Rex Sikes' Movie Beat

Jared Anthony Pelletier, director, grew up in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. Interested in film from age of 6 he has shot numerous shorts with friends & family seeing international success in winning festival awards. In September 2010 he shot his first major production, a WW2 short entitled 'In the Hearts of Men'. The film was released at the AZFAME Film Fest in March 2011, winning awards in Editing, Cinematography (Erik Tallek), Best Film, and Best Director. The film has gained a large following on Facebook Halo The Movie FB Page. Pelletier lists James Cameron, The Coen Brothers, Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay, and Christopher Nolan as some of his favorite filmmakers. They were able to find a number of WWII re-enactor's in their  surrounding area, who donated their costumes, props, and time and saved them thousands of dollars. They were able to get their post production services at essentially no cost due to the great dedication and efforts of Keith LaPlume, Sebastian Petterzon (Visual Effects), Giancarlo Feltr

David Baker & Oklahoma Ward filmmakers collaborate to make "Hardcore Indie" a 90 minute doc about the making of two hardcore, gritty horror movies in Tulsa, OK. "Screen" & "Crawl" are two original horror/thriller movies from two visionary filmmakers. One from Scotland, one from Tulsa OK. David & Oklahoma are pooling their talent, drive & resources - their ultimate goal is to use these movies to kickstart an independent film studio in the US. David has two features films to his credit. "Pasty Faces. & "MISSION X  which was shot over a year on a budget of $5000. Oklahoma has The Isolation of Subject #136, The Battle of Tinker, Hot Mess, The Documentary The Making of a Horror Film Day: 000. Oklahoma built a self financed, independent, ultra-low budget film studio by hand. Two days after the building was completed - HARDCORE INDIE Studios was born.    Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great interviews, cast & crew listings, events, prem

Deborah Patz has been a filmmaker on award-winning productions since the mid-80s, primarily as a production manager and coordinator, and then as production executive. Based on her production experiences, she has written two internationally successful books: "Film Production Management 101" and "Surviving Production." Ms. Patz has worked with Lucasfilm, IMAX, MCA/Universal, BBC, CBC, Alliance/Atlantis, Nelvana and the Disney Channel. Her diverse production experience spans science fiction extravaganzas to low budget features and including both family and children's programming. Having worked on numerous international coproductions and shot in several countries around the world, Ms. Patz has even sent a camera into space. Most recently, she has thoroughly updated and expanded her book "Film Production Management 101: Management & Coordination in a Digital Age" to address the realities of today's industry. Known as the "Swiss Army Knife" of production management, the b

Ted Hope PT 2 is recognized, by The Hollywood Reporter and other publications, as one of the most influential and powerful people in Independent Film. Hope is currently in pre-production on SUPER, written and to be directed by James Gunn, and starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page and Liv Tyler. He recently completed Greg Mottola’s ADVENTURELAND -r eleased on April 3, 2009. Hope’s 2007 production of Oscar-winner Alan Ball’s feature film directorial debut, TOWELHEAD, marked his 18th production of a first time feature film director. In addition to Ball, Hope has brought to the screen the first features of Todd Field, Michel Gondry, Hal Hartley, Nicole Holofcener, Moises Kaufman, and Bob Pulcini & Shari Berman, among others. Along with his Good Machine partner James Schamus, Hope produced Ang Lee's early films including RIDE WITH THE DEVIL (1999), THE ICE STORM (1997), EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN (1994), the Academy Award nominated THE WEDDING BANQUET (1993), and PUSHING HANDS (1992). Hope has received numerous awards an

Colin Ferguson PT2, actor/director/producer, stars as Federal Marshal Jack Carter in the highly acclaimed SyFy-hit dramedy "Eureka," which has been called a cross between “Northern Exposure” and "Desperate Housewives." The show debuted as the highest rated premiere in the channel’s history. The New York Daily News raved about his performance, “Ferguson's approach is fluid and funny enough to make it all work. Ferguson enjoys working on the cable series because of the hybrid tone of drama mixed with quirky comedic elements. The fourth season has premiered this July. Colin's feature-film credits also include "Because I Said So", "Rowing Through," and "The Opposite of Sex" among others. He was a regular on the NBC remake of the hit British comedy series "Coupling" and the sitcom "Then Came You." ?His many guest-starring roles include "Line of Fire", "Malcolm in the Middle", "Crossing Jordan", "Becker” and

Jill Jones, director, graduated Emerson College in film production, studied at the School of Visual Arts & the Boston University Summer Theatre Institute. Nanug is a live action/animated short film. Jill completed production internships at Iowa Public Television & the Massachusetts Film Office. Her short film Sara's Portraits won Best Student Short Film at the 2009 Wild Rose Film Festival. Jill is a student alumni & previous staff member of the Telluride Film Festival. Her previous short films include Soap Opera: Abridged, Bail Me out, & Stick Man. Jill created a feature-length documentary called A Ghost of a Chance: The Making of Haunting Villisca. The documentary is distributed through Digital Shadow Films with the film Haunting Villisca. After graduation, Jill earned a certificate in Makeup Artistry from the Bobbi Brown Program in Makeup Artistry. Since moving to LA, Jill has worked as a freelance makeup artist & completed an apprenticeship at American Makeup & Effects. There, she

Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead, Super, Cliffhanger, Jumper, Slither) & much much more) was born in 1955 in Jasper, Alabama. When he was 13 his parents divorced and he went with his mother to live in Chicago. He caught the acting bug while attending college, and began appearing in local stage productions. On first breaking into film, his intensity and “don’t-mess-with-me” good looks were highlighted to chilling effect as the title character in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), filmed in 1986 but, due to its controversial nature, not released until 1990. Since that widely noticed and highly praised performance, much of his career has been spent playing brutes, villains and psychopaths. His occasional turns as a “good guy”, however, are always well-acted and a welcome change for a talented actor too often typecast. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at http://www.rexsikes.com

Producer Brad Wyman & Director Adam Rifkin unite for a special discussion with Rex about their collaborations. Brad Wyman is one of the most prolific & successful producers of independent films in Hollywood. With over 40 features to his credit, Wyman has worked with an impressive roster of A-list talent. His 25-year career boasts the indie blockbuster, Monster, the Patty Jenkins film that earned Charlize Theron an Academy Award, Freeway starring Reese Witherspoon & Kiefer Sutherland, Trees Lounge, starring, written & directed by Steve Buscemi, The Chase starring Charlie Sheen, the cult classic The Dark Backward starring Bill Paxton, Judd Nelson & Wayne Newton; Wyman & Barry Schuler produced the film LOOK (written & directed by Adam Rifkin). He produced the film “Blitz,” starring Jason Statham, which shot in London. He just finished producing the first season of “Kid Pitch,” a baseball talk show hosted by kids on Fox Sports Net. He is currently launching WyTV an online network of li

Brad Wyman producer is one of the most prolific & successful producers of independent films in Hollywood. With over 40 features to his credit, Wyman has worked with an impressive roster of A-list talent, from Reese Witherspoon & Charlize Theron to Matthew McConaughey & Rob Schneider. His impressive 25-year career boasts the indie blockbuster, Monster, the Patty Jenkins film that earned Charlize Theron an Academy Award for Best Actress. A six time alum of The Sundance Film Festival, Wyman's other career highlights include Freeway starring Reese Witherspoon & Kiefer Sutherland & Executive Produced by Oliver Stone, Trees Lounge, starring, written & directed by Steve Buscemi, The Chase starring Charlie Sheen, the cult classic The Dark Backward starring Bill Paxton, Judd Nelson & Wayne Newton & Love and Sex starring Famke Janssen & Jon Favreau. In 2005 Wyman he Executive Produced the hit reality TV series Tommy Lee Goes to College for NBC. Brad produced three new features – Hom

Paul Weber Casting Director C.S.A. is presently the in house casting director for MGM Worldwide Television & the MGM feature casting consultant, a well as an independent casting director. MGM Features in development or release include “Fame”, ”Hot Tub Time Machine” starring John Cusack, Joss Whedon’s “Cabin In The Woods-3D”, & “The Hobbit” directed by Peter Jackson. His MGM Television credits include “Dead Like Me”, for Showtime, & the immensely popular “Stargate” franchise for the SyFy network. Recent MGM Home Entertainment movies include “Picture This”, starring Ashley Tisdale, “Legally Blondes”, “War Games II” & “Into The Blue 2”, plus “The Initiation of Sarah” & “Cutting Edge ” for ABC Family. Lifetime credits include “The Haunting On Sorority Row” starring Leighton Meester, the pilot “Flashpoint” for CBS & ‘Spartacus: Gods Of The Arena” for Starz. Mr. Weber also casts 3-5 independent films a year. He is currently casting “Beulah” starring Dakota Fanning & Ryan Phillippe.

Actor Kenny Johnson Pt 2 made his feature debut in The Forbidden Dance, and then starred for five years as Detective Curtis “Lemonhead” Lemansky on the critically acclaimed FX show “The Shield”. This led to the part of spiky haired pilot Lt. Butch 'Burner' Barnes on the action/adventure series "Pensacola: Wings of Gold," and the recurring role as drug counselor Joseph on the crime drama "Cold Case." In the TNT series “Saving Grace”Kenny costars as Detective Ham Dewy opposite star Holly Hunter as Grace. He also made sitcom appearances on "Grace Under Fire," "Caroline in the City" and "Sliders" and has also guest-starred in such hit drama series as “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, “Smallville” “Sons of Anarchy” “NCIS”and “Boomtown”. Johnson appeared in the the film “Desolation Canyon” opposite Stacy Keach. He starred in the indie thriller “Zzyzx”. Johnson also stars in the film The ‘Ungody’ with Wes Bentley. Other credits include “Blade”, opposite Wesley Snipes

Adam Rifkin is a writer/director/producer/actor whose eclectic career ranges from broad family comedies to cult classics to dark and gritty urban dramas. As a writer, he made his mark with hit films like MOUSEHUNT, starring Nathan Lane and SMALL SOLDIERS, starring Tommy Lee Jones for Dreamworks. Recent credits include Sony’s ZOOM, starring Tim Allen and Disney's UNDERDOG, starring Jason Lee as the canine hero. Rifkin earned cult status when his film THE DARK BACKWARD, which he wrote and directed, was named one of the top ten films of its year by The New York Post. He would then be immortalized as the director responsible for New Line Cinema’s DETROIT ROCK CITY, a bona fide cult classic that introduced a whole new generation of fans to the “hottest band in the world…KISS!!!” Rifkin gained critical recognition for NIGHT AT THE GOLDEN EAGLE, a film which he not only wrote and directed, but also produced. The film was an official selection of the London Film Festival and opened to rave reviews. In 2008, Rifkin tr

Lance Kawas, director, has a passion for writing screenplays and directing. Lance spent the last ten years writing 30 screenplays which earned him 19 national screenplay competition awards and opened the door for him to direct indie films. His first horror feature Silent Scream gave him a taste of the reality of indie film and was picked up by Lions Gate Films. His second was based on a true story. It is the mob film Street Boss. It was picked up by Maverick. His third, a children’s movie called The Deported was picked up by Green Apple. Lance is in post on his forth film the drama/action Restitution due out later this year. Lance has directed actors such as, Tom Arnold, Mena Suvari, C Thomas Howell, William Sadler, Talia Shire, Michael Rappaport, Paul Rodriguez, Vincent Pastore, Carmen Argenziano, and Nick Turturro to name a few. He also has two best feature film awards and one nomination for best director. Currently, Lance is in development on several projects and looking for partners who love film and want

Uwe Boll PT 2 is certainly a larger than life character. An intelligent, tough individual who dares to challenge the system at all levels. He is a true film maverick. Dr. Boll studied film directing at HFF in Munich, Germany and the University for Music and Acting in Vienna, Austria. He also pursued German Literature and Economics at the Universities of Cologne and Siegen, Germany and by 1995 Uwe obtained his doctorate in German Literature. He became the Chief Executive of BOLU Film Production and Distribution, Schweinfurt, Germany and BOLL KG, Burscheid, Germany in 1992. By 1995 Uwe began working with Taunus Film-Production GmbH, Wiesbaden, Germany as a producer and director.He embarked upon his directing career, completing over 15 feature films. In 2005, Uwe directed BLOODRAYNE in Romania and IN THE NAME OF KING: A DUNGEON SIEGE TALE, in Vancouver, BC. The Bloodrayne cast included Sir Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) and Kristanna Loken (Terminator III). During the production of Bloodrayne, Uwe rescued and adopted his

Jane Jenkins & Janet Hirshenson PT 2 of The Casting Company have cast over 100 feature films, including the Academy Award winning "A Beautiful Mind" “Something’s Gotta Give” “The Da Vinci Code” “Angels & Demons” Oscar nominated “Frost/Nixon” "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" "Something's Gotta Give" " Airforce One" "Jurassic Park" "The American President""Apollo 13" " The Lost World" "A Few Good Men" "Backdraft" "Misery" "Ghost" "When Harry Met Sally" "Mystic Pizza" "Beetlejuice" "Stand By Me" "Home Alone" "The Outsiders" to name a few. Jane began her career in entertainment as an actress in New York City. She entered the casting profession while working in film production. Her first project was "On The Nickel" an independent film written, produced and starring her friend Ralph Waite. She soon began working w

Harry E. Northup has made a living as an actor for over thirty years, acting in thirty-seven films, including "Mean Streets," "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," "Taxi Driver" (1976 Palme d'Or winner at Cannes), "Blue Collar," "Citizens Band," "Used Cars,""Over the Edge" (starring role) and "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991 Oscar winner for Best Picture) Philadelphia, Bad Girls, Beloved, and a remake of The Manchurian Candidate. Director Jonathan Demme said of Harry, "Harry Northup is one of the actors I have worked with many times. I've worked with him for thirty years. He's a wonderful guy and a beautiful poet and a gifted actor." — "Latino Review" 2004 Harry has acted in 43 television shows, including "ER", "The Court" (recurring role), "In Cold Blood" (CBS mini-series), The Deliberate Stranger, The Day the Bubble Burst, and "Knots Landing" (recurring role). Harry has be

Sheri Candler, PT 2 a marketing & publicity specialist helps independent filmmakers gather an audience for their work. As the Marketing & Sponsorship Manager for the Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival, she encountered numerous talented filmmakers who possessed expert knowledge in storytelling & film production, yet lacked the knowledge of how to promote & distribute their films. It was painful for Sheri to see how opportunities were being missed & filmmakers being abused by the distribution process. Sheri helps independent filmmakers devise successful marketing & promotional strategies by identifying & connecting with their audience early in the production process by utilizing blogs, social media, online radio, forums, online publications & finding influential recommenders. Building connections continues well into the release of the film. She was involved with promoting 2009 NFB Cannes Short Film Corner winner "Sebastian's Voodoo"; "Butterflies," one of the

Derrel Maury PT 2 Actor, & Rex Sikes remember the making of the cult classic Massacre at Central High. Derrel Maury joined SAG and AFTRA over 40 years ago. He was so young when he started; his first roles were “crawl-on’s”. He has appeared as a series regular on Norman Lear’s “One Day at a Time” & “Apple Pie”, also Gary Marshal’s “Happy Days” & “Joanie Loves Chachi”. He played Jughead in James Komack’s “The Archie Show” and starred as the teen killer in the 70’s cult classic feature “Massacre at Central High”. Some other credits include guest starring roles in “Murder She Wrote”, WKRP in Cincinnati”, “Barney Miller”, “Highway to Heaven”, & “The Partridge Family”. He has just completed work on a number of features including, “Blood of the Cross”, “Mexican Hat”, “Wasteland” & the “Tramp”. He has won numerous awards for his stage and film work including his recent best actor award at the New York Short Film Festival for his lead role in the film “Wither”. An acting coach for over twenty years

Richard Chisolm is an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker and cinematographer with over twenty-five years of production experience. Based in Baltimore, he has shot films and television programs on a wide variety of subjects in the US and abroad. Deeply committed to the value of real stories and the adventures of real people, Richard has worked for PBS, National Geographic, BBC, Discovery Channel, HBO, and many other broadcast entities. He was the Director of Photography for both of ABC's "Hopkins" prime time medical documentary series (2000 and 2008). He is also the recipient of a Peabody Award, a Columbia duPont Journalism award, two Kodak Vision awards, three CINE Golden Eagles, and is a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Maryland. In Richard’s Own Words: When shooting, I think about lighting, movement, framing, depth of field, eye lines, etc., and I critically weigh the utility of shots on the eventual editing table. But above all, I imagine in the back of my mind the perspective of

Jon Reiss PT 3 author of Think Outside the Box Office is the first nuts-and-bolts guide for filmmakers who want to take control of their own distribution and marketing destiny. Each chapter addresses an essential aspect of a film’s release and gives specific techniques to filmmakers to create success with their films in today’s marketplace. Jon Reiss named one of “10 Digital Directors to Watch” by Daily Variety, Jon Reiss is a critically acclaimed filmmaker who has produced and directed three feature films most recently Bomb It about graffiti and the battle over visual public space throughout the world. Based on his experience releasing Bomb It with a hybrid strategy has just published Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution in the Digital Era. He also speaks around the world at film festivals, schools and organizations on this topic. Jon teaches film the California Institute for the Arts where he created the class “Reel World Survival Skills: Everything I Wish I Had Been Taught