This week on the Imperfect Podcast we talk with Josh Zeman & Rachel Mills who developed the docu-series The Killing Season on A&E. The show is produced by Academy Award-winning director Alex Gibney. The Killing Season delves into the terrifying connections between five unsolved serial killer cases.
The series hopes to raise awareness and provide potential closure to the victims families for crimes unsolved. The first two episodes investigate the infamous Gilgo Beach Murders right here in our own backyard by the Long Island Serial Killer aka LISK. If you have details relating to any of the cases we recommend you visit Websleuths.com.
Preview: Inside The Killing Season with Josh Zeman & Rachel Mills
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPJFrixX2yI
The Killing Season Bonus Footage
Josh Zeman of The Killing Season on A&E
Joshua Zeman has been at the forefront of the true crime genre for the past decade. His critically acclaimed horror documentary CROPSEY, a critic’s pick with The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Roger Ebert, was called “one of the year’s best documentaries” and “one of the scariest films of the year” in 2011. Off the success of CROPSEY, Zeman created KILLER LEGENDS for NBC Universal, an anthology series that examines true crimes that have inspired our scariest urban legends. Premiering as both the #1 downloaded documentary and horror film on iTunes in July of 2014, KILLER LEGENDS has since become one of the most watched true crime documentaries on both Netflix and Hulu.
As a narrative writer, Zeman received a MacDowell Colony Fellowship as well as the 2013 San Francisco Film Society Screenwriting Award for his screenplay, Collider. As a producer/co-producer, some of Zeman’s past credits include THE STATION AGENT (Audience Award and Screenwriting Award, Sundance Film Festival), MYSTERIOUS SKIN (Venice Film Festival, nominated for IFP Gotham Award), THE HAWK IS DYING (Sundance Film Festival, Directors Fortnight, Cannes) and AGAINST THE CURRENT (Sundance Film Festival). Zeman was also the recipient of the Sundance Creative Producing Fellowship.
Rachel Mills of The Killing Season on A&E
Rachel Mills began her career in filmmaking at the much-lauded Edit Center, in New York City. As Director of The Edit Center, Mills selected and shepherded such documentary and narrative films as: WINTER’S BONE, GREGORY CREWDSON: BRIEF ENCOUNTERS, and GARBAGE DREAMS. In 2010, Mills moved into producing with A MATTER OF TASTE, a feature documentary profiling famed chef Paul Liebrandt, which premiered on HBO. TASTE won a James Beard Award and also garnered an Emmy nomination.
In 2013, Mills partnered with award-winning filmmaker Joshua Zeman to produce and co-star in KILLER LEGENDS, a documentary investigating true crimes that have inspired our scariest urban legends. Most recently, Mills produced MAVIS!, a documentary on gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family singing group, the Staple Singers. The film received critical acclaim after its SXSW premiere in 2015, being named “one of the best music documentaries of this decade” by Paste Magazine. HBO picked up the film soon after and in February of 2015, MAVIS! had its broadcast premiere.
Green Day’s latest album Revolution Radio has taken off like wildfire, fueled by the success of the first single Bang Bang. Green Day released two videos and the first to hit was the animated lyric video. These days a lyric can be more important than a theatrical release on social media. We sat down with the animator himself, Ariel Costa, of BlinkMyBrain.tv.
With numerous awards to his name, Ariel Costa is a freelancer with a passion for animation. Ariel also recently completed work on a music video for Led Zeppelin. Watching Ariel’s body of work, you can see he has a unique style all his own. Much of that is showcased throughout the Green Day video and his personal projects including Sins.
You can check out Ariel’s complete works at his site BlinkMyBrain.tv and his Vimeo channel: https://vimeo.com/blinkmybrain
Preview: Green Day Music Video Animator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nfdBAg3-5A
Green Day Bang Bang Lyric Video Animator Ariel Costa Interview
This episode of the Imperfect Podcast is also available on SoundCloud & iTunes:
Hollywood Know How is an educational division of Heckler Kane Creations and the Imperfect Podcast.
Joe tells us all about the Mackie PROFX16V2 16-Channel 4-Bus Compact Mixer with USB and Effects and why you need one! Whether you’re looking to step up your podcast or on set this mixing board can get the job done!
5 Highlights of the Mackie PROFX16V2 Mixing Board
10 low-noise Mackie Vita mic preamps add life to any input
ReadyFX effects engine with 16 effects including reverbs, delays, and choruses
7-band graphic EQ for tuning mains or monitors
3-band EQ with sweep able mids and 100Hz low-cut filter on all channels
Aux output for monitor mixes, venue 70-volt systems, and more
Best Price: Mackie PROFX16V2 Mixing
Here’s a pro-tip. The Mackie PROFX16V2 mixing board retails for $449.99 almost everywhere including Amazon.
The Mackie PROFX16V2 is available at Musician’s Friend and Swagbucks members can get 4% cashback. That will save you $18. It’s FREE to join! Sign Up Here and get a $5 Bonus!
Unboxing the Mackie PROFX16V2 Full transcript:
I’m Joe Kane and this is Hollywood Know How. On today’s episode what we’re doing is we are unboxing the Mackie PROFX16V2 and we’ll give you a good look at what’s inside the box.
So let’s get started, Mackie PROFX16V2 comes in a stylish box with a green and brown…but who cares. Let’s get inside.
We cut this puppy open and obviously it’s well packed with foam and plastic. The first thing I notice is the solidness of the unit…
Did I interrupt?
You may be asking why a film maker needs a mixing board. They need a mixing board for multiple reasons. We personally need a mixing boards because we do a podcast and we have multiple people talking at the same time so you need to mix them together.
So thats number one.
On set you can also use a mixing board to mic multiple people. There are plenty of reasons for someone to need a mixing board and I’m hoping that helps you out for that question of why would a hollywood know how person need a mixing board.
Back to your regularly scheduled unboxing.
It’s built with a steel chassis and an ABS side protection and built like a tank.
In the box is the instruction manual, a USB cable and the power cable.
The back of the unit is simple with a power chord and USB input and the power switch.
There are 10 of the new low noise Mackie Vita mic pre amps. The board features 4 stereo inputs as well.
The board has a balanced XLR and balanced, unbalanced 1/4 inch main outputs which gives you the capability to run your system in different configurations.
This unit has a 7 band graphic EQ for tuning mains or monitors.
It has an EQ bypass switch, main mix to monitor mix and a 48 volt phantom power.
The ready FX effects engine comes with 16 effects including reverb, delays and choruses and a mute switch for the effects. Here we have the headphone volume control and all channel break or mute.
A separate level to your output and the selector switch for the tape or USB. The USB can be for playback music and for recording right to your laptop.
Each channel features its own individual 3 band EQ with sweep-able mid frequencies and 100hz low cut filter. 2 Auxiliary controls for monitor mixes and an effects knob for individual channel control. Oh and of course the pan left and right.
Individual channel mutes and overload indication. Smooth sliders, a solo PFL switch, left right assign and 4 flexible sub groups for the mix management.
This is the Mackie PROFX16V2 and we like it!
I’m Joe Kane and this was Hollywood Know How. Please don’t forget to check us out on http://hecklerkane.com and all of our social media and subscribe to our channel.
This week’s guest on the Imperfect Podcast is actor Marshall Teague. Marshall is a Navy veteran, a gentleman and a scholar. He has 114 acting credits to his name, that includes the small screen and the big screen. We found out what it was like to work with Sean Connery on the set of The Rock and all of the painful details of the epic Road House fight scene with Patrick Swayze.
He’s a long time friend of Chuck Norris, having starred in Walker Texas Ranger. He most recently completed work on the the indie film Road to the Well. You’ll never believe how he got the role!
Marshall is as humble as he is a bad ass. His physical strength and confidence continue to win him roles in an industry that is quick to turn over many actors in a Hollywood minute. We thank Marshall for his service to this country and wish him continued success in his acting career.
Keep up with Marshall Teague on Twitter & Facebook:
On this week’s Imperfect Podcast we interview actor and Eyes of the Roshi producer Ethan Marten. Ethan is joined by cast mates, actress Stacy Whittle and Grand Master Adam Nguyen who was the inspiration for the film. Eyes of the Roshi has been making a buzz on the indie film circuit with its intelligent story line and cast that also features actor Eric Roberts.
The inspiration and origination of the movie comes from Grandmaster Nguyen’s own royal family lineage – a form of yoga and karate do they have been teaching for 1,000 years in Vietnam…and now, America.
Ethan Marten: How did Light Age Films get started?
It actually started when I was a little kid. My dad was an innovator in film. He produced 150 motion pictures and Broadway plays. His clients ranged from from Desi Arnaz to Errol Flynn and it meant anything to me and my three brothers. It was one day when Moe Howard of the Three Stooges called the house looking for our old man. You never four kids running around the house as excited as we did. Light Age Films was my getting into the production side.
Ethan Marten: Have you had formal training as an actor?
I had a little formal training buy my first training was on set. Buzz Kulick had me on Too Young The Hero in the mid 80’s. Craig … who runs his casting agency out of Screengems down in Wilmington mentored me for quite a few years. I was on motion picture sets early on.
Stacy Whittle: How has your career led to your role in Eyes of The Roshi?
I flip between two worlds. I”m an economist by training and have lived all over the world and as such have acted all over the world. I’ve spent the majority of my life in the Middle East, Ireland, South America and Europe. I’m mainly a stage actor.
Ethan Marten: How did Grandmaster Adam get involved with Eyes of the Roshi?
Eyes of the Roshi is 30 years in the making. My parents built the first movie studio in Virginia. At one time it was the largest on the east coast. We shot Navy Seals here with Charlie Sheen. Grandmaster Adam was teaching yoga to my father. Adam would say you gotta do a movie about me some day and I would always say sure.
Stacy Whittle: How did you connect with Ethan for the film?
I had met Ethan and hew knew about my two worlds. Coming from the environmental background I was excited to join forces with him for White Buffalo. Then he told me about Eyes of the Roshi and suggested I audition. A friend of mine who’s an Emmy Award winning film maker said he’d shoot my audition for me. After staying up all night we got it done and I submitted the audition tape and got the part.
Acting with Eric Roberts was like getting a master class in acting. It was one week of very intense acting.
How did you get Eric Roberts involved with Eyes of the Roshi?
We had a character named Booker who was a hood that required a sense of humor kind of like the Gang Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight. He had to be a strong actor and comically funny without trying to be. Eric Roberts was on the short list of people who I thought would be good and that I wanted to work with.
What was the inspiration for your character, The Hitman?
I had several. I’ll start with the quirk. I knew that my character needed something quirky. Stacy happens to be a floss addict. She is constantly flossing and campaigning for it. She says if you floss really well its better for your teeth than brushing. One day she said why isn’t your character a floss addict and I loved the idea.
What is it like working with family on a project like this?
My brothers are all actors. I believe in nepotism and they all taught me to act.
What are the challenges of having a production company in Virginia?
Ethan: I grew up in New York. Anything I wanted theatrically was minutes. What I’ve found is that it doesn’t matter where you are as long as you have dedicated people, knoweledable people and people that are willing to roll up their sleeves. We have had Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks in town. The mecca is where you make it. That’s part of the indie spirit.
Stacy: I think it’s happening more and more anyway as metropolitan areas become so prohibitively expensive. Artists are naturally migrating to where they can work and live and not starve. Ethan is forward thinking by establishing the studio. It’s only a matter of time before people start looking outside of New York and Hollywood for real talent. I’ve worked with some of the most talented people I’ve ever met on Eyes of the Roshi.
Ethan: Star Circle pictures, which is the first movie company I started with my older brother Richard who is an Executive Producer on Eyes of the Roshi. We were the first in the world to complete a movie with the Panasonic AG-HVX200. We shot our film in 2 days, 40 setups per day. Back then we talked about how the technology would democratize movie making and that’s pretty much what’s happened. Anyone with the burning desire to tell a story has that ability now.
What were the details behind the making of Eyes of the Roshi?
If you ask Adam that question, his answer would be too long. We developed a first script and from start to finish it would have cost $30 million dollars to complete. Joe and John Mark took the lead on a totally different script. The new script had more testosterone in it while being able to hold onto a lot of Adam’s philosophical musts. That took us another year from the beginning of that process. Meanwhile we had been scouting locations and putting together a crew. During that time we won IndieWire’s Project of the Week and we were getting really good press.
We had done an experimental trailer just so we could talk to people and show people why they should be involved. It also helped with locations so people didn’t think we were just casing the joint to rob them at night. In the summer of 2015 we shot for 3 weeks. Post production was a solid year and we just had our first screening on August 20th 2016.
What festivals are you submitting to?
I submitted to about 20 and we just won an award from the North Hollywood Film Festival. What I’ve been most focused on is distribution. I’ve spoken with 4 people one of which I can probably tell you. Sam Sherman of Independent International Pictures who lives up in New Jersey. Sam Sherman was one of the horror movie kings of the 50’s and 60’s. My dad was partner with Sam on many projects and they were dear friends. He think we have a wonderfully salable project and wants to take us on. Stacy has opened us up to Africa. We are talking to people about distributing in 22 countries in Africa. My brother who does international travel in Asia and recently done work in Russia has a deal on the table for Russian speaking services.
How do you feel about streaming distribution such as Netflix?
Ethan Marten: I won’t disparage anybody’s ability to get their work seen and heard. That’s an accomplishment in itself. For us we are going to exploit the film in the best sense of the word. If there’s limited theatrical to be had, if there’s cable, if there’s pay per view we are going to exploit every avenue by the numbers.
Stacy Whittle: We are thinking about distribution in a more global way because of my experiences overseas. We approached a company in Kenya and they were excited about because nobody has approached them about this sort of thing. It’s exciting to feel their excitement about working with us. Eric Roberts and Steven Seagal are two of the most famous actors in eastern and southern Africa. They heard Eric Roberts and were like where do we sign?
