Oz Magazine May / June 2019

MAY / JUNE 2019

LETTER FROM THE MANAGING EDITOR I will always be a filmmaker.

OZ MAGAZINE

Film is an incredible form of art, and creating film is hard work. What it is not is glitz, glamor, and fame. That is the periphery of movie making.

STAFF

As a graduate of Georgia State University’s film department, I studied producing, casting, writing, shooting, directing, editing, film history, and film theory. People watch movies to be entertained, to escape, to laugh, to weep, and to think; and this is why I chose film as my medium of choice, to entertain.

Publishers:

Tia Powell (Group Publisher) Gary Powell

Editor-in-Chief: Gary Powell

Managing Editor: Nicole Sage

Sales:

Martha Ronske Kris Thimmesch

Creative Director: Michael R. Eilers

Production and Design: Michael R. Eilers Christopher Winley

Social Media: Nicola Breslauer

Cover Photography: Brook Hewitt

The films I shot had themes that remain near and dear to me. I filmed a 16mm black & white short homage to my beloved Beastie Boys. I shared my story of a young woman reuniting with her Jewish heritage and tradition. Ambitiously, I shot on location at Atlanta’s 57th Fighter Squadron a World War II story complete with a swing band, cigarette girl, and G.I.’ s with sweethearts. My personal masterpiece is a colorful and flamboyant documentary on a local Atlanta drag icon called God Save the Queen.

I kicked it old school. Our cameras were wind-up Bell & Howell’s. We edited on a reel-to-reel, cut and spliced, faithfully learning the nuts and bolts of how to make movies. I am proud of my little treasure trove of films.

I’m a filmmaker, and I will always be a filmmaker.

A movie is like a diamond; it wouldn’t shine without all its many facets. Films would not receive the acclaim without its crew and all the people involved to get the movie made. If you are a part of a film crew working 16 hours days, you are a filmmaker.

Theatrical agents, talent managers, and casting directors are filmmakers. If you’re a UPM, transportation captain, editor, boom operator, a PA, or in the wardrobe and hair department, you are a filmmaker. Moreover, if you crewed a movie that won an Academy Award, then you too have won the Academy Award, because the film would not have its accolades without you and the work you contributed.

For Advertising Information:

404.633.1779 ozmagazine.com /ozmagazine /ozpublishing /ozmagazine Oz Magazine is published bi-monthly by Oz Publishing, Inc. 2566 Shallowford Road Suite 104, #302 Atlanta, GA 30345 Copyright © 2019 Oz Publishing Incorporated, all rights reserved.

Reproductions in whole or in part without express written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. This magazine is printed on recyclable paper.

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

Oz Publishing, Inc. is here to help you find how to make your production visions come true. Our Georgia Film & Television Production SourceBook has been the production Bible since 1990, or for you L.A. people, the Thomas Guide to all things film in Georgia.

In 2020 Oz Publishing will turn 30 years old! We’re making a few visual and editorial changes. But, have no fear; your Oz Magazine will always be ready for its close up.

For this issue’s cover story of talent to watch, Oz reached out to some of Georgia’s top talent agencies. The Atlanta actors on the cover are just a few of many Atlanta actors on the rise.

Georgia’s has been voted the #1 place to live and work as a filmmaker. In 2018 Georgia’s entertainment market grossed over $9.5 billion dollars and leads the nation in the production of big budget blockbusters. Oz Magazine is, and always will be, for all you filmmakers and film enthusiasts. Our aim is to entertain you, inform you, and most of all celebrate your work.

See you in Oz! Nicole Sage, Managing Editor nicole@ozonline.tv

MAY / JUNE 2019

CONTENTS

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50

OZCETERA

FEATURE STORY

A compilation of recent news and hot projects, from and about industry leaders.

Green-Lit & Picture It It all begins with an idea, yours!

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FEATURE STORY

FEATURE

Gilda Radner Comedy Was Her Only Defense

Making Something Out of Nothing Remembering Guy Tuttle

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Atlanta’s Top Talent to Watch 2019 A look at Atlanta’s up and coming talent

CINEFILE

Oz Scene

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60 Spa Sydell Top Talent Event 62 Atlanta Film Festival 2019

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63 Image Film Gala

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FEATURE STORY

Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know The Georgia Film Tax Credit

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Hart-less Vs. Host-less Ruminations on Oscar’s 2019

A Shout Out to the Makers of Sound On set with audio vets at Netflix and OWN

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FEATURE STORY

COVER STORY

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54

50

60

Let Me Give You My Card

May / June 2019

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MAY / JUNE 2019

CONTRIBUTORS Brook Hewitt

Photographer / Top Talent Cover Story Brook Hewitt is the proud owner of Rose Riot Photography. Hewitt got her start in photography shooting rock concerts and professional wrestlers. Most days Hewitt is in the classroom running her photography education business Camera Class For Kids where she shares her creative and eclectic passion with student as young as three years old. www.roseriotphotography.com

Suzan Satterfield

Remembering Guy Tuttle

Suzan Satterfield is a Writer/Producer/Content Creator. She and her husband, DP Allen Facemire, have run Picture Window Productions since 1989. Their work includes scripted and unscripted television, documentaries, and films. Suzan is the chair for Atlanta PGA WIN (Women’s Impact Network), a past-president of WIFTA, and a founder of the Women in Production Summit.

Melinda Ennis-Roughton

CineFile

Melinda Ennis is a free-lance writer and film critic, including a stint as such with the Atlanta Journal Constitution for a couple of years. By day, she is a mild-mannered non-profit executive. She has been an inveterate film nerd since first achieving consciousness, honed her skills watching movies all night whilst at film school… and is still working on the thesis she started there on the films of Satyajit Ray.

Courtney Walter

A Shout Out to the Makers of Sound

Courtney Walter is an Atlanta-based filmmaker, hailing from Cleveland, Ohio. A self-professed visual content fanatic, he’s created awardwinning films through his production company, Lift + Motion.

Fellow fanatics can follow him @FilmmakerCW

Fran Burst-Terranella

Picture-It: Getting Green Lit

Fran Burst-Terranella is an EMMY-winning independent film and television director and producer whos work spans four decades and totals more than 700 productions. Her documentaries have aired nationally on ABC, TBS and PBS and her work has garnered more than 100 honors including Tellys, CINE Golden Eagles and recognition at film festivals from Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Atlanta to Australia, Scotland, Spain and Canada. A multi-faceted director with the ability to quickly build rapport with everyonewho appears in front of her camera, her newest project is The 12 Lives of Sissy Carlyle–a darkly comic indie feature film.

Peter Stathopoulos

Top 10 Georgia Tax Incentive Laws You Need to Know

Peter Stathopoulos leads Bennett Thrasher, LLP’s Entertainment and State Taxation practices. Peter represents many of the motion picture studios and television networks making film and television productions in Georgia and was involved in the initial drafting of the Georgia entertainment tax incentive. Peter also leads the governmental affairs committee of the Georgia Production Partnership, a coalition representing the interests of Georgia’s entertainment industry.

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OZCETERA

May / June 2019

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OZCETERA Older Grant Hill meets his younger self

Digitally de-aging Hill

3D facial motion tracking

Method Studios Turns Back the Clock

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BA Hall of Famer Grant Hill shares advice with his younger self in a new promo for Bleacher Report co-directed by Peter Siaggas of Spots Films and Dan Worthington. To bring the 46-year-old Grant face to face with his college-aged self in the two-minute spot, Siaggas enlisted Method Studios creatives, which helped quickly and unobtrusively capture Hill’s facial performance, then digitally de-aged him, bringing the two Grants together for a chat.

“It took us a few weeks to nail down the approach for this project. We knew that we’d have a limited amount of time with Grant on set and wanted to make sure that we were as efficient as possible, but also for the technology to be inconspicuous and flexible enough as to not impact the performance,” explained Brett Glover, Method Studios creative director.

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Af ter an ex tensive research and development process, Method VFX supervisor and head of 3D for Method’s Atlanta office, Joe Pistono, transformed off-the-shelf hardware into a proprietary set up that leveraged an infrared camera for facial motion tracking and an LED array. Placement of the tracking markers on Hill’s face was crucial for capturing the accurate and comprehensive data needed to successfully drive the sof t ware used to translate his performance to his digitally de-aged double. On set, Hill was 3D scanned, which provided a valuable reference for his skin texture and facial movements.

“In 2019 Grant Hill wears a beard, whereas throwback Grant Hill does not, so that was a bit of challenge, but fortunately for us, he’s aged really well so we didn’t have heavy lifting in that respect. Still, we were mindful to include micro

skin details for a believable likeness,” noted Pistono. “We referenced old footage to make sure we were encapsulating his essence at that era, but video from the early 90s is super grainy and not very helpful from a details standpoint, so we used stills as a guide for eyebrow and mustache placement. The skin texture was done based on what felt right.”

Once the animation and look of Hill’s younger CG face were complete, Autodesk Flame artists seamlessly blended the live action and digitally enhanced performances, for a tongue-in-cheek trip down memory lane.

The creative editorial was done by Beast, and Company 3 handled audio and color grading for the spot.

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May / June 2019

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OZCETERA Ingrid Veninger guest speaker at the 2019 Women in Production Summit

Back row: L to R, Saptosa Foster, Judiffier Pearson, Suzan Satterfield, Lisa Ferrell, Fran Burst-Terranella, Meredith Riley Stewart, Deidre McDonald, Kristina Adler, Laura Lundy Wheale, Rachel Watanabe-Batton, Esther Pearle

Women in Production Partnering for Power

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eorgia’s film community will convene in Atlanta for the Fourth Annual Women in Production Summit. This year’s event will host women from across Georgia for a day of informative and engaging sessions geared toward coming together to enhance their strengths in front of and behind the camera.

The mission is concise: to make Georgia the most inclusive and women-friendly media market in the country. Their theme this year will be on the “Partnering for Power” for the female community of film and television workers in the state’s entertainment industry. This year’s daylong event will address the topic top-ofmind for almost everyone in the business establishing the shift to inclusivity and respect for women in front of and behind the camera.

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The Women in Production Summit is a collaborative partnership of the Producers Guild of America, WIN ( Women’s Impac t Network), WIFTA (Women in Film & Television/ Atlanta), Black Women’s Film Network, Film Fatales and the Alliance of Women Directors.

“This event is organized by five film industry organizations that suppor t women in our business,” said writer/producer/director Suzan Satterfield, a founder of the conference. “All women working in any capacity in our industry will get tangible benefits from coming to meet, learn and network with each other. The 2018 Summit was packed, and we expect record numbers again,” Satterfield said. “Our overall focus this year is how to partner to move toward our goals. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in

production management, a creative, cast or crew. This is a business of alliances, and we can all use more tools to understand how to build and strengthen those alliances.”

One of this year’s featured speakers is Ingrid Veninger, a Canadian writer, director, producer, actress and film professor at York University. Veninger was chosen for her prolific success as an independent filmmaker who has consistently launched a feature film each year for the past 10 years. The Summit will present several prominent film industry guest speakers as well as panels presented by the IATSE Women’s Committee and legal advice on production alliances and partnerships.

OZCETERA LMGI President Mike Fantasia addresses the attendees

Scouting Worksops led by (L to R) Lenzi Sealy, Ryan Schaetzle, and Michael Woodruff

LMGI banner welcomes attendees to lakeside pavilion

Location, Location, Location!

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he Location Managers Guild International (LMGI) celebrated its growth in Atlanta with a series of Location Pro Workshops. The events were geared toward educating and connecting location professionals among the Georgia filming community.

“Georgia’s film industry is on fire,” says Mike Fantasia, renowned supervising location manager and president of the LMGI. “In March alone, 38 movies and TV productions were filming throughout the state creating a huge demand for skilled location professionals. This event is the first of what will hopefully be many more bringing location professionals together to enhance skills and discuss local issues.”

T h e f re e eve n t of fe re d e d u c a t i o n a l seminars taught by experienced, local location professionals. According to LMG I board member and event organizer Mac Gordon, “The Location Pro Workshop event provided a fantastic way for the guests to learn tricks of the trade and to network for those new to the craft of scouting for locations.”

Workshops included Scouting with Style for Assistant and Key Assistant Location

Managers that was taught by location scouts Lenzi Sealy (Brightburn, MacGyver, Amazing Stories) and Michael Woodruff (Edge of Fear, Doom Patrol, Brightburn) and was moderated by location manager, Ryan Schaetzle (Uncle Drew, American Made, Halt and Catch Fire).

Don’t Panic: Life, The Universe, and Everything was geared toward the nitty-gritty of the job.

How to use vital skills and expert advice on how to do your job well and not go crazy was conducted by Samantha Idelson (Night School, MacGyver, Dirty Grandpa), Kyle Carey (Stranger Things, Ant-Man and The Wasp, A Walk in the Woods), Mela Rayne (Zombieland 2, The Boy Who Knew Too Much) with location manager, Matt Chamberlin (Zombieland 2, Love is Blind, Sully) moderating. LMGI member John Latenser (Front Runner, Nebraska, Step Sisters) and Andrea Keener (MacGyver, Cold Case) moderated Location Managers of the Round Table that directly addressed issues about filming specifically in the Atlanta region.

LMGI president, Fantasia, flew in from LA to welcome members and nonmembers interested in joining the Guild. “The LMGI is

thrilled that our Atlanta membership is growing, and we are excited to continue to invest in the advancement of the craft as a whole,” said Fantasia.

Numerous Georgia industry vendors such as Classic Tents, Royal Restrooms, Harris Diversified, LLC, Reel Security, South Scout Locations, HERC Entertainment Rentals, Nu Ground Stages and Peachcraft Craft Services attended and networked. Both city and county government film industry representatives from the Georgia Film Office, DeKalb Entertainment Commission, Macon Film Commission and Clayton County Economic Development and Film Office attended and participated as well.

According to Gordon, “The sheer number of people that attended our event reflected the astonishing growth of production in Georgia.

All the vendors and sponsors that participated have Georgia-based employees and have invested in this region, and it’s all built on the statewide tax incentives. The LMGI is proud to begin offering local training for those in our craft and more educational events are on the horizon.”

May / June 2019

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OZCETERA ConnectiD hosted the Third Annual Creative Cxpo

Creative Expo drone shots

Digital Cross-Pollination

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eorgia’s Creative Business Xpo and Conference is a nonprofit, annual business to business networking event that provides a platform to educate and promote innovative works in digital media, arts, technology and entertainment. Start-ups, businesses, and individuals showcase their ideas, product or services through exhibits, presentations, and live demonstrations.

Connec t i D hos ted t he Third A nnual Georgia Creative Business Xpo and Conference (CXPO). Along with ConnectiD, the UGA Small Business Development Center at Georgia State University joined as an official

par tner for the CXPO. The event bridged together creative industries to cross-promote and net work ser vices. During the CXPO event, a wide array of professionals and small businesses within digital media, art, technology and entertainment offered dynamic displays of their creative works. Their displays featured 2D and 3D animation, advertising and marketing, audio production, digital photography, film and television production, graphic and web design, game design and programming, illustration, AI, visual effects and motion graphics.

CXPO and Conference presented innovative and trend y discussions from

notable industry insiders who have navigated successfully throughout the creative sector.

Highlighted sessions include: Gaming in Georgia: The Power of Georgia’s Gaming Industry (esports / Behind Gaming / Game Design); LinkedIn Hot Spot: Getting the Most Out of Your Brand; The Art of Video Content: Producing Video Content Using Various Platforms; Marketplace for the Music Industry: A Deep Dive into Radio Production; and Grow with MailChimp: Produce Email Marketing.

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BusMax “people mover”

BusMax “People Movers” to Productions

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ransportation is crucial for productions.

They have to get directors and producers to scout locations, to move cast and crew from place to location … all on a tight schedule.

BusMax Rental is an Atlanta based company which rents 15, 25, 33 and 44 passengers “people movers” to productions. BusMax can provide full packages on rentals which includes: drivers, insurance and bus. BusMax also offers film productions discounted rates on

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

luxury SUVs, high and low-roof 15-passenger vans, cars and nine passenger conversion vans. “We are predominantly a company which rents vehicles to productions. The vintage car collection is amazing; they are available through BusMax Leasing,” says Meryl Healy, director of sales and marketing.

In addition to their vehicle rentals, BusMax Leasing rents hard-to-find, vintage picture cars. Eight of their cars were featured in Hidden

Figures; with two vehicles appearing in the parade scene. These rare collector cars have also been used in corporate training videos, music videos, commercials and live events.

BusMax Leasing has had older buses and yellow school buses that have been featured in several of the Fast and Furious franchise movies, Old School and other films that were shot in Georgia.

OZCETERA

May / June 2019

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OZCETERA Graduate of Atlanta’s Grady High School Eric Roberts to appear at the RKDS Valdosta Film Festival

Stars Shine at Valdosta Film Festival

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ilms, celebrity guests and forums will be part of the 2019 RKDS Film Fest held in Valdosta, Georgia. The film festival submitting company, Filmfreeway acknowledged RKDS as Certified Gold with over 1,500 film submissions from all over the world.

The RKDS Film Fest received notoriety in 2018 thanks in part to Hollywood legend, Burt Reynolds, who was the featured guest for the inaugural event. Filmmakers and directors of the festival, Roy Kirkland and Doug Sebastian, (RKDS) will present a minidocumentary, Burt Reynolds: The Last Film Festival remembering the Hollywood legend. The festival will feature Valdosta’s Sonny Shroyer (The Dukes of Hazzard), who will be onstage to talk about

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his career in film and television. Eric Roberts a graduate of Atlanta’s Grady high school, Academy Award, and three-time Golden Globe Nominee will be attending the screening for the feature film thriller, The Perception.

For the younger crowd, Russell Horning, better known as the “Back-Pack Kid,” will be appearing. Horning became an international sensation with his dance, The Floss, which he has performed with pop stars Katy Perry, Rhianna, and is now known to millions of people around the world. Horning will be onstage to talk about his instant success and will be performing.

Many of the films will be Georgia premieres with filmmakers attending to introduce their

films. One of the most talked about movies on the schedule is Skin, directed by Guy Nattiv.

Nattiv’s film won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short.

In its second year, the RKDS Film Fest gained the sponsorship and support of the Georgia Film Office. “Having their support is extremely important and needed to help us in our efforts to grow the film industry in Valdosta and South Georgia,” says Roy Kirkland, director.

“Our goal has always been to create more films and to encourage our business and local government leaders to recognize how big this industry is and how important it is to support our efforts.”

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May / June 2019

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OZCETERA Director, Rob Hardy was a featured panelist for Monetizing Digital Content and an honoree for the Pioneer Award

Sound and Screen Finance

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reative Collec tive Capital Corp. (c3) held its first Sound and Screen Finance Convention. The event gathered creative and strategic influencers and financiers who move the needle in the film, TV, music and digital entertainment including esports, video gaming, and virtual reality. The convention featured speakers, panel discussions, demos, workshops and networking experiences with financiers from around the country. The focus was primarily on financial topics and trends in the entertainment industry. Industry leaders addressed investment, financing and growth

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strategies. “I have a vested interest in our state’s creatives and investors learning the fundamentals of creative IP financing, so it continues to grow and define Georgia as a leading state in the financial entertainment industry,” said C3 founder, Aneesah BrayPower.

Panel topics included Tax Credits: Georgia’s tax credits and how your dollar-for-dollar reduction impacts investment; Entertainment Ecosystem: Top entrepreneurs and corporate innovation executives shared how they entered the industry, how they disrupted the formula and

the impact investors make on Georgia’s whole economy; The Role of the Non-Banker Player: Leading bankers discussed how investors can work with their financial advisers and private bankers to facilitate their interest in investing in the entertainment industry; and Monetizing Digital Content: Panels discussed investors profiting when the content is free. Moreover, at tendees learned about collaborations amongst independent producers of sound and screen content with investors and distributors who are successfully navigating the world of lending to creatives.

OZCETERA

May / June 2019

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SPONSORED CONTENT 2019 BLS Lincoln Navigator ready for pick up for the entertainment and film industry in Atlanta

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Ridin’ in Style new and existing customers and the corporate Atlanta market,” Michael Okon, president of BLS, says proudly. BLS offers a brand-new fleet of Lincoln Continentals, Cadillac Escalades and Mercedes Sprinters, an insurance policy of $21 million, professional chauffeurs, unique

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May / June 2019

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OZCETERA MomoCon 2016 - Spiderman Universe Cosplayers Photo Credit Andrew Michael Phillips

MomoCon Returns to Atlanta!

O ne of Atlanta’s largest fan conventions returns to the city Memorial Day Weekend.

Celebrating its 15th year, MomoCon is among the fastest-growing “all ages” conventions in the country, with more than 110,000 turnstile visitors expected in 2019. Fans of Japanese anime, American animation, comics, and gaming will celebrate their passion with four days of panels and sessions. Attendees will have access to celebrity voice talent, designers and writers behind their favorite shows, games and comics. Thousands of attendees will show off their carefully crafted costumes. MomoCon co-chair Chris Stuckey says, “Many of our

guests portray characters from Japanese and American animation and popular comics. You’ll see costumes from shows such as Steven Universe and Voltron, and comic characters including Green Lantern, Blade and Luke Cage.”

Celebrity guests of MomoCon include Patrick Warbur ton (The Tick, “Puddy” on Seinfeld, voice work on Underdog and Family Guy); Charles Martinet (voiced characters in the Mario video game series); rhythm and blues singer Estelle and many more.

With the explosive grow th of esports, MomoCon is home to the largest gaming floor

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in the Southeast. Open 24-hours during the convention, gamers will enjoy 180,000+ square feet of classic arcades, PC and LAN gaming, console tournaments, freeplay, board, card gaming and live action role play.

This year MomoCon will be providing information on how to obtain careers in these areas. Founder of MomoCon, Jessica Merriman says: “Career opportunities in these fields are growing and MomoCon offers opportunities for attendees to learn about those at our Entertainment and Media Career Fair. The EMCF offers access to gaming, animation, comic book, film and staffing companies.”

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OZCETERA 24 hour-a-day festival weekend features all things gaming

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Premier gaming and digital lifestyle festival DreamHack will return to Atlanta for the second year in a row. DreamHack will host Hi-Rez Expo, welcoming more fans than ever before to experience the SMITE, a third person multiplayer online battle arena video game and Paladins: Champions of the Realm, a free-to-play online hero shooter video game. Both games were developed and published by Hi-Rez Studios.

DreamHack is a gaming lifestyle festival where communities from all walks of gaming life come together for a three-day weekend celebrating digital culture IRL (in real life). The 24 hour-a-day festival weekend features all things gaming under one roof. “We’re thrilled to bring DreamHack back to the great city of Atlanta,” said DreamHack CEO, Marcus Lindmark. “Featuring all things gaming under one roof, this year’s festival is bigger and better than ever. We are thrilled to again offer the Hi-Rez Expo to our attendees, along with the 24-hour LAN party, professional esports, live music, the celebrity-hosted cosplay championship, and more.”

Native to Atlanta, Hi-Rez Expo is a three-day event that celebrates the communities, professional esports teams, cosplayers and fans who make Hi-Rez Studios’ games great. SMITE, the world’s No. 1 action multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game, has a thriving community and a competitive esports scene as does Paladins, the objective-based multiplayer hero shooter game. Hi-Rez Expo attendees will also watch some of the best competitive SMITE and Paladins esports teams compete on the main stage for a world champion title.

Hi-Rez Expo at DreamHack Atlanta will be the culmination of 26 weeks of competitive play in the SMITE and Paladins esports circuits.

“We’re excited to once again partner with DreamHack, bring premier esports world championship events to Atlanta and host the SMITE and Paladins community from all over the world within the biggest venue to date,” said Hi-Rez COO and president of Skillshot Media, Todd Harris.

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May / June 2019

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Guy Tuttle worked with John Hansen Production Designer for Greenleaf sets

Something Out of Nothing: Remembering Guy Tuttle

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By Suzan Satterfield

tlanta says goodbye to a prolific talent in the Georgia industry, Guy Tuttle. As a scenic and set designer, art director, and producer, Guy Tuttle was known as a ‘master of many.’ John Hansen, the production designer on the television show Greenleaf, hired Guy to be the shows, art director. “When I say Guy was the very best art director I ever worked with… I say it as I humbly worked with art directors who have supervised some of the biggest movies’ franchises in Hollywood history… Batman, Spider-man, X-Men, Transformers... but Guy was truly the best because of he’s done more various jobs, needing more wide-ranging resources, needing more varied knowledge than anyone I’ve ever meet.” Says Hansen confidently.

Bruce Harlan partnered with Guy on countless projects over four decades in Atlanta. They operated Center Stage and Clifton Studios together. Their art direction for the Southeast Emmy Awards and the Trumpet Awards shows, together they created visually-rich miracles for events on tight budgets and was often awed and recognized.

“The story of Guy Tuttle’s career is really the story of how our business in Atlanta has changed and grown up,” says Bruce Harlan.

Harlan remembers that Guy worked in theatre, then on corporate projects, the features and television series. Harlan and Guy wrapped a Habitat for Humanity project on the morning of Guy’s death.

Although Harlan knew Guy was sick, “it’s still hard to process that he’s gone. I’ll continue the work we did together. We’ll continue,” Harlan admits, “But I still have the urge to just pick up the phone and call Guy - and maybe I always will.”

Bud Wendling, who produced and directed most of the special events for Turner from the mid-’80s until the late ’90s, remembers how everyone would marvel at Guy Tuttle’s sets. “On the Trumpet Awards, we had everyone from Rosa Parks to BB King to Tiger Woods as guests. No matter what the demands, everything was always solution-oriented with Guy he had this tremendous talent and could really make something out of nothing.” Wendling said.

Few people knew that Guy was a licensed engineer, with economics and engineering degrees from Brown University. “Guy was probably the smartest guy in any room, but he didn’t feel the need to prove it,” remembers gaffer Marivee Cade, “beyond that, he was just a really generous person, always willing to give his time and talents.”

When Hansen interviewed Guy for the art director position, he liked him immediately. Hansen asked Guy about the time gap in his resume, Guy explained that he had throat cancer and he’d taken

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Art Department Photo Lft to Rt - Guy Tuttle, Yolande Thame-Set Designer, Michelle Ashley, Shauna Williams, John Hansen, Andrea Cox-Set Dec Coordinator, Brittin Richter-Prop Master, Alexa Black-Graphic Designer, Alexa Holland Art Dept PA

time to make some “bucket list” trips, but he missed working. Guy was honest about his health, and Hansen had no hesitation hiring him anyway.

Hansen explains, “For those who do not know, an art directors’ job is to assist the production designer vision for the film or television show. The art director is responsible for the budgeting, schedule of work, oversees the draf tsman, graphic designer and all construction which includes carpenters, painters, plasterers, wielders of anything seen in front of the camera. Most importantly an art director must be able to troubleshoot problems. To f ind prac tical solutions to creative problems while simultaneously staying within budget, Guy excelled at this.”

We n d l i n g r e c a l l s “ We w o r ke d f o r Xernona Clayton on the Trumpet Awards. I remember one time when an enthusiastic but inexperienced volunteer suggested costly ideas. We had to say we couldn’t do those ideas. Ms. Clayton laughed and called us the ‘the No Brothers,’ but we turned that around and star ted calling ourselves the ‘Know Brothers.’ Because between the three of us, we really could pull off almost anything.”

Almost mimicking Wendling, Hansen states “Guy never saw a problem he didn’t want to solve; he loved problems! And not only solving problems within the art department but if a problem arose with locations, set decorating, the grips, electricians or camera, Guy Tuttle always ran to help and always had a solution.”

In his Facebook tribute to Guy, director David Sinrich recalls how he and Guy, “worked on feature films, television shows, events, music shows, together, traveled to India, he supported my band efforts, gave me years of free office space, helped me pilot several show ideas, divined many hairbrained schemes together. I will really miss randomly calling him and having him answer

with a distracted ‘Yeah?’ as I could discern that he was already having several other conversations in person, on walkies, on other lines, yelling up to people in buckets, under numerous deadlines, but insisting I continue telling him what I needed and having the conversation until he was sure he’d figured out how to help me with whatever it was. He was ‘That Guy.’”

“It ’s impossible to know how many people Guy mentored over the years. He never seemed too busy or too tired to help someone.” Harlan says “Guy continued working long after other people would’ve given up. He didn’t want people to think of him as sick. He worked through chemo and radiation. He genuinely loved what he did.”

Hansen remembers Guy loved talking about Atlanta landmarks as they drove, “He used to point out how he never lived more than a couple of miles from the house he grew up in.” Hansen states “Guy could have worked and succeeded anywhere, New York, Los Angeles and made more money but he loved Georgia. I love Guy Tuttle. He is the best art director and the smartest person I’ve ever met. Guy was incredible. The amount of talent he had and the abilities he had. Honestly, he might have been wealthier and more successful if he’d worked elsewhere because he cobbled together a career here before there was a career to be had in Georgia. But he loved Georgia.”

H ansen confesses t hat G u y t alked about how he wanted to die on the job. “He always wanted to be valuable - and he was valuable.” When asked about his official credit on Greenleaf, Hansen answered, “My job title is ‘production designer’ on the TV show Greenleaf. But in life, my title was ‘Guy Tuttle’s Friend.’”

“My job title is ‘production designer’ on the TV show Greenleaf.

But in life, my title was ‘Guy Tuttle’s Friend.’”

John Hansen

May / June 2019

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Top Talent to Watch!

By: Nicole Sage

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

tranger Things, The Resident, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, are only a few of the successful productions shot in Georgia where one might recognize actors from our Top Talent to Watch cover.

Oz reached out to some of Georgia’s top talent agencies to identify their clients that are securing auditions and booking roles. It was only a few years ago that a Georgia actor was merely auditioning for small television and film roles. Although many movies were filmed in Georgia, actors would jump at chance to drive to Wilmington and New Orleans to audition or to be a featured extra. They would audition to read “one line” or be in a small scene with an A-list actor. Now the audition opportunities are drastically different.

Talent agents are offering their talent pool high profile and lucrative acting opportunities like a TV series regular role, or a lead role in a feature film, or the brass ring of an actor’s career: the three picture franchise movie deal with a studio. The Atlanta-based talents on this cover are just a few of Georgia’s many actors on the rise. Soon, you may say, “I know who that actor is! They’re from Georgia.”

May / June 2019

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SUMMER FONTANA HOMETOWN & HOW LONG LIVING IN ATLANTA: McDonough, GA for seven years.

FAVORITE MOVIE: Enchanted KNOWN FOR: Hope in The Originals Season 4 MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN: The Originals YOUR MOTTO: “Do your best and let God do the rest.”

WHAT’S NEXT: Dark Phoenix (June 2019) INSTAGRAM: @SUMMERFONTANA1

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

CHAD DARNELL HOMETOWN & HOW LONG LIVING IN ATLANTA: Atlanta. Happy to be home after living in Los Angeles for 16 years.

FAVORITE MOVIE: Silence of the Lambs KNOWN FOR: Casting director - and writer / producer/ director/ actor MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN: Hedwig and the Angry Inch YOUR MOTTO: “Stay in your lane.”

WHAT’S NEXT: My screenplay Darlene starts shooting in the summer.

INSTAGRAM: @CHADDARNELL

May / June 2019

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MYLES TRUITT HOMETOWN & HOW LONG LIVING IN ATLANTA: Atlanta all my life.

FAVORITE MOVIE: Glory KNOWN FOR: New Edition, Queen Sugar, and KIN MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN: Black Lightning and Queen Sugar YOUR MOTTO: “Whatever you choose to do in life be ‘Tru2itt’.”

WHAT’S NEXT: More on Queen Sugar INSTAGRAM: @MYLESTRUITT

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

PRIAH FERGUSON HOMETOWN & HOW LONG LIVING IN ATLANTA: I grew up south of Atlanta between College Park and Fayette County.

I've been living here all my life.

FAVORITE MOVIE: The Devil Wears Prada KNOWN FOR: Tiffany Haddish's daughter in The Oath, Asia in Donald Glover’s Atlanta MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN: Erica Sinclair in Stranger Things Season 2 YOUR MOTTO: “Stay true to myself, because I am enough.”

WHAT’S NEXT: I'm really excited about the new season of Stranger Things. I also have some other fun goals and ideas I'm working towards.

INSTAGRAM: @PRIAHFERGUSON

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DANNY CHUNG HOMETOWN & HOW LONG LIVING IN ATLANTA: Orlando, Florida, and two years in Atlanta.

FAVORITE MOVIE: Shawshank Redemption KNOWN FOR: Casino dealer in Black Panther MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN: Dynasty YOUR MOTTO: "Always be ready so you don't have to get ready."

WHAT’S NEXT: Many auditions INSTAGRAM: @MR.DANNYCHUNG

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

DONIELLE HANSLEY, JR. A/K/A IAMLILDEEDEE HOMETOWN & HOW LONG LIVING IN ATLANTA: From Richmond, Virginia.

11 years in Atlanta.

FAVORITE MOVIE: Transformers KNOWN FOR: Dancing with Usher and Chris Brown MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN: Step Up Highwater, an episodic show on YouTube YOUR MOTTO: “I dance as if nobody is watching.”

WHAT’S NEXT: Sony Picture movie based on a true story called 12 O’Clock Boys INSTAGRAM: @IAMLILDEEDEE

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JESSICA MIESEL HOMETOWN & HOW LONG LIVING IN ATLANTA: Born in Chicago, Illinois.

20 years in Atlanta.

FAVORITE MOVIE: It changes! Currently, The Favourite KNOWN FOR: Nurse Jessica on The Resident (FOX) and Alison on The Purge (USA) MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN: Brooke in the film Virginia Minnesota YOUR MOTTO: “You do you, boo.”

WHAT’S NEXT: Hopefully a third season of The Resident.

Keep your fingers crossed! The upcoming film The Best of Enemies with Sam Rockwell and Taraji P. Henson INSTAGRAM: @JESSICA_MIESEL

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

JOSH VENTURA HOMETOWN & HOW LONG LIVING IN ATLANTA: I'm an ATLien but lived in Los Angeles for eight years.

FAVORITE MOVIE: School Ties KNOWN FOR: Annual dancing santa videos.

MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN: The Highwaymen on Netflix YOUR MOTTO: “With all this manure, there's gotta be a pony in here somewhere.”

WHAT’S NEXT: Another thousand auditions.

Love my AMT agency.

INSTAGRAM: @JOSHVENTURA

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ANTHONY DALTON II HOMETOWN & HOW LONG IN ATLANTA: Indianapolis, Indiana. Nine years in Atlanta..

FAVORITE FILM: The Revenant KNOWN FOR: Terrance on Tyler Perry’s The Paynes MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN: Malik Thompson on BounceTV’s Saints & Sinners YOUR MOTTO: “Treat people with respect.”

“Never let it be your fault.”

WHAT’S NEXT: We’ll see!

INSTAGRAM: @ANTHONY_DALTON

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

MARIANA NOVAK HOMETOWN & HOW LONG LIVING IN ATLANTA: Between San Mateo, California and Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Two years in Atlanta.

FAVORITE MOVIE: Pedro Almodóvar’s All About My Mother KNOWN FOR: National commercial spot opposite Jeffrey Dean Morgan MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN: Ozark Season 2 as Cheyenne YOUR MOTTO: “Value being a well-rounded, responsible, and intelligent human before you worry about being a good actor.”

WHAT’S NEXT: Watchmen (HBO) and The Resident (FOX) INSTAGRAM: @ITSMARIANANOVAK

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JOSHUA MIKEL HOMETOWN & HOW LONG LIVING IN ATLANTA: Conyers, Georgia. Living in the city of Atlanta since 2010.

FAVORITE MOVIE: MOVIES! Fargo, No Country For Old Men, Toy Story, There Will Be Blood, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, The Goonies, Disney’s Robin Hood, Snatch, Jurassic Park KNOWN FOR: The Savior Jared on The Walking Dead MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN: Game Night, The Dirt, Black Lightning, and The Act YOUR MOTTO: “There’s good in all work.”

WHAT’S NEXT: Stuber with Kumail Nanjiani & Dave Bautista INSTAGRAM: @JOSHUAMIKEL

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

TYLER KAY WHITLEY HOMETOWN & HOW LONG LIVING IN ATLANTA: I was born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Atlanta.

FAVORITE MOVIE: There are way too many great movies to just pick one. Apocalypto and Salt KNOWN FOR: Known for my role in the Bobby DeBarge Story, portraying the legendary Janet Jackson!

MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN: The Act on Hulu and Florida Girls on Pop TV YOUR MOTTO: "The show must go on!"

WHAT’S NEXT: I'm working on projects that I'm super excited about INSTAGRAM: @TY_KAY

May / June 2019

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THOMAS ROBERTS HOMETOWN & HOW LONG IN ATLANTA: Baltimore, Maryland. In Atlanta 2001-2008 and moved back to Georgia in 2018.

FILM: Goodfellas and Mrs. Doubtfire KNOWN FOR: CNN, MSNBC, NBC, and CBS news anchor The Avengers, Iron Man 3, 30 Rock as a news anchor MOST RECENTLY SEEN IN: CBS46 News main anchor YOUR MOTTO: “This too shall pass.”

WHAT’S NEXT: CBS46 News and I just signed with a talent agent so who knows?

INSTAGRAM: @THOMASAROBERTS

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

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January / February 2019

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CINEFILE Maya Rudolph Tina Fey Amy Poheler "not the 2019 hosts"

The Host-less VS. the HART-less Ruminations on Oscar’s 2019

BY MELINDA ENNIS-ROUGHTON

E

very year we hunker down in a comfortable chair with a glass of champagne, a bag of popcorn and our Oscar scorecard waiting to be dazzled.

Hope springs eternal for those moments that sometimes reward us for watching.

They materialize rarely, but powerfully, like a last-minute reprieve from the governor.

All too often the Oscar ceremony sinks like a leaden balloon. And in 2019, we were Hart-less and host-less.

Nevertheless, we were hopeful that at least we wouldn’t have to squirm in our chairs like a parent at his kid’s first piano recital while watching a newbie host go where many had failed before…down the Oscar host rabbit-hole.

As it turns out, the host may not be the most when it comes to the Oscars.

In fact, the overall success of the 2019 awards made us realize the rise how very much or fall of past Oscar ceremonies is a trajectory almost totally reliant on the skills of the host (or lack thereof).

This year, there was no hammy monologue with cringe-worthy jokes that indiscriminately topple the ghastly (Jerry Lewis, 1959 host) and the great (remember

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Letterman and “Uma meet Oprah”?).

There were no strained, perverse pairings, like the anguish-inducing embarrassment of Anne Hathaway and James Franco, or Bob Hope with Donald Duck as his wisequacking side-kick in 1958 (yes, really).

As we’ve seen from Oscar hosts ranging from Chris Rock to Seth McFarlane, comedic talent is not a barometer of success. This is a place where the mighty have fallen. A look back on the hosts of Oscars’ past demonstrates no clear path to success. Many hosts weren’t even comics at all.

The first female Oscar host was award-winning character actress Agnes Moorehead (Citizen Kane) in 1948. Modern audiences will probably know her better as Endora, Samantha’s mother from Bewitched. But comedy wasn’t her thing.

Dramatic actors such as Jane Fonda, Ellen Burstyn, and Warren Beatty have been hosts and co-hosts through the years.

Bob Hope was the all-time champ, hosting 19 times. The closest to his record is Billy Crystal with nine, Johnny Carson with five and Whoopi Goldberg, four times.

Being host-less in 2019 wasn’t even

a first. After 1968, Bob Hope finally decamped, leaving the stage anchorless from 1969-1972.

Then there was the 1989 host-free debacle that is burned in the brain, and not in a good way, for anyone who saw it. An Oscar emcee was replaced by an eleven-minute opening musical number that yawned into eternity, and when blessedly over, fell forever into infamy. That well-known song and dance man Rob Lowe was paired with a poor unknown actress dressed as Snow White, warbling standards in a high-pitched voice reminiscent of Alvin the Chipmunk (I’m not making this up kiddies). That Rob Lowe survived to act another day is a testament to his talent…or tenaciousness.

So, 30 years later, we began another night of no-Oscar-host with visions of such failures floating in our heads.

Yet despite all the angst and anxiety, everything, for the most part, came up roses. In fact, this may be the beginning of a beautiful Oscar relationship.

The hypnotic Queen anthem “We Will Rock You” opened the proceedings with a scintillating sizzle that seemed a good omen for the blockbuster nominee

Rob Lowe with Snow White 61st Academy Awards

Bohemian Rhapsody. Performed by the original band with American Idol’s Adam Lambert channeling Freddie Mercury, a medley of Queen hits then electrified celebrity and at-home audiences, earning the first standing "O" of the night.

The juiced-up audience was then teased by the appearance of the modern divine divas of comedy, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Maya Rudolph, who jolted us with a hope that this troika would be our surprise hosts for the evening. This bait and switch was acknowledged by Fey who quipped that they would stay onstage a little longer, "…so the people who get USA Today tomorrow will think that we hosted.” (Hey! Academy board of governors, if you didn’t take this hint about who should host next year, your #timesup!).

Swallowing our disappointment that their hosting was not to be, the show moved on, and at warp-speed compared to prior years. In fact, in addition to the promising and noticeable inclusion of numerous actors and creative artists of color as presenters and winners (following the years of #Oscarsowhite), the 2019 host-less awards were a revelation of entertainment and efficiency.

As usual, there were few surprises and a few heartbreaks (poor Glenn Close losing for the 7th time for her stern and strong portrayal in The Wife). As expected, Roma was a sweep, winning in most categories it was nominated for, including best foreign film and best director.

The proceedings moved at a steady clip with a few glaring exceptions. Didn’t the best make-up winners from Vice, who bungled through their acceptance

Marlon Brando and bob hope fight over Oscar

speech, realize they might win? And is it ever a good idea to have a grown man descend on a crowd as an ersatz Mary Poppins (no matter how earnestly executed by the usually brilliant KeeganMichael Key). Did the Academy learn nothing about mixing female Disney characters with male celebrities after the Rob Lowe/Snow White nightmare?

Yet these were blips on the radar. On the Oscar thermostat of memorable moments, this one was at fever pitch.

Queen Babs (aka Barbra Streisand) made a rare appearance to introduce and heap praise on Spike Lee and his film BlacKkKlansman with a flawless delivery; she also managed to do a thinly veiled Trump dump in the process. When Spike actually won after a lifetime of brilliant work that has been all but ignored by the Academy, his jump for joy into the arms of presenter Samuel L. Jackson, both alumni from Atlanta's Morehouse College and Jackson acted in Lee's Jungle Fever, School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, and Chi-Raq brought a fullbody smile to anyone watching. Granted, it was for writing, not directing. But his evident pleasure at being acknowledged at last was gratifying to see.

There was an unprecedented “get a room” moment with the passionate pas de deux of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga singing their hit “Shallow” moments before the actual win for best song. Their performance was so hot we thought Gaga’s 30-million-dollar Tiffany diamond necklace might melt off her neck.

The surprise win of Green Book was the proverbial poop in the 2019 Oscar punch bowl, shocking the audience into subdued awkward applause (and in many cases, none at all). For those who

have been in a cave, Green Book, is the “true-ish” story of a white “goodfella” who works as a driver for an AfricanAmerican pianist touring the deep south in the 1960s. The film is really a bromance in which, inevitably, the white guy learns not to be a racist, and the elitist, erudite black man is saved from his isolation by the gumba who is driving him. But NO ONE thought it would win.

Not only did everyone, including the other nominees, think that Roma was a slam dunk, Green Book is laden with enough controversies to fill a new book.

But, the coup de gras for Green Book were the many accusations of racial parochialism in a year when the Academy has seemed to finally extinguish the “Oscar-so-white” hashtag with the diversity showcased among presenters and winners. When the announcement of the best picture was made, Spike Lee was so incensed he literally tried to leave the building while Get Out director Jordon Peele sat numbly with his hands at his side.

After cooling down, Lee had perhaps the best off-line, line of the night.

Alluding to the 1989 (filmed in Atlanta) Driving Miss Daisy which won the best picture the same year Lee’s critically acclaimed Do the Right Thing wasn’t even nominated, he commented “Every time someone is driving somewhere, I lose. They (just) changed the seating arrangement.”

The 91st Academy Award Ceremony without a host served up much entertainment. Despite the good, the bad and the ugly, we will continue to watch. To host or not to host; that is the question.

May / June 2019

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Jake Slaney

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May / June 2019

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The southeast has groomed some of the most proficient crews working in sound engineering for film and TV production today. Production sound mixers lead a small team; usually consisting of at least three people, and often the smallest team on a set. Their task is to record and mix the rough audio as it’s happening.

Mike Filosa has had the experience of building his career as a sound mixer in the southeast for 41 years. He’s worked on hit shows and films like The Hunger

Mike Filosa on the set of Greenleaf

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Games, Taken 3, and Insurgent. “Bad sound ruins a picture far more than bad pictures,” says Filosa, the production sound mixer on OWN’s Greenleaf. “It cheapens the content. It lessens the impact, even in commercials,” Filosa continues.

Sound mixer Jake Slaney, currently working on a Netflix project, is an industry vet. He has worked on projects for networks like HBO, IFC, Netflix. TV credits include The Walking Dead and Say Yes to The Dress: Atlanta. Slaney believes that camaraderie is vital when selecting a crew. “We spend such long hours working together that one of the most important things is chemistry or the ability to get along with each other,” says Slaney. He and colleague Filosa agree that finding the right candidate can make or break their efforts. “I imagine it would be hard to share a foxhole with someone you can’t stand. That being said, having a good boom operator is very important to me. That is the anchor of the sound department. in my opinion,” states Slaney.

As the on-set representative of the sound team, the boom operator seizes the dialogue and atmospheric sound during the take, sending the feed to the production sound mixer. “Hopefully 90-95 percent of all the dialogue will be captured via boom and not fixed in editing,” says Slaney.

Filosa knew he had scored big when he hired boom operator Atlanta native, Matt Robinson for Greenleaf. “I knew Matt would be a great boom operator because he’s a musician, with a quality ear, and has great strength and stamina to hold and operate the boom mic,” says Filosa.

“I try to be the calm in the storm,” says Robinson. To find quiet, stillness, and the endurance to hold the boom over or under your head can be quite the challenge. “The boom mic is the preferred mic, so my goal is getting crisp, clean sound, handling the boom properly, avoiding shadows, and preventing the actors from having to do ADR [Automated Dialogue Replacement] which can be time-consuming and costly for the studio.”

The sound utility completes the

Mike Filosa

trio of the sound department. Often considered the entry-level position of production sound engineering, they manage and maintain sound equipment and wire up the actors before reporting to set. Filosa ensured Tiffany Mack that the job was hers after he learned during their interview: “She worked sound utility on a show called Say Yes to The Dress: Atlanta, which requires mic’ing up multiple people and preparing for wardrobe changes at the moment and, of course, hiding the mic wire. This was pivotal.” “Surprisingly, wiring individuals [with mics] can be a difficult thing, especially in a wedding dress,” says Mack. “I would have to find innovative ways to hide the mic. I could have up to five brides, and each of them may try on several gowns. If you can master that, you’re onto something,” Mack says with a laugh. “That experience was ample training.” Mack’s warm and diplomatic disposition is another asset.

“I’m usually the first person from my department that the actors greet daily, and I want to represent the sound team well. I try my best to ease them,” says Mack.

Another reason they’re noteworthy is how they execute the pre-production process. Pre-production doesn’t mirror in both television and film. “In TV, our department usually gets a day or so of preproduction before we shoot an episode, which takes about eight days to film. The extent of pre-pro is looking at the order

PRACTICE WITH SPEED. PRODUCTION LOVES SPEED..."

of the scenes, who’s speaking, location.

I look for loudness, arguments, fights, and the character count, which helps to decide how to cover the scene. We’ll get a good number of script re-writes and a good sound team in TV production reacts quickly, and that’s what makes us so effective,” Filosa shares.

Before shooting, Robinson is in full problem-solving mode. “We try to solve any existing sound interferences onset within 15 minutes. It could be a buzzing light, a noisy prop, wardrobe, or a type of action. It’s best to hear these issues during the rehearsal when it’s quiet, once the bustle and scene setup has ceased,” says Robinson. During these 15 minutes, Mack’s primary focus is talent. “I usually observe who’s speaking and then I prepare my lavalier mics to wire up the actors. We have an ensemble cast on this show. They’re my priority, capturing great dialogue and making them as comfortable as possible with their mics,” mentions Mack.

Working on Greenleaf, the crew gets the chance to illustrate the dynamic that is the "mega" church. “African American churches are known for their enthusiasm of hand clapping, foot stomping, and rousing praise especially when singing.

We have to capture that with authenticity as best as possible,” says Mack. The polish for these specific scenes happens in post production, and the sound team must prepare while shooting. “The

viewers may not know, but the actors that are clapping and singing are done by miming in a lip sync fashion. Our singers lip-sync to a playback track. The finishing touches are added in during editing. We focus on getting the dialogue right, such as Bishop Greenleaf (Keith David) doing an oration or sermon,” says Filosa. “I’m in constant contact with the post team daily. Plus, I take notes and archive each file so that it’s accurate to what the camera says, and it’s easily accessible when editing,” says Filosa.

The camaraderie within their team and the entire production staff is palpable. “Loyalty is key. We stick together. I listen to their input because they know their stuff,” says Filosa.

Filosa often asks Robinson and Mack to join him on other shows. “We work on as many shows together as possible.

Once you find that great team, you do everything you can to keep them. I feel so lucky to have these two,” Filosa says with a smile.

TV and film production work can be grueling, with production days lasting 12 to 14 hours, and not limited to a Monday thru Friday schedule.

“Working in production is like going out to sea,” mentions Filosa, who’s taking his first few days off in four years to visit his parents for their 50th wedding anniversary. “My mind is constantly on the show, thinking about it 24 hours a day. I’m engrossed. So, every weekend, I call someone I haven’t talked to, or I try to do the lunch thing.”

“For anyone that wants to work in production sound, I would say get a mentor, don’t skip any steps in the process, and listen back to your work,” says Robinson. “Learn your wires, practice wiring someone with a mic.

Practice with speed. Production loves speed,” Mack concludes with a laugh.

“I am willing to work with and train someone that has less experience as long as they are motivated, willing to learn, have a head on their shoulders, and want to be there. When you spend months shooting, in what can be a stressful situation, you want to be alongside someone you enjoy,” explains Slaney.

For these audio aficionados working in the southeast, recording leaves no room for mistakes. To them, recording terrible sound is a sin. During your next theater experience or binge session, give an audible shout out to the makers of the sound. They’ll hear you.

Mike Filosa and Boom Operator Matt Robinson

May / June 2019

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GREEN-lit at

By Fran Burst-Terranella

It All Begins with an Idea. Yours! If you have a great idea, script, or intellectual property, or if you believe your own life story or someone else’s life story would make a hit television show, Picture It Productions wants to hear about it.

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

Picture IT Partners Tara Ochs Peter Stathopoulos Lance Krall Peter Siggas

P

icture It is an Atlanta based development company, helmed by Lance Krall, Peter Siaggas, Tara Ochs and Peter Stathopoulos. Picture It brings unique voices and stories from the Southeast to Hollywood. As a full-service production company, they can produce the shows they develop.

With the experience and industry weight to bring its development slate to any network or new media outlet in the ever-expanding entertainment landscape, Picture It provides Georgia’s deep pool of talented writers, actors, directors, and producers a home to develop their ideas for television. Their mission is to submit to TV networks; to pitch and ultimately sell those ideas to Hollywood.

How did Picture It Productions begin?

Pictrue It Table Read

PETER SIAGGAS: We started our company in June 2016, and we were already going at 500 miles an hour getting to what we actually wanted to do - the creative.

Then we’re like “Oh, we need a name.” We started brainstorming, and we decided on Picture This.

LANCE KRALL: We actually have a photograph of Peter thumbs-upping in front of our new sign and me – Picture This Productions. Then a cursory google search discovered a bunch of companies called Picture This. So, our first failure

out the gate was the name of our company! We had cards made. We’d told everyone, and we’d invited them to our big townhall meeting. Our name had to be something close to Picture This - so Peter said, “How about Picture It?” When did you start working together?

PETER: We knew each other in college and then when Lance joined Whole World Theatre, they started shooting these funny “renegade” videos of the actors out on the streets interacting with innocent passers-by. He wanted to edit the clips to show at Whole World while they changed out the sets between acts, so I set him up with an editor.

LANCE: Peter was at Fini Post, and he helped me navigate that whole post production world, so we started with that.

Then when Spike TV green-lit The Lance Krall Show, Peter came on and directed all the episodes with me here in Georgia.

When I moved to L.A., he flew out and produced and directed all of our Free Radio episodes for VH1.

PETER: We’ve had this working relationship for a really long time – since 2000 really – and we’ve been talking about coming up with a development company or a production company forever. But aside from wanting to work together - we couldn’t quite figure out what separates us from any other company that does what we do.

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So, what made you decide to jump in and launch Picture It? LANCE: All those years I was in L.A., I’d been coming out here to Georgia to see my parents, and when the tax incentives passed, the production side of things began to grow like crazy. My mom would say “See you need to come out here.

There’re so many opportunities.” My response was “There’s production, Mom, but I don’t do the production. I do all the other stuff - the stuff before production – I’m the writer, I’m the creator. Those opportunities don’t exist out here.” Then Christmas of 2015, Peter introduced me to his entertainment lawyer friend, Peter Stathopoulos, and he was also interested in creating some kind of development company because development was really the missing ingredient in Georgia. First, it was like “Lance, you’ll come up with the ideas for the shows, and we’ll produce them.” And that didn’t seem like an excellent idea because I know I can’t come up with that many ideas. Then we said what if we open up a company and open it up to the people in Georgia. There’re no opportunities for that. You can’t pitch an idea to anyone. You can’t develop an idea with anyone – and all of a sudden, we’re like there’s a need – let’s fill that need!

PETER: Our careers were going really well – mine in Atlanta and Lance’s in L.A., and we knew now’s the time to do this.

So, we dipped our toe in the water a little bit and found out there’s so much here – so many great ideas – and we jumped in full force. Peter Stathopoulos became our third partner and added what we needed as head of legal and business affairs. Next Tara Ochs came on board as our vicepresident of development. She put out a notice to the community that we were starting this company, and we were going to hear ideas from people in pitches and then develop ideas. We thought maybe 50 people would come and about 200 people showed up and it became more significant than we thought it would instantly.

LANCE: At first, I wasn’t going to move out here. I was going to have my career in L.A. and come back and forth when we found a good idea or two. Then we had our first round of meetings – the sort of getting-to-know-you phase of things to see what Atlanta had to offer.

So many people had so many great ideas,

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we knew this was going to be huge - this is such an untapped market. After that week, I knew that to do this right, I’ve got to move to Georgia and be here 24/7. I went back to L.A. and told my wife about our plans, and we packed up our stuff, and three weeks later we moved to Georgia.

In that first round, more than 1000 ideas were submitted, and we started developing 80 projects. Picture It’s userfriendly online submission process makes it easy for everyone with an idea to pitch to share the details of their project: is it scripted or un-scripted, title and logline, key characters, submitter’s personal connection to the story, potential story arcs, and beats, where you see the first season going. Plus, other materials – like scripts, plot outlines, story creators’ bios, press coverage and the submission agreement that clearly spells out yours and Picture It’s legal responsibilities to each other.

Once you decide to work with someone on their idea, what happens next?

LANCE: When we find an idea that we like, we enter into a shopping agreement.

No money is exchanged, but it’s an agreement that we’re going to put forth the effort and energy to develop this idea, fly back and forth to L.A. and all that stuff. You have to give us a year of exclusive rights to shop this.

PETER: The only reason we do this is that if we develop a show for eight months and all the sudden someone says, “we don’t want to do this – we’re taking it back,” we’ve invested a lot of time and money, and we don’t want to them to pull the rug out from under us before we get the chance to sell their idea.

LANCE: If you have a great idea, but you have zero experience, zero credits, no one’s going to hear your idea. But what we do, is the access point between you – with this great idea or this life-rights story – and the writers, the showrunners, the producers, the production companies that can actually make that happen. Our niche is to find these great ideas and to surround each concept with an

experienced team that the network and the buyers are going to feel comfortable putting all this money into. When we develop an idea and shoot a sizzle or put a pitch deck together – none of that is for the buyer to see. That’s all to attract talent around that idea. We find a great writer who is dying to find a new take on a new show. We provide these new stories with these new perspectives, and they’re like “oh my god – this is the fresh take of the idea I’ve wanted to do my whole life & didn’t know it.” Then the writer – the showrunner - goes in there and pitches the show however they choose – they can verbally pitch it, they can show parts of the sizzle if they want to, whatever makes it easy for them to sell the show.

When they do, we’re attached as executive producers and whoever brought us the idea has a deal with the studio. If it’s a liferights thing, they have an all life-rights agreement and an option, and they’re hired as a consultant. Or if they came up with the idea, they wrote a really great spec script, they’ll be hired on as writers on that show or as producers. That spec script may never see the light of day, but they’ll have their first opportunity in a writer’s room that you rarely get living in Atlanta, Georgia.

"WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE IS THAT WHAT WE'RE BRINGING INTO THE DOOR IS SOMETHING VERY FRESH AND UNSULLIED

BY THE SYSTEM."

"WE PITCHED FIVE SHOWS LAST YEAR IN THE SCRIPTED SPACE, AND WE SOLD EVERY SINGLE ONE."

Picture It cofounder Lance Krall celebrating a successful pitch with executive producing partner Lawrence Fishburne

How is content from Georgia producers and writers perceived in L.A.?

PETER: When we first went out there with these ideas, people were like who the heck are you? Where did you come from?

You’ve heard it a million times – you can’t be good because you’re from Georgia.

Everything we produce has to be right on.

We can’t give anyone a reason to say “no.”

Now we get so many comments “This is so organized. This looks so great. We never get pitches like this.”

LANCE: The perception of our company changed the second we sold our first project, a network show to Fox. All the sudden everyone went “Oh, these guys are for real.” Then we partnered with Jerry Bruckheimer. We partnered with Doug Robinson. We sold all those shows.

So now people are like “Oh, these guys mean business.” We pitched five shows last year in the scripted space, and we sold every single one. That’s crazy even for an L.A. development company -- that track record’s unheard of. Three of the shows are: Party Girls, Taco Tuesday and Dollar Toy Squad. Party Girls: Freeform Network and Platform One Media. Co-producers:

Lawrence Fishburne’s Cinema Gypsy Productions and Picture It Productions. A pilot is being written. Logline: A comingof-age story set during the 1970’s Black Panther movement and based on the true-life story of Georgia resident, Ericka Suzanne, the daughter of the only female leader of the Black Panther Party, Elaine Brown. Taco Tuesday: Pop TV Network.

Co-producers: Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films and Picture It Productions. The pilot is being written. Logline: A mindbending, time looping, female-driven office comedy. Dollar Toy Squad: Pocket Watch Studio. Series is being written and produced in Georgia. Logline: A rag-tag team of off-brand heroes that fight the bad guys and defend plastic toys everywhere.

Even though they are not the best or the newest, these budget superheroes have a ton of heart and never give up!

What keeps you excited about finding great stories here in Georgia?

PETER: Even though we weren’t born in Georgia – we both moved here when we were in high school – we love it here.

We’re proud to be Georgians doing this.

It’s an untouched mine, and we‘re finding gold nuggets everywhere ... and we think

this community has terrific potential.

LANCE: There’s just a really cool artistic community here, and that tends to bring other like-minded people. Before – you’d have to sneak in the back door, but you can’t build a business on this. There’s a by-the-book way to sell television shows, and we’re following it. We’re walking right through the front door. We have the membership card.

PETER: We’ve found a lot of success in finding real stories – what we’re calling “living IP” i.e. living intellectual property.

Basing a show on real people in real situations instead of just coming up with an entirely fictional show.

LANCE: What makes us unique is that what we’re bringing into the door is something very fresh and unsullied by the system. It’s outside of L. A. and New York. It’s a representation of a part of the country that isn’t represented enough on television. We just signed a two-year ‘firstlook’ deal with CBS Studios for scripted drama and comedy television. Our job now is to totally exceed their expectations and be invited back!

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Oz Interviews Lisa D’Apolito, director of Love, Gilda

BY NICOLE SAGE As luck would have it, on occasion, a notorious table is created with an exclusive reservation for artists, writers and performers. Infamous tables such as The Bloomsbury Group of London made up of E. M. Forster, Lytton Strachey, and Virginia Woolf.

The Algonquin Table of Manhattan attendees included Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Edna Ferber, and Harpo Marx. Gertrude Stein’s table of Paris hosted Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Canada’s Lorne Michaels set his table for eight.

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2019 Atlanta JewishFilm Festival Shellie Schmals film programming manager and director Lisa D'Apolito.

Photo credit Caroline Brackette & Vaughn Gittens

I

n 1975 Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Garrett Morris, Bill Murray, Jane Curtin, Larraine Newman, and the unforgettable Gilda Radner made their debut on Saturday Night Live. When Saturday Night Live launched Gilda Radner was 29 years old and the first cast member hired by Michaels.

Radner was a lanky, extremely thin comedian with a contagious smile. She was a favorite clown of many, she made audiences laugh and fall hysterically in love with her. As skinny and frail as she looked she was actually strong enough to hold her own weight in a significant comedic boys’ club of the 1975 SNL troupe. What audiences may not know about Radner was she was constantly battling personal demons yet, according to her close friend Alan Zweibel, “when she was faced with insecurities Radner would use comedy as her only defense.”

Gilda Radner died in 1989 at age 42 of stage four ovarian cancer. Some people, especially comic actors, regard Gilda’s death as a personal loss. Many of today’s comedienne’s clearly have Radner's spirit. Lisa D’Apolito makes her directorial debut with her documentary Love, Gilda. Screened at the 2019 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Love, Gilda gives an exclusive personal insight into Radner, sharing her private diaries, showing footage of never seen before Radner as a heavy child and the complexities of enduring fame and disease.

Oz Magazine’s managing editor, Nicole Sage, sat with D’Apolito.

Was there or what was your connection with Gilda before you decided to pursue her life story?

I grew up in Greenwich Village. When I was a kid, I would watch Saturday Night Live. I knew she died of cancer. I was not a fanatical fan of her work. I was genuinely interested in her world with Gilda’s Club. I worked in an advertising agency, and I directed corporate videos. I decided to do a pro-bono fundraising video for Gilda’s Club, a place of support for people and their families with cancer. You walk into Gilda’s Club you immediately feel the spirit of Gilda. I met many brave members of Gilda’s Club, facing life-threatening illnesses with such optimism of life. Many spoke of Gilda as an inspiration as they read her book It’s Always Something. I wanted to learn more about Gilda, and so I read her book and really fell in love with her as a person. I thought her legacy was so unique in both the world of comedy and cancer.

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"Every film has it's own journey."

Director Lisa D’Apolito and Amy Poehler

There must have been a deep connection between you and Gilda’s Club, her friends and family. How did you develop a relationship with them to let you be the one to share Gilda’s intimate and never seen before footage?

The team at Gilda’s Club observed my interaction with their members that had stage 4 cancer. They noticed that my style of interviewing and talking with the members was on a level that they immensely appreciated. I was not one who would walk in and talk about Lisa Loopner and Roseanne Roseanna Danna. I followed up with Gilda’s Club, I told them that I wanted to make a movie about Radner.

They led me to Alan Zweibel, Gilda’s good friend, former writer for SNL, and author of a book on Radner called Bunny, Bunny. Zweibel responded to me right away “I am in. I'll come over Thursday.” Zweibel was not the one that had Radner’s materials. It was Michael Radner, her brother, who is executor of her estate. It was at some point after I knew him for a couple years that he gave me access to Gilda’s boxes that he had in storage. He didn't realize what he had.

We found her chemotherapy video, her diaries, childhood footage, and personal confessions of how hard she struggled to be her geeky, goober of comedy.

In Love, Gilda you were able to get interviews from many well-known co-stars and highly recognized comics of today. What was that like for you, and were there some talent that you really wanted in the documentary that you couldn’t capture?

The narrative was the most important thing for me. My edit team really tried to

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use the audio from her home movies to really be the bulk of the film, as much as we could to tell her story; that was really our number one goal. Her friends were included in the movie to add to her story.

I went online, and almost every female comedian or so many female comedians were inspired by her. I really felt like she was valuable and had a significant impact on the world of comedy.

I approached the film from the performer's perspective. I didn't really want just anyone to read her journals. I reached out to what I call the “modernday comedians.” They actually became more important than I thought they would be. Their testimonies about Gilda really added credibility to her legacy. We requested the actors to read excerpts from her journal. Interviewing Amy Poehler, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph and Bill Hader, they were humbled, moved and extremely emotional. With Poehler, we didn’t tell her she was going to read anything. I took out the journal, and she just grabbed it started automatically reading things.

I started becoming very selective in the end because I didn't want a lot of interviews, but I did want more cast members. Jane Curtin, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd all passed on film being in the film. The collective response was Radner is very personal to them, so they passed on the project. Bill Murray was the one interview we wanted the most.

Even his closest friends said, “No way.”

His brother, Brian Doyle Murray said “There's no way. He doesn't do that kind of stuff.” Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase and Larraine Newman loved her so much. It was tough to bring her up, to bring back that pain that is such a loss to them.

What was your experience like working with CNN Films and Magnolia Pictures for distribution? What were your biggest challenges to green light, exhibit and distribute your documentary?

Every film has its own journey. Love, Gilda started as a passion project and took about four and a half years from start to finish.

There were many ups and downs along the way, but I met many other filmmakers in the same situation. The most important thing I think I did was applying for every film pitch, lab and conference. Along this journey, I raised awareness for the film, attended many workshops and met a lot of people and learned a lot.

The biggest challenge for most filmmakers is money. Most of the initial funding came from an Indiegogo campaign and donations. Along the journey, I was shooting new interviews and editing selects and for these pitches, labs and workshops with a talented editor.

This enabled me to really stay on top of my footage and help shape the story as it evolved. When we had a reliable trailer, we were accepted into the Hot Docs

Behind the Scene with Lorne Michaels

Jane Curtin Chevy Chase Bill Murray Gilda Radner and Laraine Newman on the set of Saturday Night Live 1978

Dealmaker program in Toronto where we met CNN Films.

I was impressed by their influential female decision makers and their impressive roster of films. CNN became our partners, and this enabled us to finish the movie. They were terrific and supportive. When we were nearing a rough cut, we were accepted into the IFP Spotlight on documentaries where I met my sales rep and film festival programmers. Next achievement was Love, Gilda being selected as the opening night film at the Tribeca Film Festival.

After Tribeca, Magnolia Pictures came on as our distributors and opened the film theatrically in 98 cities. They were hard working and very collaborative.

What made you want to submit your film to The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival?

There's been a lot of support for Love, Gilda from the Jewish community and Jewish film festivals. Gilda is such a part of Jewish comedic culture. I read that The Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center was having an exhibit on Women and Comedy. They created a faux Gilda Radner Research and Translation Center.

I flew down to check it out. They had a fantastic comedy show where Shellie Schmals (film programming manager for the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival) was one of the performers, and she reminded me of Gilda’s spirit. I introduced myself, and she told me about the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Shellie and Kenny Blank (executive director of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival) stayed abreast of the status of Love, Gilda until the film was completed. I appreciated their support and

On set with Chevy Chase

the enthusiasm of AJFF, and I was very excited to show Love, Gilda at the festival.

What do you want the audience to take away from Love, Gilda?

mentors all these people and has changed the world of comedy. The comedians I interviewed were all introduced to Gilda by their parents, who were her fans. Gilda Radner has a stable place in women’s comedy. She was inspired by Lucille Ball.

Then she inspired women such as Amy Poehler and Tina Fey who now inspire a new generation of comedians like the girls of Broad City, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. People love Gilda, and now her legacy can be shared and will inspire even more laughter.

Love, Gilda is now available on demand, DVD and on Hulu.

My goal was to tell a positive story about finding hope in even the darkest of times.

Gilda had a great outlook on life, always.

Also, when she was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer, she could find humor and hope in her life. That is why she went on a mission to write her book and to go on the Gary Shandling Show making cancer jokes. As Alan Zweibel says, “her jokes were the only weapon against cancer.”

Gilda was told that she would only live a few months and lived for two Director Lisa D’Apolito with Maya Rudolph and a half years. She enjoyed every moment, and I would like the message of Love, Gilda to be: enjoy your life with what you have and not with what you don’t have.

What do you think Gilda would think of Saturday Night Live now?

I can’t speak for her. But, Lorne has brought on so many amazing funny and talented people to audiences like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Kate McKinnon, so many strong women on the show. I think she should be so proud that 45 years later the show that they didn’t know was going to be anything is still going on and that all these amazing comediennes launched careers out of it. Lorne

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With apologies to David Letterman and annoying know-it-alls, here are the top 10 things you didn’t know about the Georgia film tax credit:

#1:

The State wants people to buy film tax credits. You are not getting into a dodgy tax shelter, but rather participating in a public-private partnership where you are helping the state attract economic development from the entertainment industry by purchasing their otherwise unusable tax credits. The tax credits are expressly intended to be transferrable by statute. Tell your neighbors.

#2:

Anyone can purchase these tax credits to reduce their Georgia income tax liability.

Many accounting firms can refer you to brokers who help film, television, and digital gaming companies sell their tax credits to individual and corporate buyers. Many brokers/sellers have no minimum purchase price so buying these credits is not just for large corporations and high-income individuals. Transaction costs are low.

#3:

By buying these credits, you are creating lots and lots of jobs in Georgia. According to figures provided by the Georgia Department of Economic Development, 58

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

the entertainment industry had a $9.5 billion economic impact on Georgia and was responsible for over 92,000 jobs in the state in the fiscal year 2017. Film and television companies based outside Georgia, or who aren’t yet profitable, can’t use their income tax credits here, so they can only benefit if buyers purchase their tax credits.

#4:

By buying these credits, you are creating a lot of investment in the state from companies that don’t even get the benefit of the loans. As a result of the incentive program, there has been massive investment in motion picture studio complexes in Georgia rivaling those located in Los Angeles, including Pinewood Atlanta Studios, the largest motion picture studio complex in North America. Motion picture sound stages, lighting companies, equipment vehicle rental companies and other vendors that support the entertainment industry can’t claim film tax credits, so we as a state are getting them for free as tag-along.

#5:

Buying the credits allows for limited time travel (for tax purposes). You can purchase

tax credits for prior tax years. When you do so, it is like you went back in time and made an additional estimated tax payment for that year for most tax purposes. You can go back up to three tax years.

#6:

The credits don’t just support filmmaking.

In addition to filmmaking, Georgia has transferable tax credits for making television shows and pilots, television sizzle reels, television commercials, digital games, music videos, and for postproduction and visual effects.

#7:

Producers can use the credits for soft money up front. Some lenders will advance funds against a production’s tax credits up front, so you don’t have to raise all of the production budgets. Most of these lenders will want a completion bond and other financing in place first.

#8:

When you buy the credits, you are becoming a film financier. You are indirectly financing a portion of film and television production in the state when you purchase film tax credits. Arguably, this should make you more interesting at

cocktail parties. Please don’t feel like you have to dress the part though.

#9:

The credits are helping content creators in Georgia. The boom in entertainment production and the need for experienced hires has led to the creation of the Georgia Film Academy, a joint educational program of the Georgia university system and local technical schools, as well as the expansion of film schools across the state (including the creation of the multi-million-dollar Creative Media Industries Institute at Georgia State). These schools are churning out future content creators. Also, many producers and showrunners are working here so much they are moving to the state.

#10:

Please don’t refer to our entertainment industry as “Y’allywood” or “Hollywood of the South.” Although still dependent on film and television production from outside the state, our native entertainment industry is reaching critical mass and is not derivative of anybody, thank you.

May / June 2019

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OZ SCENE

Talent's response to cover unveil

Actress Summer Fontana and Maraina Novak

Spa Sydell Event

S

pa Sydell owners, Larry and Diane Davis, celebrated the launch of their new Buckhead location by hosting a substantial group of Atlanta actors and actresses, talent agents and influencers with genuine spa hospitality. “We are looking forward to offering the finest innovative true med-spa treatments to all of you in our new location,” says Davis addressing the attendees. Spa Sydell offered guests mini-spa services, the light fare was provided by Buckhead’s Capital Grille, and Villa Sandi sponsored the bubbly prosecco.

Priah holding cover

Donielle Hansley aka Lil Dee Dee Danny Chung

Larry Davis owner and raffle winner Tyler Whitley

Maraina Novak and Gariella Arenas 60

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

Thomas Roberts and Patrick Abner

OZ SCENE Spa Sydell Director of Spa Relations Diane Davis

Talent agency owners Joy Pervis, Rebecca Shrager and Sarah Carpenter

Joy Pervis owner of JPervis Talent

Mandy Fason and Kelly Nettles Enjoying prosecco from Villa Sandi

Priah Ferguson

Shellie Scmalls Leah Skloff with Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

Actresses Priah Ferguson and Tyler Kay Whitley

Spa Sydell partner Larry Davis and his Team

Myles Truiit

Lauren Kranick and Lyndsay Hooper

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OZ SCENE

Director Joseph Cross interviewed before the World Premiere of Georgialensed Summer Night Photo by Luis Lopez

Director Lulu Wang and actress Awkwafina at ATLFF 2019 Opening Night presentation of The Farewell - Photo by Luis Lopez

Director Lulu Wang and actress Awkwafina on stage speaking to attendees

ATLFF 2019

D

rawing nearly 30,000 attendees, the 43rd annual Atlanta Film Festival was proud to host the world premiere of six feature films, three of which hailed from Georgia. In attendance for the red-carpet screening was Summer Night’s Joseph Cross to celebrate his directorial debut. Also featured was the comedy hit, The Farewell.

Writer and director Lulu Wang and star, Awkwafina, attended the screening and participated in a Q and A.

Plaza Theatre

Director Lulu Wang and actress Awkwafina

Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe accept the Best Narrative Feature Jury Award for Georgialensed Greener Grass - Photo by Luis Lopez

Actor Hayden Szeto, Producer Audrey Tommassini and Director Joseph Cross at the World Premiere of Georgia-lensed SUMMER NIGHT - Photo by Luis Lopez 62

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment. SINCE 1990

OZ SCENE Image Gala Honoree Tip "T.I." Harris

Tip "T. I." Harris' acceptance speech

Image Film Gala

AFF Image Gala Egyption Ballroom

Image Gala Honoree Chris Carr

T

he Atlanta Film Festival guests were delighted to attend the IMAGE Film Awards Gala after a 10 year absence. Held at the Egyptian Ballroom at The Fox Theater guests celebrated honorees rapper/actor, Tip “T.I.� Harris; Representative for Georgia State House District 54, Betsy Holland; Attorney General, Chris Carr and The Walking Dead executive producer, Tom Luse.

Image Gala Honoree The Walking Dead Exceutive Producer Tom Luse

Image Film Award Honoree Besty Holland

May / June 2019

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