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MTV Animotion - ‘Orchid Box’

Geistertrio

Persona

Four Characters

The Have-little Written by Migdalia Cruz.

The Mating Dance

The Poem

Translation

Production Work

The Bedbug (Klop)

Sweeney Agonistes

Slithis Too

(aka The Incredibly Strange People Show)

The Last Supper

Life of Billy

The East Goes West Festival,

The Gate Theatre London

Piece

The Open Cabin Workshops

Theatre Memory Symposium Backstage Tour

Directing, producing & writing

(see below for production work)

Performance Work

(on others’ productions)

Workshops

MTV Animotion: this submission - titled 'Orchid Box' - was sent to MTV Animotion, for an ad competition by MTV Networks Europe, to promote Nordic talent via one of their trademark spots. It also took part in the Young Director Awards of 2007. The piece was put together using mixed-method animation and compositing. The track is 'Orchid Queen' by the Similou. All other work by Dmitry Tolonen.

Geistertrio - taking Samuel Beckett's television play Ghost Trio as inspiration, this short develops the theme of existentialist isolation, the past lives and spirit of a room. It is not an adaptation, but explores through asymmetric narration a possible murder and selected  materials

of Beckett. Geistertrio is touring the festival circuit and has been shown at Platforma Festival Athens, AFIA, the Seoul International Film Festival  (winner - best interactive/web short, international competition) and the Cannes Film Festival.

Writer, director, producer. With Alex Gear; voice-over by Lindsay Gear, and sound by Oskari Moilanen.

Persona  was the British premiere of Ingmar Bergman's classic film, reworking the piece into a modern context of cultural hybridity and rejection of past personal choices - a mixed-race child in particular.

This play allowed further exploration into the theme of identity which had begun with adapting ‘sex, lies and videotape’.Here, instead of working on the make-up of identity, exactly the opposite - the erosion of it - is explored. Notes/sketches here

From the proposal:

“This text calls to be directed now (2001), because cultural isolation and an to us impenetrable outer world of other cultures and real-world events, are emerging in the cynical political atmosphere of post september 11th, 2001. Right now, we are at a point where we will soon have to confront the third world.

I will bring to this project my skills in creating a strongly evocative visual performance through a reductive process ... from the textual and conceptual materials offered by the original work and transposing the zeitgeist of the original to the current day.

The rehearsal process and performance will feed my study of trapped identities, so in addition to producing ‘Persona’, the work will develop a framework for the last of three projects on identity – “from Whitechapel” - which will take form as a feature script. 

After the creation, erosion and ultimately the violent social expression of identity, the following project will map the fall of a young british-asian person, trapped in an antiquated multicultural society. It will also define the political charge and social reality of what I call an individual’s ‘identity make-up’, reflected in democratic society, with the potential it has to nurture dialectic chaos.It all ends up in flames”.

Adaptation, direction. With Katherine Kerrow, Andrew Rasheed and Kate Dineen. Lighting by Rachel Nicholson, set by Nigel Hook and sound design by Oskari Moilanen.

Four Characters - the theatrical premiere of Steven Soderbergh's ‘sex, lies and videotape’ together with  Luigi Pirandello's ‘Six Characters in search of an Author’ in a new piece exploring suburban ennui and role-play. Adaptation, direction, sound design.

From the program:

“What was interesting about ‘sex,lies’ was the notion of  the film’s final scene being more like an elliptical refrence to a new beginning in an ambiguous world, rather than a straight forward ending to the story that

preceded it. Like the film, the play sets out to play with stereotypes, here using the neurotic world of 'six characters' to break up the flow of structure in the film, which seemed to be structured like an American Western, with its porch scene at dusk. The good guys turn out to have their problems as well, and the salvation of the innocent maiden turns less and less obvious. The play also deals strongly with the themes of performing, voyeurism and liberation from the constraints of our specific

personalities; those which we and others impose - as easy eays of understanding ourselves”.

With Lois Roberts, Chad Townsend, Dominic Crozet and Nilofar Emami. Lighting by Pete Baker. Notes/sketches here and adaptation here.

The Mating Dance- A one-act absurdist melodrama written for a japanese messiah, Freud, death-row convict and three photographs. Written and directed for the Performance Night Platform in London.

The Have-little (abridged)

Lillian is 14. She is from the South Bronx. A creative mind, but without the tools to escape an environment that will seal her fate. Michi, Lillian's friend, is getting out. She sees the lives of Hispanic families as ruined by the lack of education. Carmen, Lillian's mother, hates michi: she's a troublemaker.

With Victoria Morton, Willemijn Lamp and Rebecca Verling. Lighting  by Jytte Basler.

?This is America explores the background for US immigration from various corners of the world.Can immigrants fit the mold American assimilation has created, or is the true America – that of their dreams – only waking up from its slumber?

?This is America  was devised and written by the group and co-directed with Adel Abas for The Action Group D,  as part of shows on contemporary identies of Northern Americans.

With Polly Henson, Dionne Atwill, Anna Gallagher and Richard Morris.

The Tempest (abridged)

Adaptation/direction. With Laura Rugg, Jess Collett and Eirin Jansen

An ingenue Miranda is confronted by the men in her life. 

Several publishing proposals have been put forward as an attempt to invigorate guerrilla- and independent film making spirit from both creative and economic stand points.

Two such instances are the translation of Chris Jones’s Blueprint book  (two chapters available) and  Paul Hardy’s Filming on a Microbudget (rough draft of whole book). Non-film maker artists and people with immigrant backgrounds, especially, are

encouraged to participate in workshops for film productions that draw on  their diverse specialism and encourage an interdisciplinary process. Furture practical and academic research interests aim at studying narrative structures in international mainstream cinema and crossover audiences. Please follow this link on the state of Finnish Cinema and screenwriting abroad (cited by the Finnish Film Foundation here). 

Production assistant on this zombie-fest of a film directed by Jason de l’Orme for Powercage films.

'Aftermath' (Director: Ben Morris)     

Production runner for short film for 5films / NFTS

Series of physical theatre workshops at Rose Bruford College run by post-graduates; member.of team.

Lighting design exercise for Heiner Muller’s Hamlet Machine (designed for the  Ustinov Studio space at Theatre Royal Bath).

Lighting and set design plans for 3 scenes for "El Publico" by Frederico Garcia Lorca

A box set miniature for Samuel Barber's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (Allegro) - used as a workshop minimalist set example at UCLA.

Chamber Music by Arthur Kopit (with Tamar Orr)  lighting, set and poster.

short film on surrealism by Myriam Reis.

Community Theatre at the Dioama Arts Centre, London. Director:

Ali Campbell

Russian-language production of Mayakovsky’s The Bedbug - Arts Theatre, Queen Mary College, London  - roles: David/young man with book

‘fragments of an Aristophanic melodrama’ TS Eliot’s fragmented play from the jazz-age for rythmic language directed by Nesta Jones - role: Sam Wauchope

Short film by Mazdak Nassir about a routined man and a surprise landing of a suitcase. DoP Teppo Högman

The Performance Nights Platform

Scenography

The Aftermath

Training and Education

?This is America by The Action Group D (co-director Adel Abas)

Finnish and English freelance translation services (please click on link) are offered for the media, marketing and in more specialised technical fields such as Engineering. Related services, such as voice-overs, subtitling, audio transcription, graphic and layout work and transcreation, are also offered.

Work includes the translation of The Gold Diggers, a new feature film script by Finnish director Auli Mantila.  Other work includes fiction and drama by Bernard Marie Koltes, Jose Rivera, Henry Adam and Mud by Maria Irene Fornes, competition work (Holy Week by the Finnish novelist Maritta Lintunen), as well as  more generic translation work between Finnish and English.

Other end clients include:

Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Brothers, KONE, The Finnish Tourist Board, Aalto University (TaiK and HSE), Triumph motorcycles, Dräger medical and safety equipment, Helsinki City Transport, The City of Helsinki, The Finnish National Board of Customs, The Centre for Occupational Safety, Tracker GPS hunting accessories, Hotel Haikko Manor, Talentum publishing house, Abloy locks, GameStreamer, Kaspersky software, as well as work for private individuals.

1st AD on short film about two mothers and motherhood. Director: Elin Danielsen (ePareli Productions) , DoP Danny Gagatt.

With Kelly Hardwick, Helen Prescott. Images here

Technical work including Russian translating for Summer festival in Russian and Slavic theatre at The Gate. Producer: Philippe Lemoine.

A night of Nelson Rodriguez

Lighting operator for night of Brasilian scenes by playrwright Nelson Rodriguez at the Peoples Palace, Mile End London

Stage manager (with Kate Barker) for The Performance Nights platform, curated by Lois Weaver of The Split Britches theatre company.

A season of performance pieces, short shows and platform talks.

Ensemble-directed physical theatre piece on prostitutes, lawyers and war-torn homes from the point of view of a child.

1940s a peek-behind-the-scenes repertoire theatre show (for a production of King Lear) for the Theatre Memory Symposium at Rose Bruford College. Role: Alphonse Bennett, the stage manager.

MA Directing, Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama

BA Drama with Russian, Queen Mary University of London

Helsinki School of Economics - Entrepreneurship for the Creative Arts

University of Industrial Arts, Helsinki (TaiK) - Entrepreneurship for Artists program

The Marketing Institute, Helsinki  - Entrepreneurship training

Theatre Policy and Management, Theatre Entrepreneurship (with Lou Stein, founder of the Gate Theatre), Art History and Aesthetics (at Turku and Helsinki Universities), Chris Jones’s Film Makers Masterclass, Living Spirit Pictures, Ealing Studios)

Circus Media / Theatre Venture

25th Anniversary DVD

Editor for Arts Organisation on their 25th anniversary DVD, compiling past productions.

God’s Letter

Editor on pop promo for singer-songwriter Dave Loughran for his track

God’s letter (two versions). D.U. Productions / Motivation Records

Affiliations

DGGB The Directors’ Guild of Great Britain,

SET (Union of Finnish Film and Video Employees) and TEME (Theatre and Media Employees, Finland’s BECTU)

Rage

Rigger/ Prod. runner on Sally Potter’s latest feature (Adventure Pictures)

The Bush-McCain Challenge

Runner on pro-democrat Public Service Announcement shot on RED (moveon.org) with John Cusack (dir. Evan Bernard for Bikini Films))

Strange Beast

Record label/artist research for Strange Beast, Passion’s sister company

Passion Pictures + SSSR

Production Assistant on pop promo for US band Thursday (dir. Yu Sato/SSSR for Passion)

-General duties, opening/closing the office, props etc.

The Love Commercials Production Company

1st AD, Cameraperson, Production Assistant

1. Motorola ROKR E8 “Music DNA” viral dir. Jon Riche

- 1st AD - discussed with HODs and Producer, created shooting schedule and 1st AD’ed on shoot.

2. “Football” commercial for NEXT dir. Lindy Heymann

- Shooting screen test + mock up footage with Agency present, for NEXT clothing shop commercial.

3. “Meccano” pop promo by Red Light Company dit. Casper Balslev

- various prop/wardrobe purchases for promo

General:

- Consulting on Power Mac purchases, Final Cut Pro and After Effects

- Advertising agency research

Technical Equipment

Digital SLR Canon 7D with a range of lenses, Rode videomic, Litepanels Pro Hybrid, Glidetrack 75cm slider, Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 + 503HDV fluid head, Mac laptop workstation with Final Cut Studio, Photoshop/After Effects, EP Scheduling and scriptwriting applications.

Other skills

Widely travelled. Excellent team work and organisational abilities. A lot of experience with actors, workshop situations. Strong knowledge of computers (Mac and PC) including production and post software; basic Avid skills, competent in Final Cut Studio and DVD authoring, Screenwriter/  Final Draft, with working knowledge of Movie Magic/EP Scheduling. Basic-to-intemediate Photoshop/After Effects (roto, tracking, compositing, animating), stop motion, storyboarding. Experience with a variety of cameras and lenses.

Wilder Films

Production/ Edit Assistant

- preparing festival delivery items

- booking international couriers

- ordering office consumables

- sending off approved press releases

- sourcing and hiring edit decks

- digitising and sorting footage for corporate project (DV)

- working on HDV rushes with Director Claire Lewin on externall

  presentation for BBC Storyville.

- creating numerous showreel DVDs (including covers, inserts) and

  mood boards for pitches around the world. 

- updating tape library database in Filemaker Pro

- various technical support (Mac/ PC)

- image and video research

Feel Films

In-house Editor

DVD Showreel work, Photoshop work on images for Director John Selby’s introductory press release.

Feel Films

Production runner on commercial for the IPA ‘Adeaters’

(dir. Catherine Farrow/)

Zodiak Television / Jarowskij Finland

Dreams, ambitions; thirst. This narrative piece was a submission for the

It was created entirely from archival footage, on the theme of various kinds of thirst; dreams, ambitions (for us and our children), thirst for knowledge, fame and finding our place in the world. Direction & edit.

Music: Caccini - Deh, deh, dove son fuggiti Madrigale modello (by the Accademia Claudio Monteverdi, Hans Ludwig Hirsch) and Rain by Mind & Soul.

‘Thirst’

2nd Assistant Director on the Television Drama ‘Sydänjää’ (Frozen Hearts) - 12 x 45min Drama in Finnish

2nd AD + taking over the sourcing and directing of roughly a hundred extras on set and location, in intimate and large scenes; related expenditures / paperwork; assistant and stand-by for the the First AD.

Animated spot for Chaya, the newest and freshest tea shop in Finland. After Effects animation.

Chaya - ‘Petals’

Text and Translation

In development

Development: short and feature projects are currently  being developed.

Studies on film and the theatre include:  Chekhov’s Ariadna and The Bride, Fornes’s The Conduct of Life, Kurosawa’s Shakespeare (Kumonosu-jo), Caridad Svich’s Phanton Patria, Iconoclasm of identity in Hispanic Drama, Khrushchev - politicians as performers, men and feminism, Sankai Juku (Paris/Tokyo) and Butoh, Sally Potter and the Trans-historical Self, Complicite and Sarah Bernhardt’s arrival  in London.

FILM, TV, COMMERCIALS & TEXT

The Girl from Ipanema goes Sushi? Well, perhaps. One in a series of commercials for the Anywhere Theatre Festival in Brisbane, Australia.

Celebrating theatre, and imagination, anywhere. Director, music www.anywherefest.com

Anywhere - ‘Sushi’

Another commercial for the Anywhere Fest in Brisbane (based on Lascia ch’io pianga from George Frideric Handel’s opera Rinaldo). With the multi-talented Manuela Bosco and Bach Co Tran. Producer/director, camera, edit/after effects, music. Click here for storyboards.

Anywhere - ‘Favourite opera’