was in that one movie, right? I liked her." And eventually becoming the subject of statements like "Did you see that movie?  It starred Amanda Dreschler.  She was great."  Until that time, I'll be content if someone that has never heard that name reads this post and takes something away from it that makes them smile, about her.

 If you haven't taken the hint, Amanda is an actress.  She's not unlike Twilight's Ashley Greene or a bevy of now well-known, twenty-something actors that were very recently struggling to make it in their craft.  Unlike some, however, Amanda is a trained actor.  She has a B.F.A. in theater and studied for several years at the world famous Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood.  Aside from working in front of a camera, she has done theater and opera over the years, is well-versed in dance, and has worked crew on several projects.




But all of this you can probably read on her IMDB page..

What about Amanda the person?

Amanda is funny.

She is really funny.






Besides that, she's very down to earth and easy to get along with.  The first time I met her, I have to admit, I was slightly intimidated; I mean she's gorgeous!  But it's not her looks that have endeared her to me, it's her personality and drive; she's humble.  Amanda loves what she does and that's something that makes a world of difference when you're working on an independent feature where the benefits are really what you make them to be.  She is a pleasure to be around (even when she's risking her own safety with her unnatural clumsiness).

Check out Amanda's "What's Up?" interview at Doobious.org for examples!       

*Images taken by Jonathan Owens of Chameleon Red Photography, an amazing talent in his own right.

Who is Stan Harrington?

While filming Altered, I had the incredible opportunity to hang out with more than a few amazing talents, those on both sides of the camera.  One of those exceptional people was Stan Harrington.  This name probably doesn't immediately jump out at you, as I expect, but he is worth recognizing for at the very least his attitude toward hard work, which is a quality that has too often fallen under the radar.  Harrington (or Stelios Georgiadis as his parents intended) is the manager of the world famous Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood (yes, California).  This building has seen the likes of acting greats such as Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro, Salma Hayek, Benicio Del Toro, Holland Taylor, Gary Ross, Eric Stoltz and Mark Ruffalo (list taken straight from the website, but pretty much says it all, AMAZING!).  Stan fell into this position after becoming an indispensable member of the staff and literally moved in.

I'm currently in the process of writing an article based on my recent interview with this engaging character, so in the interest of hopefully finding an outlet to publish it I don't want to expose too much. I can say that the focus will be his passionate support of SAGIndie and his continued efforts to make movies sans a budget.  Although I won't try to decode the meaning, I can assure you that his quote "I love Showtime!" will be included - if only out of curiosity for what it really means.  Stan Harrington is definitely someone that should be in your peripheral as he moves onto center stage in the coming years, showcasing his brilliant persistence in an industry that (in my opinion) is lacking this historically important aspect.     

Transformers 3: Epic or Epic Failure?

I sat down to take in the latest (final?) installment of the Transformers franchise last Friday and the first thought I had as I slipped into those mildly stained, red-ish theater seats was this:

What is this movie supposed to be about?

It occurred to me only after I (and by I, I mean someone else) coughed up the $12.50 to see the 3-D version of Michael Bay's latest Blockbuster, that I had no idea what the premise of the movie was.  Other than the Super Bowl commercial that gave away the first 30-seconds or so of the film, the only ads I'd seen simply showed things blowing up.  Despite being an energetic fan* of the first two films, I had my reserves about the third after the press release came out confirming the exit of lead actress Megan Fox.  I may not be her biggest fan, but I'm not to proud to admit that there was a certain chemistry between her and Shia that added to my viewing pleasure.

I won't bore you with a recap of the plot, but my two biggest complaints with it centered mainly on the lack of Fox's character.

1)  The absence of Michaela (Megan Fox) was skirted under the rug as "she dumped me" which was mentioned twice in the early part of the movie with no further explanation.  It seems odd that after Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen where the big plot finish involved the two lead characters finally proclaiming their love to each other that a) she would just dump him, and b) he would so easily jump into this obviously serious relationship with Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley).  Which brings me to point dos.

2)  I believe the whole I'm-not-going-to-say-I-Love-You-first-and-instead-wait-until-we-save-the-world plot line was exhausted in the last installment.  I feel like I just watched all of the same events take place with a different leading lady, and a slightly different - but not really - threat to humanity.      

The rest of the film kind of blended together in my mind as an epic disappointment.**  

*I went to see the last film 4 times in theaters (including opening day), that's 4 times folks!

**The highlight of the film for me was the 6 seconds of screen time the abandoned Methodist Church in Gary, Indiana that the Altered movie filmed at received.      

The Altered Spotlight Shines (One Last Time) for Ace Harney

We have now arrived at our final Altered spotlight poster child.  I didn't save the best for last, but I did save Ace Harney for last, and he is the Best Boy.  Ace has worn many hats over the last 3 weeks (give or take, heavy on the give) of filming, and I mean literally, many hats.




**Side Note: Ace is only not the best because he's part of a team, a crew, and each member is equally amazing and talented.  Ace knows the value of teamwork and the importance of being part of something bigger than himself.  He is always willing to share the credit for great accomplishments.

Follow Ace on Twitter or check out his brain child Doobious.Org for the latest in news, art, and entertainment.

Behind the Scenes of Altered: Last Take

Last night, The Altered Movie wrapped production in Gary, IN at the epic abandoned church near 6th and Adams.  This place is so dynamic that it works for everything.  During our extended time scouting, prepping, staging, filming here, we've watched countless individuals and groups come off the street to get a glimpse.  Everything from engagement-photo-wanting-couples to cross-dressing camera crews have been through these doors.  The light is amazing during the day and there is so much you can do with it.  Amongst the devastation that this building has endured over the last 30 years or so - fires, scrapers, natural hazards, etc. - it remains a beacon of artistic integrity in the community, bringing foot traffic to a city long left to dismay.

Our amazing art department deserves special props for this location in particular.  The church is pretty much a blank canvas and allowed for us to be creative in new ways.  Douglas Kupferman and his intern, Elizabeth Rawlings, transformed nothing into something under some serious time constraints.  They brought their own character to every room.  On top of set design, in the same department we have two awesome make-up ladies, Halli Vehrs and Deanna Bajorek, that deserve some acknowledgement.  They have had their work cut out for them in the last couple of days with bloody corpses and demon murderers to dress up.  Last night, they transformed a pretty stunt lady into an old maid (the stunt team was fantastic!). 

Stay tuned for more behind the scenes action right here and keep up with our adventure on Facebook and Twitter! You can also see more behind the scenes photos at Doobious.org run by our very own Ace Harney.

The Altered Spotlight Shines on Jessica 'Imoto' Harney

Behind every good man, is a great woman.  This great woman is Jessica 'Imoto' Harney.  She is our fabulously amazing Assistant Director and the glue that holds us all together.  The spotlight really shines on her every day, but today especially.  She spent the last two nights holed up in a tent with Director Kely McClung and protector Mookie Harney in order to safe guard our props, still located at the epic abandoned church, merely feet away from her warm bed.  Why is this exceptional?  Well, it means that we didn't have to do a total break down every night, which means we got off set slightly earlier, which means we had more time for "team building," which means ummm..nothing I'm authorized to disclose.

Imoto is a rockstar.  She goes full-speed until she crashes and then after a brief nap, gets right back up and takes off running.  There is nothing (most likely) that will stop her from pursuing her art, in fact the concept of "Carpe Diem" may have been created with her in mind.  She brought together an awesome crew to work on this film and it is sure to look great under her camera direction.

So here's to you Imotoson, the spotlight shines brightly in your direction (and is not limited to any single day, but every day).    



Check Imoto out at Captain Crazy Productions, Inc. and make sure to follow her on Twitter!

Behind the Scenes with Altered: Take IV

This weekend cameras were still rolling on Altered.  Thursday night, we had a late call time.  Set was what used to be the atrium for a school auditorium in Gary, IN around the downtown area, now it's an abandoned half of a building slowly crumbling away (a result of arson, and unable to be rebuilt due to budget cuts.  I'm sure this was a gorgeous building at one time, complete with marble staircases and adorned in engravings).  Nonetheless, through the lens of a camera it still looks quite epic.  We had to light the site from scratch because a)it was night and b)abandoned building = no working light switch (in fact, I'm pretty sure someone stole the light switches that used to be there, a sad reality indeed).

 DP Dan Slemons and Key Grip Steven K. Greer deserve special acknowledgement for their early arrival to set to make this all happen.  Our director, Kely McClung stepped in for a close-up, and we had some great extras make their way to set just in time to be part of movie magic.

 Starlett, Amanda Dreschler got a little carried away (literally) and we all enjoyed some direction from Rob Pralgo (Vampire Diaries).  This is the first time we had a guest director on set, and it was nice to see a different angle behind the camera (but we still love you most, Kely).  

Saturday and Sunday we filmed in the abandoned Methodist church in Downtown, Gary.  This is an absolutely epic location.  Michael Bay shot here last summer for Transformers 3, and the latest Nightmare on Elm Street reboot as well.  The lighting is great and it really lends itself well to a variety of motifs.  Otherwise, it was a closed set ,which means details are under wraps (you'll have to see the movie for a glimpse at those intense scenes).  But I'll leave you with something to ponder, there was some heavy lifting involved. 

Stay tuned for more behind the scenes action right here and keep up with our adventure on Facebook and Twitter!  You can also see more behind the scenes photos at Doobious.org run by our very own Ace Harney.

The Altered Crew: Breakdown

We now take a break from our regularly scheduled  posts for an important movie service announcement.

At the end of the day, the worst kept secret is that audiences don't flock to see movies because of the people that made them.  The director will probably be acknowledged by some, maybe a producer or director of photography on larger projects, but the actors are really what gets people in the seats (or nowadays, to click "add to queue" on their Netflix or spend their hard earned dollar at Redbox). 

But this is why The Altered Movie crew is awesome, and why you should care:

**Side Note: I'll go in alphabetical order to not show any favoritism, so we'll start with Ace..

Ace Harney (Best Boy): Ace runs the successful website Doobious.org  ("News. Art. Entertainment. Love. Exploring The World Created By Insanity..").  He is always looking to branch out and learn new things.  He has a very genuine personality and brings a sense of chillness to set, even during the most stressed days, he's exceptional at keeping his cool.  Ace shows his dedication time and time again, he even volunteered to be literally hit by a car for the sake of the movie, and his stunt looked amazing! He will be interviewing all the actors in the film for his website, so check them out.

Chris Sailor (Sound Engineer):  Chris is a graduate student at Georgia State University in Atlanta where he's majoring in production.  He's always willing to go the extra mile and pitch in, and he's just legitimately nice to be around.  His light-hearted nature makes him a joy to work with and he plays nice with others.  You can always count of him to cheer you up.  Plus, he's been bruised on set more than once, and never complains.

Dan Slemons (Director of Photography): Dan is dope.  Seriously, he is so incredibly knowledgeable in the field of production (and a magnitude of others).  He is well respected in his craft and in addition, builds most of his own equipment with his mad master welding skills.  Dan works full-time at a university in Atlanta in the audio visual department.

Jonathan Owens (Assistant Camera): Jonathan owns and operates Chameleon Red Photography in Atlanta.  He does a lot of freelance event work and takes AMAZING photos.  His eye for the artistic in even the simplest of things makes his work brilliant, and his travels have brought him home with extraordinary photographic evidence of that.  Plus, he is incredibly funny and personable.  He formerly worked in the music industry managing a venue and has an extensive knowledge of music.  He's also an epic storyteller.

Steven K. Greer (Key Grip):  Steve has been in the business for a long time.  He has incredible insight and great stories from over the years.  Steve brings so much to the crew, including comic relief which is always appreciated on set.  He loves what he does and it shows in his work.  He can make anyone smile and is never afraid to laugh at himself (which is a particularly awesome quality).

Cole Mellendorf (Production Assistant):  Cole is a former Columbia College student and still resides in Chicago. He's eager to learn and has shown everyone that he wants to be there.  He literally got off a train in Gary, IN and walked 4 blocks alone in the middle of the night, on the wrong side of the tracks, so he wouldn't be late for an early call time.

I'm really lucky to be part of this fantastimazing crew, and they may not be branded the official "talent" but are most certainly incredibly talented.  Keep watching as I spotlight, each and every one of them in upcoming blog posts.

Behind the Scenes of Altered: Take III

Another epic day on the set of Altered.  We were shooting at the abandoned cement factory behind the lovely Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Indiana.  The smell of perspiration and micro-dust particles mixed with something that I can only assume is acid-based, creeping down the the concrete slabs holding up the large and surprisingly scary mixer bowls.  On the plus side, as a torrential downpour/tornado speed winds hit Northwest Indiana, we were in perhaps the most secure location in the area.

             

Our epic crew (Ace Harney, Steven K. Greer, Dan Slemons, Jonathan Owens, Chris Sailor, and P.A. Cole Daniel) set up an awesome set and made everything run smoothly.  These guys blow my mind with their talent.  Props also go out to Douglas Kupferman, our Art Director, and his assistant Elizabeth Rawlings, who are responsible for making everything look as epic as possible.  

As always, Jessica 'Imoto' Harney made making movies look easy with her natural camera finesse.

**Side Note:  Missing crew member?  Yes, me, Lindsay Sperling.  I didn't think it was right to use words like "epic" and "awesome" when referring to myself..well not in the company of others at least.

 
Stan Harrington, Amanda Dreschler, and Chris Meister gave a profound performance in their make shift police lair that would make any director proud, like ours (Kely McClung).  Stan's cowboy boots added just a little extra to every take.

The highlight of the day was clearly when I got to leave, airport bound, to pick up our very own serial killer Rob Pralgo.*  But filming didn't stop for that unfortunately, so I missed the final scenes.  The hard working crew and cast had a late night ahead of them and wrapped sometime well after midnight.

**Side Note:  If you don't know who Rob is, you should google him.  He has done a tremendous amount of work in the industry and has probably been in something that you not only have seen, but really liked.  In addition, he is just a really great and talented guy.

For more information on The Altered Movie, follow us on our newly revived Twitter or on Facebook.

*I'm a huge Vampire Diaries fan!

The Altered Spotlight Shines on Kely McClung

The Altered Spotlight moves up the ranks today to showcase our fearless leader, Director Kely McClung.  BUT, because he is the director, AND, because I'm not yet convinced that he shares my particular brand of humor..I'll let this picture speak the 1000 words bubbling in my bouncy brunette brain.



**Side Note: Yesterday he was particularly complimentary of me..that's really why I chose him.  Flattery may get you almost anywhere..

**Another Side Note:  You can't mention Kely without praising his partner-in-crime, Jessica 'Imoto' Harney - one word: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

You can follow Kely on Twitter or stalk him on Facebook..your choice.

The Altered Spotlight Shines on Dan Slemons

There was no easy choice for today's Altered spotlight superstar (mostly because everyone that spent the day working on the skeleton crew has already been featured), so the honor goes to the always deserving and praiseworthy. Director of Photography Dan Slemons. 

Dan (and our beloved CSI investigator Chris Sailor) braved morning traffic to get to set in Chicago, only to find out that the park was closed due to an unexpected (early) set-up for the Taste of Chicago. But, no traffic, no location mishap, no rain could stop this dynamic picture/sound duo from persevering.  And, we do reward and appreciate effort, so both boys were given the opportunity to rest up this afternoon.


Dan inched above Chris in the race for spotlight sweetheart when he was the unlucky one to be awoken by the sound of the door chime, and me entering the crew house.  Chris unknowingly woke up just in time to be an active bystander in the cookie-making process. Cookies? Yes, cookies. After I arrived to the crew house fashionably late, Dan took it upon himself to put me to work, and I distracted him (after we ran all of the errands) with the idea of baking cookies (which turned out excellent in their ooey gooey goodness by the way). Dan selflessly endured errands in order to be a contributing member of the team while the remaining posse members Ace Harney, Steve Greer, and Jonathan Owens (yesterday's spotlight savant) set up the epic police lair location across town.

For more info on The Altered Movie, consult Facebook.

The Altered Spotlight Shines on Jonathan Owens

Today's Altered Spotlight darling of the day comes straight from set.  Jonathan Owens put down his reins as photo god-in-training to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a used-sports-car-stunt-driver (well probably).  Jonathan was forced to fight with his inner-hypochondriac demon when the real stunt man (that he hit with his ferociously kitty-cat like Firebird) smashed the windshield in front of his face. Yes, that's right in front of his face folks, he is truly stunt-tastic.  Jonathan remained unscathed but unfortunately the yellow beauty of a car (well..in it's day I'm sure) wasn't that lucky and will be heading to that bright light in the sky this very afternoon.  (And by that bright light, I mean the bright light that the junk yard had installed, I can't be sure, but most likely, probably to showcase their awesome array of non-functioning semi-trashed automobile-like selection.)


**Side Note:  Jonathan wasn't the only crew member turned stunter this afternoon. O no.  Ace Harney let us hit him with the same car. End Side Note.

Earlier that day, if you were in the right place at the right time (which you probably weren't), you could see Jonathan showing off his climbing skills.  He transcended a tower of scaffolding high above a high school parking lot with a cat-like ease.  When he reached the top he courageously posed for not one, but TWO band pics with fellow rock n' roll aficionados Dan Slemons, Steven K. Greer, and Chris Sailor.  If I had to give this band a name, my first choice is 'The Monikers', but '4 Monkey's' also seems appropriate.



It's Jonathan's spunky personality that really puts him ahead of the crowd.  This southern gem brings a light hearted, but dedicated mojo to set.  This is also why if there was an official ranking for men, he would score exceptionally high.



Check out Jonathan's photography conveniently located at Chameleon Red Photography, he truly has a brilliant eye that is evident in all of his work.  Make sure to visit his blog while you're there for excellent stories of the events he has covered.