THE WEEPING WOMAN LIVE BROADCAST – MAY 25th

Connie Toebe and I will be doing a live b’cast as we film the shadow puppet film “The Weeping Woman” on May 25th, 7:00 EST. This film is inspired by the Mexican legend La Llorona and tells the tale of a woman trying to find her children and her courage in a dark and unpromising world. We’re thrilled that author Patrick Rothfuss has created a character for this film, and we’ll also be giving you a sneak preview of this puppet.

Instructions to tune in are below.  Feel free to comment and ask us questions.  We’ll be on air about 30 minutes.  See you then!  Lisa

1. Logging on – go to:  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/inbytheeye-on-ustream      This will take you to my UStream page. You should see that I am live and us in the studio. 

2. Commercials – UStream is free by commercials. So when you first log in you will see a commercial – about every 10 minutes after that you’ll get another one. Sorry! If at any time you miss something feel free to ask us and we’ll be happy to go over it again. After a commercial, it might take a minute for sound to reconnect.

3. Screen – The screen will be small but we’ll hold the puppets up close.  There is a pop-out screen option too. If at any time you lose connection, wait a few – it may reboot, otherwise log back in. Chat should never be interrupted even if the screen goes dark on your end. Hopefully, your experience will be uninterrupted but – just wanted to list all of this in case you encounter it.

4. Chatting – When you login and see the screen on the upper right is a chat button, click on that and you’ll be able to ask us questions and make comments there. Feel free to do this often! We’d love to hear from you! There is a 40 second delay so if we don’t answer your question right away – it’s just taking a minute to get to us. If you have an UStream account you can login using that, otherwise you can comment as a guest and will be listed as UStreamer#… If you’re commenting as a guest please put your name after your question or comment so we know who you are!

I think that’s it.  Feel free to text me if for some reason you can’t connect. Again – we’re doing this on Friday, May 25th at 7:00pm EST.  If anything changes we’ll post everywhere!  Hope to see you there!

  Lisa

PERSEPHONE – Fairy Tale and Myth

(Persephone picking wild flowers)

Over the weekend we reshot the first episode to my new series PERSEPHONE which will be debuting online in a couple of weeks. The story is inspired by the myth of Persephone and her Springtime ascent from the Underworld. Her path is a cycle and we will see her other self descend into the Underworld at the same time. When my story begins Persephone has flashes of  her other self during the abduction of Hades, and she escapes the Underworld to try and stop herself from being trapped again.  But as she ascends she begins to forget who she is and what has happened.

(Persephone, Carrie Anne Hunt, escaping the tower)

The cycle of the Underworld is a myth that has resonated with me for sometime, and will also show up quite literally in TITANIA.  Our descent into darkness and our rise back up is something in which I think we can all relate. And it’s a story I’ve interpretted and looked at from many angles. In TITANIA what takes her to the Underworld are circumstances beyond her control, she has a task to fulfull down there and get out.  But in PERSEPHONE the Underworld is her fate and her home. Does she accept that or will she try to change it and if she tries to change it does she succeed?  How much in control of “our stars” are we? How much do we really want to face?  All of these are questions I’m asking myself as I write the series, and questions I get from fairy tales.

(Persephone crosses the river)

In this series I’m making conscious decisions to use fairy tale archetypes, visually. I was once at a Red Riding Hood symposium in NYC where Clarissa Pinkola Estes traced Red back to the myth of Persephone – which quite fascinated me.  And so there I have my Persephone dressed in red at the edge of the forest, at the moment of her abduction, when fate takes hold and forces her into darkness. Isn’t that how life usually deals it out though – on the turn of a dime your life changes and you’re abducted into darkness.  And working one’s way back out into the light is a journey this mythic character makes yearly.  And she inspires me.  Carrie Anne and I have talked at length about her.  It’s not another person or an extraneous event that leads her out in our version, but her own self, wanting to protect herself.  So we’re taking a more internal approach to her motives.   There’s a Rapunzel like tower and a snake infested river (literally, there were snakes in that water!) for her to cross.  You’ll see more characters from fairytales that share similar fates with Persephone – and Carrie Anne will be playing all the roles too!

Hope you’ll join us when the series launches.  Our aim is to post an episode once a month over the summer.  You can check my website for updates or the FB page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/InByTheEye

Cheers, Lisa

p.s. – if you see a link below to a YouTube video, it is not mine, but a commercial that WordPress has slapped on here without my knowledge…

The Jules Verne Project – Production

We filmed The Jules Verne Project last weekend in Florida. It was a great shoot! There were red flag warnings on the beach and waves to knock over a giant – but my cast jumped into the water without reservation and knocked it out of the ballpark.  Not easy considering how physical this piece is and our Lady was wearing a full on corset!  The production had a few hiccups right before leaving for Florida – but in the end it all came out brilliantly.  I had a terrific cast/crew with wild imaginations.  We put a few “Easter eggs’ in the film – you’ll want to look for a Skyrim map and a rubber chicken. LOL!  And you’ll want to always be looking in the background at what Sir Castaway is doing – there’s a whole other film going on there…

But you’ll have to wait a couple of months.  We’re in post-production now, the film premieres at Clockwork Alchemy in May, and a few other screenings/festivals – then it will go up online for all to view.  You can always check my website for a listing of screenings and more news.  Can’t wait to see the tentacle added in!

cheers, Lisa

Bridging a gap, from Russia to Afghanistan…via Film Annex

In 1988 I was fortunate enough to participate in the first Youth Summit between American and (then) Soviet teens.  We were hooked up across the ocean by satellite, Phil Donahue was our moderator and Vladimir Posner was theirs.  But it was the students who did the talking.  For a few short hours, we asked questions back and forth, we performed skits for each other and voiced our perceptions of one another – while discovering how wrong those perceptions could be.    The Summit was followed up by a trip to Russia where we met students our age in Novorossiysk.  We talked, we ate, we danced, we laughed a lot and came back home changed.  All the preconceived notions we had going in, all that the mainstream news had shown us about the Russians, was neither accurate nor relevant.  It was time to leave the suspicion of the Cold War behind and embrace a more productive, open attitude. 

 

Anytime a bridge is to be gaped among countries I think educators and artists lead the way.  Film Annex’s Afghan Development Project has taken this lead and run with it.  Most of what we see on the news about Afghanistan is footage of a war torn country comprised of dust and rubble.  But there’s so much more.  And thanks to Film Annex we’re getting to see the positive face of this country in a very unique way.  It’s exciting to see what they’re doing with the Development Project and it makes so much sense – it’s brilliant.  They’re not only helping to educate Afghan boys and girls but Americans too.  Have you seen the ”Ushma Neill on Afghan Women and Education”  or the “Afghan Women Behind the Wheel” videos on the “Film Annex in Afghanistan” channel?  http://www.filmannex.com/webtv/afghandevelopment  What extraordinary people!  Go watch!

 

Knowledge and education are power, they’re strength, they’re our voice.  Education is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves – whether in school, or looking something up on the internet, or by sharing fiction and non-fiction films about our lives. I’m thrilled that Film Annex is brining this all together.  It’s inspiring to see a culture take their country through a defining moment, to fight for what they believe in and for what they want and succeed.  Americans have a similar spirit – we’re a self-made country.  We didn’t go to Russia to tell them how to do things, we went to learn – and found we had so much in common. 

 

I wish we’d had the resources then that we do now to get the word out about our trip to Russia.  I’m so happy to see Film Annex using social media, video and Skype to make this message far reaching, and to put those tools to practical use and help educate a generation of children who will be the next ambassadors. I look forward to watching more of what Film Annex will bring us in this program and hope they will make it global, and perhaps connect American and Afghan filmmakers.  As a mythic filmmaker I’d love to hear their ancient and traditional tales and see how they use them to tell their contemporary story.  The possibilities are endless.    This makes me even more proud to have my films on FA and know that their passion to help reaches so far, and inspires us filmmakers in new ways.

 

Lisa

http://www.filmannex.com/webtv/InByTheEye

April/May at InByTheEye

Hi – things are getting kind of crazy around here but that means more to share with you in the coming months.

So – what’s doing?

1. PERSEPHONE – a new web series about the goddess of the Underworld. Should be up by mid-April-ish…
2. THE JULES VERNE PROJECT – currently filming, and will premiere around Memorial Day in various festivals
3. THE TRIPTYCH HEART – a short experimental film that will foreshadow “The Red Knight”
4. LaLLORONA – Xibalba film with Pat Rothfuss created character. Films end of May
5. SRN: The Signal – makes a crashing return!

Hope you’ll check back and enjoy the full roster I have coming up!

Persephone Frame Grab

This is a frame grab from Persephone Episode 1. I’m still working on it. I have some more filters to put on – to give it a detached from reality feel. Or the look that you are “watching” it on a piece of paper. I’m discovering some things by trial and error in post. The actress is Carrie Anne Hunt as Persephone. The film should be up next week.

WORLD BUILDING: Persephone’s Underworld – Night 3

Well, it’s just about finished.  Tonight, I added a some textures and dimensions to the trees and landscape.  I also added a few hidden and not so hidden symbols.  They all mean something to me, things that are hellish or bring me fear. Why put something hidden in there, or something that no one else will know the meaning to?  They actually inspired me in many ways – the letters carved into the tree inspired a certain horror which lead me to think up my device of doom.

I also built the framework of the river, which is going to be a river of fire.  The ground is covered in orange leaves which lead to the river.  You won’t see the full effect of the river until I put this image into my edit system.  I have fire footage I’ll layer over it to make the river come alive.  I may also add some smoke or the like to make the overall Underworld more suffocating.  And I’ve also given you another clue to the punishment device I’ll put in.  Do you see the falling man on the left?  I’ll also animate the people in post-production.  (click on the image for a larger view) But the device is footage, so will add that in post too – and you’ll have to wait until the film is up next week to see what it is. 

That’s about all I can do in photoshop for the Underworld. Feel free to share this blog post or ask me questions.  Just don’t expect me to reveal all the meanings behind the symbols.    Tomorrow, I’ll work on the title design and post it.  The title is also part of the world building because of how it will bring you into the film, the Underworld and Persephone’s prison.   Thanks for checking in!

WORLD BUILDING: Persephone’s Underworld – Night 2

Did a bit more work with the skyscraper lights tonight.  I also added a tree to the foreground.  It’s a creepy tree – it has thorn like branches jutting out from the side of it that invoke a prickly pain.  Not a place you want to be.  These thorns reminded me of a doll that Wendy Froud has made of a faery named Gothica. Instead of wings she has thorns growing out her back. It provokes a strong reaction right away – a wince, a yearning to run the other way.  I want that for this Underworld too.

In the background I’ve added a glimpse of what will be my main device of doom.  A little tease back there in between two trees.  And in the main tree I’ve added a staircase – this will come into play with the main device and how people are being punished. (again, you can click on the photo for a larger view)

And that’s it for tonight.  I’m watching Key and Peele – they’re pretty funny.  See you tomorrow!

World Building: Persephone’s Underworld – Night 1

All this week I’ll be working in photoshop to create the Underworld for the new web series I have debuting in April. It tells the tale of Persephone as she remembers who she is and finds her way out of the Underworld. It’s a unique film in which Carrie Anne Hunt will play all the roles, and I’m drawing inspiration from Spencer’s “Faerie Queen” to Homer’s “Odyssey” and much in between.

When world building in fantasy film there are many questions to ask yourself, but it’s important to always create a world with which you are familiar to maintain integrity.  Rather than write what I mean – I’d like to demonstrate.  And will give you *most* of my thoughts behind what goes into this Underworld.  A few I have to save for myself… (wink)

So, when working visually I build from the bottom layer up – but in this case “skyward down”.  I want a gritty, dark underworld – no Welcome mats here.  It’s a cold, churning, painful place full of fear.  Petrified. So I’m using a photo of petrified wood for the sky. I blurred it a bit to make it look more like clouds and darkened it. (If I don’t take the photos myself, I find ones in the public domain or on occasion purchase from a stock house)

I also wanted this Underworld to be a city. Not so much the caverns and shadows and rivers (though it is going to have a river, you’ll see in a few days) – that Dante and the Greek classics write about.  I’ve lived in cities – I know cities.  But this is fairy tale – so I wanted a forest too.  And therefore I begin to marry the two.  I’ll layer tree trunks over the sky, and drain them of all color to make them look more like stone (petrified), then over the trunks I’ll lay the lights of skyscrapers to create this dark city of the damned. It’s rather faint in this blog insert – but you can click on the photo for a larger view.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten tonight. Think I’ll go read for a while (Game of Thrones).  But I’ll be adding more buildings, the river, and of course the device of punishment for this circle of Hell where my Persephone is being held captive until Spring.

Feel free to share, comment and ask questions!    Lisa

Persephone Teaser Image

This is a quick shot from set of Carrie Anne Hunt as Persephone in a new web series I have debuting @ April 1st. It will tell the story of Persephone as she tries to remember who she is and make her way out of the Underworld. I’m using passages from Spencer’s “Faerie Queen” and Homer’s “The Odyssey” as radio broadcasts that guide her.