Thisfunktional
Issue 05 MAY 6, 2014 ISSN 2334-346X
VIVI
D VIV The diff K A erent sh ades of
Photo courtesy of the RYDER makeup labs
Vivka
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FIERCE- Anima É Cuore Studios Artist Laura Dickenson’s 2012 Challenge work sketch with
light color, giving form to a good-looking pink haired model., as with most of Dickenson’s art this piece is untitled. (Drawing courtesy of Anima É Cuore) This issue of Thisfunktional Magazine has the always fascinating and amazingly talented Vivid Vivka on the cover. Model, cosplayer, illustrator and just delightful human being. I got the honor to work with Vivka on creating a fantastic issue while making it enjoyable to get this issue accomplishes. A big thank you to her for everything and I look forward
to working with her again. In this issue Eli Kay got to sit down with a female filmmaker who is making her mark on the film scene in Europe. Also, The Unslut Project’s Emily Lindin and Allyson Pireira share an update on “Slut: A Documentary” an antislut-shaming film. This project caught my eye since they crowd-funded on kickstarter.
Jesus Figueroa Editor-in-Chief of
Thisfunktional
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Table of Contents
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Page 3 - Artist Appreciation: Bernadette Weber Written by Eli Kay Page 5 - The Colour Valienthen Written by Eli Kay Page 9 - One Woman, One Diary Written by Jesus Figueroa Page 11 - Vivid Vivka Written by Jesus Figueroa Page 17 - Mike’s Movie Mayhem Written by Mike ‘The Movie guy’ Pierce Page 19 - Thisfunktional Reviews Photographs by Ashley Weinfeld Page 21 - Thisfunktional Playlist Written by Jesus Figueroa Page 25 - The VRO Round-up Written by Jesus Figueroa
Staff Editor-in-Chief Jesus Figueroa Assistant Layout Designer Lindsey Maeda Writers Eli Kay Columnist Mike ‘The Movie Guy’ Pierce Photo-journalist Ashley Weinfeld
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Filmmaker Be Eli Kay
Writer Bernadette “Nana” Weber is a European filmmaker known for her creativity and innovation. Some years ago she lead a company of filmmakers to the biggest Italian film festivals where their film “Nowhere” won awards. Now, her team of filmmakers has grown and are producing their new short film, “Kopfgeschichten”. I had the privilege to speak to Miss Weber about her artistic values, beliefs and plans for the future. Eli: hello Nana! Thank you so much for agreeing to talk to me. First of all, the new movie looks very promising. i love the promotional video (video link). How did the idea for the group of filmmakers start? Nana: Actually we kind of met by chance, through other people and other older, film projects in Berlin and Italy. The fact that we were from different countries was just luck, I mean, I always had the ambition to work with people from different countries and with different backgrounds and in this project (Kopfgeschichten) I was lucky to get the chance to do that Eli: Would you like to talk about this new project a little bit? What is it about?
Nana: It’s about a successful man in his 30s who thinks he has been cheated on and then gets hysterical and decides to kill himself. It’s a piece about overreaction and exaggeration in a sort of a black comedy style. Eli: You wish to point out something about western civilizations. Do I understand that correctly? Nana: Yeah, it is possible. It is not a geographical problem of exaggeration per say. When I wrote the plot of the story I was very much inspired by the figure “Leutenant Gustl” by Arthur Schnitzler, who overreacts in a certain situation and goes on about killing himself. I had to think about it and kind of put myself in a similar situation. Would I whine about the problems I had at that time, or control them? So I decided to laugh about that unnecessary exaggeration. There are so many serious problems in the world and I (Through this film) am whining about something silly. Eli: Did you write and direct it? Nana: I spoke with my colleagues Davide Potente and Jule Teufel about the project. Davide Potente and I wrote the first draft together, in Italian and then translated it to German. With Jule we got deeper into some details and Jule wrote most of the monologues. Eli: Are you also responsible for post production? Nana: Yes, but not alone. All together
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ernadette Weber we are 12 filmmakers. I produced it along with Lorenzo Musiu, Jule Teufel, Alexander Weiz and Pascal Messmer. Lorenzo Musiu was the executive producer of this film. Pascal Messmer and I did the editing together. Then there is Matthias Lindner and Benjamin Drumeaux who did the sound mixing. Matthias the sound design and Benjamin the music. Eli: I am aware that you have won awards for a previous project ,“Nowhere,” What are your goals for this film and the future of this group? Nana: We won an award in Monza, but “Nowhere” was only played in Italy. With “Kopfgeschichten” we want to send it to festivals all over Europe and maybe even Brazil. We would also like to grow the network of European filmmakers. Eli: Good luck with that. Do you use crowd-funding for these project? Have you used it for previous projects too? Nana: This is the first time we are using it. It is very difficult to get people interested and passionate about anything that doesn’t have a personal gain. We believe that cultural exchange is fundamental and that is the goal of our
group. We want to bring countries together by finding common ground. Unfortunately, when I look elsewhere I see that people tend to draw the country lines thicker and thicker. Everyone thinks they protect themselves but that’s not the case. It doesn’t help. The only solution is to overcome boundaries and try and built something together, because I think there is a lot of potential in our generation. Eli: That is very inspiring. Nana: Creating art together obviously helps a lot, because while creating something you always confront life and what it’s all about, and you can learn so much from each other’s background and mentalities. Eli: Which countries are currently included in your group? Nana: I hope to get the chance to work with filmmakers from other countries as well, but at the moment we have people from Germany, Austria, Italy, Brazil and Russia. We’re missing a Greek. Eli: I would love to apply for a position in your group of filmmakers, it will be an honor. Thanks for your time, it was really nice talking to you You can find more information about “Kopfgeschichten” on its official site and on its facebook page.
Bernadette “Nana” Weber
OFFICIAL SITE: http://kopfgeschichtenfilm.wordpress.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kopfgeschichtenfilm?ref=br_tf
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The Colour Valienthen Eli Kay
Writer
Once upon a time, in a beautiful world called Yee, lived all the colours of the rainbow. They all loved it there; it was the most wonderful place to live. Blue had a big house up in the clouds, with hanging gardens and all sorts of flowers. Green lived in a tree house, on the tallest tree of the realm. Red had built a diamond studded castle and resided there, and Violet who was obsessed with candies and sweets, lived in a beautiful gingerbread house full of chocolate pieces, candy canes and gobstoppers. Life was perfect in Yee, and everyone was happy. One day though, everything changed. A new resident appeared into town. Everyone was curious to meet that colour, so they all gathered at the Town Hall to see this colour for themselves. "What is your name?" asked Yellow. "Valienthen" replied the colour. Everyone gasped. Valienthen could hear them whisper to each other in suspicion. "Where did you come from?" asked Indigo which was Blue's cousin. "What do you mean, where did I come from? I was always here." Valienthen said again trying to give them a big smile, even though it felt like they were becoming hostile. "That is hard to believe! If you were here all along, we would have known about you. You would be registered as a natural colour of the rainbow." said Blue who was kind of the leader. Then Green added, "There is only one explanation. It is not natural!" With that comment, all colours of the rainbow started shouting and complaining. They didn't want Valienthen to stay in Yee. They couldn't understand what Valienthen was. They were afraid. They stood there day and night, arguing about it and fighting with each other so loudly that Valienthen's soul was saddened and decided to leave. Nobody noticed the absence. They were too busy trying to analyze how the way of the rainbow should be. But they went too far. Violet and Yellow started believing that
Indigo was not a true colour of the rainbow, but only a wannabe. They petition to remove the rights of Indigo as a colour. Blue stated that Orange was merely a freak child of Red and Yellow, and that true colours of the rainbow should never mix. So the petition to deny Orange a place on the rainbow was signed. Orange and Indigo were out of the rainbow and therefore not allowed to stay in the realm with the other colours. Sad and shameful, they begun their journey towards another land, in hope of finding a place to stay. A few days into their journey, they saw a magnificent castle, with stone dragons carved on the side, and a huge wooden door. They decided to knock and when Valienthen opened the door they were both shocked. "It's You!" they cried out and when Valienthen let them in and offered them supper and cake with strawberries. They told of everything that had happened in the realm of the Rainbow. Orange started crying and Indigo sighed. But Valienthen remained there, smiling. "Why are you smiling at our demise?" "It is not your demise I am smiling at, but at the turn of events. You see there is not only one rainbow in the sky, but everywhere the sun shines and the rain falls, there shall be one. And if the residents of the realm of the Rainbow don't want us there, we can join other rainbows where we'll be accepted for being a Blue's cousin, a child of Red and Yellow and a Valienthen." Those words gave the two colours great joy and relief. They decided to stay at the Rock Castle with Valienthen and join the most brilliant rainbow in the sky. For what the residents of the realm of the Rainbow didn't know, was that the rainbow is not composed of 7 colours, but of all the variations of the colour spectrum. So poor Red, Yellow, Green, Blue and Violet of the realm of the Rainbow could never form a perfect rainbow again, and their realm became dark and lifeless very quickly. And like all stories, there is always a lesson to be learned from all this.
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Slut:
A Documentary Film
By: Emily Lindin and
One woman, One diary Jesus Figueroa
Writer Bullying in all it’s forms takes many lives every year. In October or 2012, I became aware of “Slut: A Documentary Film” and reached out to the person in charge of the film Emily Lindin. Through brief conversations I became aware of “The Unslut Project” which caught my attention. The documentary sets tell the stories of not only victims of slut-shaming or sexual assault which have died due to the bullying, but also the stories of those who have lived through it and look to make a difference by sharing their stories. Seventeen-year-old Canadian Amanda Todd had just been on the news for committing suicide due to sexual bullying and this project seamed to be worth backing in hopes that the words of the courageous Lindin would help others get through a similar ordeal. Bullying is a growing epidemic which as is takes the lives of many people every year, most being of a young age. Lindin herself started sharing her diary entries from when she was being bullied and does so without censoring the content only the names to prevent any backlash it may have on her or her family. At first it was just her diary entries which were posted up periodically, but since more people have started sharing their personal stories and “The Unslut Project” has become a support group for anyone who has been affected by bullying. “Slut: A Documentary Film” started on Kickstarter where Lindin was able to raise almost $20,0000 to fund the documentary. Through the process thisfunktional.com ran a post to support the film and get the word out there, this film had to be made.
Throughout the process Lindin has posted updates on unslutproject.com about the production process. The documentary has had professional psychiatrist, families of victims and victim’s themselves participate by talking about the growing problem of slut-shaming and sexual bullying. One such victim Allyson Pereira has been speaking about slut-shaming and has been an advocate against bullying and sexting since hearing about other girls committing suicide. “I heard about Jessie Logan and Hope Witsell’s suicides and I felt like it was my moral obligation to speak out in the hopes of saving another girl from making the same mistake I did,” Pereira said. “No one should have to die because of bullying and no one should be harassed and assaulted because a topless picture is leaked,” She said. Pereira is just one of the people featured in the documentary and continues to try and help others. “However, I am still not over the picture and what happened to me and I don’t know if I ever will be,” Pereira said. “But being able to go nationwide and speak to middle and high schoolers and have them message me saying that I have saved their lives helps me continue to tell my story,” she said. Being able to be part of the documentary, Pereira hopes she can reach out to not just others who go through what she has , but the people who continue to victimize those people. “I chose to be a part of the Unslut documentary because I think that society victim blames and it’s time that we as a generation stand up and say that it is wrong. I’m not innocent; I have been appalled at what some women wear, how they talk, or who they hook up with,” Pereira said. “But I am woman enough to stand up and say that it is time for a change. Women need to stop beating each other down. It’s time we defend each other, love each other, and support each other,” she said.
OFFICIAL SITE: www.unslutproject.com
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Talented, Creativ Exploring the different sides
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Jesus Figueroa
Writer
ve, Sexy: of Vivid Vivka Photo courtesy of Vivid Vivka
The sexy Vivid Vivka takes her modeling seriously going from Suicide Girl model to Cosplay Deviant model and coming out with magnificent prints for fans to enjoy. Vivka’s world is so much more than just modeling. Her talents are many and she tries to work on showcasing them as much as possible. She is an inspiration as she follows her dreams, showcasing her talents, coming up with amazing cosplay costumes and modeling outfits, but she also creates different things to sell on her facebook and etsy store aside from her prints. She has prints from her modeling, illustrated prints of her from fans and scarves she makes by hand. This hardworking model doesn’t just let her gorgeous exterior be the dominating factor in her life and work. She’s also a designer as she creates many of the outfits she models during her many photo shoots as well as the cosplay costumes she wears to the many conventions she attends. Vivka works hard to be able to enjoy her time off. Being in Los Angeles, California she is able to enjoy her time off by going out to clubs, being a go-go dancer, watching movies and playing video games. She is a humble, caring and intelligent person who appreciates her fans and continues to be a strong social media presence. Vivka continues to post as much as possible on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr so that she can keep in contact with all of her fans. While on the convention tour she is not shy to the idea of taking photographs with fans, meeting and greeting them with a marvelous, inviting smile, as well as her cheery intoxicating personality. The attitude and work ethic put forth by Vivka is an example of just what is
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13 needed to keep being noticed as a model. The creative spirit that lies within Vivka is displayed through her many talents which take shape in the detail in her outfits, the manner in which she interacts with her audience and in her seductive poses during photo shoots. She continues to evolve as a model and establishing her image through the constant social media interaction as well as the interactions she continues to have while wandering throughout all her convention appearances. There’s a skill she exudes with the manner in which she presents herself. Her at times wacky personality can help fans feel comfortable. On the convention tour, at Bar Sinister in Los Angeles or anywhere her life takes her, Vivka’s upbeat personality is always there. She’s cheerful and pleasant. This young lady takes her modeling to the limits and, risky or not, she excites viewers with her modeling shots. The style she exhibits is unique. Her hair color is always changing and continues to be one of her signature traits.
She’s marvelous at what she does and keeps it classy, nerdy and fabulous. Vivka sets a positive example for models who look to be like her. She’s professional, fun and charming while getting stuff done. She also helps point out dangers in the modeling world by posting on social media about encounters she has with possible dangerous situations or people. Working with Vivka is nothing short of spectacular as she is good at sharing her thoughts and ideas to create a project everyone can be happy with. Although she has made her home in Los Angeles, Calif. she was born and raised in Detroit, Michgan. The move to L.A. brought her miles from her childhood home. Through it all, Vivka is still close with her family as she visits them and spends as much time as her busy schedule allows. She does her work and keeps her personal life away from the professional life. She finds ways to live as both a model with dignity and respect and a wonderful person who cares for family and friends.
Photo courtesy of V
Photo courtesy of V
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Vivid Vivka
Vivid Vivka
Photo courtesy of Corwin Prescott
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15 She is a Suicide Girl model, Cosplay Deviant model and a spectacular person who is willing to be a part of modeling projects. At the Anime Expo 2013, Vivka was cosplaying as Harley Quinn for Cosplay Deviant. She would take Polaroid photographs with fans and be a helpful guide through the Cosplay Deviant booth. This year at AX2014, Vivid Vivka will be there once again to meet and greet with fans with the rest of the lovely ladies of Cosplay Deviants. The always amazing, never ordinary, always incredible Vivka stays at the top of her work through hard work and incredible
work ethic. She has graced the pages of several other magazines, including Maxim, and her image can be found on several blogs of various topics. Thisfunktional Magazine is thankful to have the majestic Vivid Vivka on the cover and through 6 pages. She’s a beauty with a ton of brains and a strength that is not matched. The blissful manner of her being is incredible and there may be more Vivid Vivka to come in the next couple of issues. We can only hope and wait and see.
Photo courtesy of Michelle Yoder Photography
Vivid Vivka
Keep up with Vivka:
Photo courtesy of the RYDER makeup labs
Facebook.com/TheVividVivka Twitter.com/VividVivka Buy Vivka prints and creations:
Etsy.com/shop/VividVivka
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Mike's Movi
'MOVIE GIRL OF THE MONTH'
Eli Kay (30)
Great female characters are very hard to find, so if I was a character in any movie, i’d be Mr Orange in Reservoir Dogs because like any Tarantino character, he has depth, he is written very cleverly and elegantly, and he is very cool! twitter.com/Eli_Kay instagram.com/EliKay
ATTENTION FEMALE MOVIE FANS! Want to be my ‘MOVIE GIRL OF THE MONTH?’ Just answer the questions below and send 12 or more photos of yourself to mikethemovieguy@gmail. com. Name: Age: City: What’s your favorite action movie? What’s your favorite comedy? What’s your favorite drama? What’s your favorite horror? What’s your favorite sci-fi & fantasy? What’s your favorite chick flick? What was the last movie you saw? What movie are you looking forward to seeing? If you could be a character in ANY movie, who would it be? and why? What’s the perfect movie snack? What the one movie everyone should have in their DVD collection? What movie should have NEVER been made? What’s your Twitter? What’s your Facebook? What’s your Instagram? What’s your Website? Please send 12 or more photos – they can be any type. Just CUT & PASTE the questions and answers – and send everything to mikethemovieguy@gmail. com.
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ie Mayhem Thrilling Upcoming film 'Lucy' Writer-director Luc Besson has created some of the toughest, most memorable female action heroes in recent cinematic history. From La Femme Nikita and The Professional to The Fifth Element there are not many bigger action heroins than those movies. Besson now is set to direct Scarlett Johansson in actionthrille “Lucy” that tracks a woman accidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic. “Lucy” has Johansson co-staring with Academy Award® winner Morgan Freeman and is produced by Virginie BessonSilla for EuropaCorp. Universal Pictures will distribute the movie worldwide, except for France, Benelux and China.
'AS ABOVE SO BELOW' Miles of twisting catacombs lie beneath the streets of Paris, the eternal home to countless souls. When a team of explorers venture into the uncharted maze of bones, they uncover the secret of what this city of the dead was meant to contain. A journey into madness and terror, As Above, So Below reaches deep into the human psyche to reveal the personal demons that come back to haunt us all.
Check out more videos on youtube.com/user/iwatchmike
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Thisfunktional Reviews Jesus Figueroa
Writer
‘Godzilla’ director, producer talk about Passion behind rebooting a legend
“Godzilla” Director Gareth Edwards and Producer Thomas Tull showed their excitement about rebooting a legend as they answered questions from press after a special screening on May 1, 2014 at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood, Calif. Once the excitement was contained the press asked Edwards and Tull about the larger-than-life monster Godzilla that they had taken on. They both expressed how they were fans of the original having enjoyed it from childhood. “Edwards spoke about how he sees himself a big kid and he could recall being ten and seeing the original
Godzilla film and being thrilled by the film and so he wanted to make a film in which both young fans and older fans could enjoy equally. The concern about having been brought into a film like Godzilla that has regular fans and super fans was a challenge. Edwards said that making a film always has its challenges “We can’t say we are just going to make a film for the hardcore Godzilla fans,” Tull said, the film they wanted to make is that of a Godzilla movie that will be for all fans of all levels.
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Thisfunktional PLAYLIST Jesus Figueroa
Writer
‘Weird Kids’ comes out with great sound We Are the in Crowd’s second LP “Weird Kids” sets a great evolution to their already great pop-punk sound that keeps giving hope to the future of music. With a marvelous performance from front-woman Tay Jardine on track after track of clean-sounding spirited songs, this album is a fantastic addition to their albums. Since the first Ep “Guaranteed to Disagree” the band has grown to be one of the best bands in this day-and-age from New York. The talented skill of Jardine’s voice is showcased in “Long Live The Kids” which is soft at first put quickly intensifies. Rob Chiianelli’s drumming beats strong leading the way for the instrumentals to come in and accompany the fierce lyrics. This song is a great example of their
phenomenal style. “Dreaming Out Loud,” combines the vocals of guitarist Jordan eckes and Jardine to create a magnificent song with fantastic rhythm. The two vocalist compliment each other’s voices well making this song an attention grabber. Jardine once again takes a powerful track in “Reflections” and blows it away with magnificent vocals. The instruments are amazing with Eckes once again accompanying Jardine. Mike Ferri is steady on the base, Cameron Hurley rips through riffs and through every song of this album. This is a definite must hear album and deserves a 9 out of 10 golden album rating. “Weird Kids” available on iTunes and record stores.
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Round-up
Check out more at TheVRO.com
THE FLUFFY MOVIE – COMEDY CONCERT FILM FEATURING GABRIEL “FLUFFY” IGLESIAS – COMING TO THEATERS JULY 11, 2014
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