The Confluence
Oregon Film's Official Blog: Bringing together the creative streams of film, television, and media in Oregon.
Hinge Digital Creates PSA For Ad Council So Parents & Children Can Stay Safe As They Navigate Covid-19
The Ad Council jumped at the offer from Portland creative agency, Hinge Digital’s offer of a pro-bono PSA for parents and children. Hinge worked with the American PSA nonprofit Ad Council, and in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and US Department of Health and Human Services to create a campaign that educated parents and their children on how to stay safe as they navigate COVID-19’s challenges. Hinge’s Roland Gauthier talked to Cospective about their “rapid two-week production schedule, and how the Portland team stayed connected with the PSA’s NY-based agency creatives” to achieve their final result – the “Stay-Here-O’s.”
Summer Makeup Camp
The Art of Makeup School is offering both in-person and virtual makeup camps this summer. In-person and virtual camp sessions are 4 days each, and virtual camps are also offered as day camps. Summer Makeup Camp is the perfect opportunity for actors to learn production makeup tips, or if you’re curious about a career in makeup, or simply for fun. Any age from 12 up is welcome! Strict in classroom safety measures will be taken. Please email for more details. Here’s what’s covered:
Day 1 Corrective Beauty: Color theory, skin tone matching, highlighting and contouring, corrective techniques, and a classic beauty look
Day 2 Fashion Makeup: Editorial fashion look, winged liner, strip lashes, perfect lips, and smoky eyes
Day 3 Special FX Makeup: Create bruises, cuts, and wounds using a variety of makeup mediums
Day 4 Film & TV Makeup: Using makeup for character development, film makeup tips & tricks, career genres in makeup artistry
IN-CLASSROOM CAMP SESSION 1: July 6-9 Mon-Thurs 10:00a-3:00p
IN-CLASSROOM CAMP SESSION 2: July 13-16 Mon-Thurs 10:00a-3:00p
VIRTUAL CAMP SESSION 3: Aug 3 at 10 AM – Aug 6 at 2:30 PM
Please email [email protected] or call 503-244-1558 for inquiries, or to find out more or register, go to:
www.artofmakeup.com/makeup-school-specialty-classes/
This Juneteenth watch Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s “O!” and then just Stay Tuned
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival has always been a very bright spot in our artistic firmament and history and they have just been killing it recently with the curatorial content they have been putting out through “O!” – an immersive digital space for all ages.
They are celebrating Juneteenth with a “Social Media Takeover” that needs to be experienced.
Check out the whole line up here.
OMPA Events This Week: Legal & Insurance Webinar 6/17; Creatives of Color Collaborative 6/18
ASK THE EXPERTS: COVERAGE UNDER COVID
Wednesday, June 17 | Noon-2pm | Free–$10
This is your chance to get legal and insurance advice directly from experts who specialize in providing these services to the entertainment industry. Get detailed information about what’s changed since the global pandemic. Learn how to protect yourself as both employer and employee!
Bring your questions for Justine Avera of ABI Insurance and three of Portland’s best lawyers from Davis Wright Tremaine LLP—Bob Wyman, Christie Totten, and Chris Weathers. Learn more about the experts.
Admission: Free for OMPA Pro & Student members; $10 for Basic & Non-members. (Not a member yet? Join here.)
RSVP now for Zoom info
CREATIVES OF COLOR COLLABORATIVE
Thursday, June 18 | 3-5pm | Free
Planning is underway to offer a safe space specifically for our Black community members.
For our monthly Creatives of Color meetup, we invite the BIPOC community to share this safe space to process, reflect upon, and express whatever you’re experiencing. These discussions help shape the resources, support and action the OMPA can offer to meet BIPOC community needs.
This is an open-discussion, BIPOC-only event led by OMPA Diversity Co-Chair Fran Bittakis. Fran is also Founder & Creative Director of JOOP JOOP Creative.
RSVP for Zoom info
Note: Our monthly, virtual Creatives of Color Collaborative events are a safe, private space for BIPOC* to talk openly. While we appreciate allies, please respect this need.
*Black, Indigenous, People of Color
Questions? Email [email protected]
Hire Diverse Creatives and Buy/Rent from Diverse Vendors
One of the ways all of us can help the cause for social justice is to create meaningful economic change for those talented communities that are not properly represented or compensated in our industry. To that end, we wanted to share a list of crew/creative personnel databases as well as access points to diversely-owned vendors working to service the media content community.
Please use these on your next, and all future projects to find the talent to create incredible campaigns, stories and styles. You can find all of these links, plus newly update resources, on the home page of our Oregon Film website. Please let us know if you have a resource to add or if you have a project that has benefited from these talented people and companies as we’d like to share it.
LOCAL
Joop Joop Creative Community Roster
Couch Film Collective “Hire Us”
Mercatus Black Owned Business Database
NATIONAL
Five Fifths All Things Black Business
Q + A With Chancellor Perry – 17-Year-Old-PNW-Based Actor Who Recently Starred In #OregonMade “Lorelei”
Chancellor Perry
SD: Chancellor, let’s start with how you got into acting. When did that spark first get lit?
CP: I was around nine when I got my first modeling job. I knew right away I’d found something I loved. While doing some Nike Runway work, I talked to some of the other kids about acting. Then I took classes at Northwest Children’s Theater in Portland, where I learned the difference between modeling and acting. Modeling is all about striking poses, while acting is putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and finding the character.
SD: Before Lorelei, you’d done a little screen work, mostly on commercials. I’d love to hear what it was like for you, as a young actor, walking into the controlled chaos of a movie set for the first time.
CP: I felt overwhelmed at first — there were more crew members on the Lorelei set than I was used to. But eventually, we became a family. You really get to know people over the course of a feature film shoot. Doing multiple takes from different angles also took a bit of getting used to. I was able to keep my energy up thanks to Amelia [Borgerding] and Parker [Pascoe-Sheppard], who play my onscreen siblings. They were so sweet and funny they always put a smile on my face. Having my mom on set giving me encouraging looks was also really helpful. She helped me regain my confidence when I got nervous.
SD: I promise you directors get nervous too! And it’s okay to feel vulnerable. It’s a vulnerable thing you’re doing, putting yourself out there. And you can use that vulnerability, pour it into your character because he’s probably scared of something too. You’ve told me you learned a lot from working with Pablo and Jena, who are veterans in the acting world. Jena, of course, was a child actor as well. Can you describe what it was like having them as collaborators?
CP: It was amazing. They’re so talented, but also caring and humble with it. And they really took the time to give me advice on acting and on the movie industry. There’s one scene in the film in which I punch Pablo’s character, Wayland. I was really scared of the emotions in that scene, and I was nervous about shooting it. But Pablo took me to one side and said, “Whatever emotions you’re feeling, let them out. Don’t hold back.” I’ll never forget that advice, it helped me so much.
SD: You and Pablo really showed up for each other in that scene. Even when it wasn’t your shot, you both stayed emotionally wired so you could help the other actor get to where he needed to be. That generosity earns you a lot of respect as an actor. You spoke earlier about character building. Tell me about Dodger, who you play in Lorelei. How did you find your way into his character? What were the pivotal scenes for you?
CP: I really connected with Dodger — like him, I place a lot of value on fitness and working out. And, like him, I’ve felt singled out because of my race. My high school is pretty diverse, but when I’ve hung out with friends in malls, we’ve been racially profiled and asked to leave because we were black. What also helped me with my character was doing acting exercises with you and Sabina [Friedman-Seitz, who plays Layla and is an associate producer on Lorelei]. I imagined what it must be like having a single mom and no dad, and how it must feel to have a new father figure suddenly insert himself into your family. I was most nervous on my first day on set shooting my very first scene. Thankfully, my character is doing push-ups in that scene, and I found that action very calming. It took the edge off my nerves. One scene I loved shooting was the scene in which my onscreen siblings and I see the ocean for the first time. It felt very freeing to shoot that scene. It was so easy and natural.
SD: That ocean scene is one of my favorites too. You’re reacting authentically to having the ocean at your feet and the sea breeze on your face. You have this joyful expression, and it’s all real, you were perfectly present in that moment. As I think of what’s next for you acting-wise, I find myself wondering who your role models are. Whose footsteps do you want to walk in?
CP: Of course, Dr. Martin Luther King has always been a role model. He stood up for what he believed was right and risked his life to fight for that. Kevin Hart is hilarious and completely self-made. He worked so hard to get where he is now, and he never stopped trying. I admire his persistence. Another role model is Michael Jordan because of his kind heart. Also, J. Cole, who created a foundation to give opportunities to young people in his hometown of Fayetteville, NC. And Chance the Rapper because he’s down-to-earth and gives thanks to God in his work.
SD: It’s so important early in life to have successful role models who look like you and who share your background and values. Another thing I’ve found helpful is having short-term goals and long-term dreams. To that end, if you could play any role in any movie, what would it be? Think big!
CP: I grew up a huge fan of the Godzilla movies of the 80s and 90s. As a fanboy, it would be a dream come true to act in a Godzilla movie.
SD: I get that. Since I saw the twin suns setting on Tatooine, I’ve been a Star Wars fan, and I’d give my back teeth to direct an episode! I’m curious, though, what you feel is missing from the movies coming out of Hollywood. Especially as a young person of color, what do you think are the stories and perspectives we’re not seeing enough of?
CP: I’d like to see more interracial families like mine in films and on television. My dad is black and my mom is white. I’m a lighter-skinned black person, and sometimes I’ve found it hard knowing where I fit in. Thankfully, I’m equally close to my black family and my white family, and I’m comfortable, now, accepting that I come from both. But it would have helped me growing up to see more families like mine on screen.
SD: I’m so encouraged by your generation. You’re demanding to be seen and authentically represented. I feel the future is in good hands. Tell me where you personally hope to be in 10 years. Also, where do you hope the world is in 10 years?
-
- Chancellor as Dodger with his onscreen sibling, Periwinkle, played by Amelia Borgerding.
-
- Chancellor as Dodger with his onscreen sibling, Denim, played by Parker Pascoe-Sheppard.
-
- Chancellor as Dodger with his onscreen mom Dolores, played by Jena Malone, and his onscreen siblings.
CP: For myself, I want my hard work to pay off. I dream of working on major movies that are commercially successful: Marvel films, action films, horror films. I’d also like to be a businessman and launch a clothing brand. For the world, I hope that in 10 years we’ll see an end to the worst kinds of racism. I’m not confident racism will disappear entirely, but I hope we won’t have to keep arguing that our lives matter.
Chancellor as Dodger with his onscreen stepdad Wayland, played by Pablo Schreiber.
SD: I want all that for you too, and more. I watched you on set leading with kindness — you were always generous with your time, you were like a big brother to Amelia and Parker, who play your siblings, and you were never too tired to smile and say thank you. That kind of grace will carry you a long way. Right now, you’re in your junior year of high school and have some big decisions coming up. What do you think is next for you?
CP: I’ll be applying to college in the Fall. I haven’t decided where or what yet. But I’d like to combine acting with either sports broadcasting or sports medicine or business. I’d also like to continue playing basketball and go as far as I can with that (I currently play point guard and shooting guard for my high school team). And I really want to get more feature film experience under my belt, and I hope that more opportunities become available, both for myself and other diverse actors. A good start would be casting breakdowns that don’t specify race. Also, stop assuming that families are all-white by default. You can have different races, ethnicities, and nationalities all within the same family.
SD: I love this challenge you’ve just issued to us filmmakers. To interrogate our assumptions during the casting process, but also to be more color-conscious at the screenplay level and write more racially and ethnically diverse characters. Can you share your social handle and agent details so that we can get you hired?
CP: I’m @cperry.33 on Instagram. My agent is Jason Jeffords at Puddletown Talent. I can’t wait for Coronavirus restrictions to lift because I love acting and want to get back to work. If anyone’s casting right now, hit me up!
#BlackLivesMatter
In order to honor the importance of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, we here at Oregon Film would like to give black writers, filmmakers, animators, actors, musicians, and creatives continued opportunities to be heard and seen. Oregon Film has always valued your art, and more importantly your voices, but now more than ever we want to make sure you, and your work, is visible. If you would like to share your creative work with us, email us at [email protected] we will share on our social media and blog platforms.
Thank you. Stay safe. Tell your story.
Supporting Our Community
Our friends and colleagues at The Technology Association of Oregon (TAO) sent a list of resources aimed a combating racism in their communities and in ourselves and we wanted to share and echo it for ourselves and our community as well.
We value equity, diversity and inclusion, and we recognize we still have work to do to create meaningful change. We recognize that we need to listen and learn to implement systemic change. We need to talk about and enact ways to take action to combat racism and bias in our workplace, and to make room for more diverse voices on our staff, on our Board, and in our work and our greater community.
Here is a list of resources in hopes that you will take action, too.
Speak up and be an ally on behalf of communities of color. Talk to your friends, family and neighbors.
Explore your own implicit bias.
Educate yourself with anti-racism resources.
Read – books, articles, essays, poems and other resources to better educate yourself.
- An Anti-Racist Reading List from Ibram X. Kendi in the NY Times.
- An Intro to Diversity & Inclusion in Business: Resources for HR, Hiring, Managers, Founders, and Allies
- Inclusion Ventures, Delivers internal training for thought leadership, product design, coaching, speaking with a D&I focus.
- The Ready Set Co., Helping create diverse and inclusive work environments through advisory, policy, and strategy services.
- Peoplism, Helps companies build a more diverse and inclusive environment through trainings.
- The Diversity Advantage: A Guide to Making Diversity Work.
- HowTo Have Conversations About Race At Work
- Talking about Race at Work
- 10 Ways to Start a Conversation about Race
- Steps companies can take to make the workplace better for black employees
Patronize black owned businesses, including places to shop and eat in Portland.
Volunteer for a social justice non-profit.
Support organizations working to create a more diverse industry, like the Couch Collective, Open Signal, MetroEast, Outside the Frame and Flossin Media.
Donate and if your company matches a certain amount of personal donations to organizations, funds, charities, or movements – submit your donations for that match.
Amplify, follow, signal-boost and learn from the messages of Black influencers, including these Inspiring Black People You Need to Follow on Instagram, and these influencers, authors and public speakers.
VOTE.
Goonies Day and 35th Anniversary Goes Virtual This Month!
With Covid-19 restrictions still in place, Goonies day decided to go virtual this year as they celebrate the 35th anniversary!
Goonies Day is Sunday, June 7 – you can subscribe to their YouTube video and set your alarm to join the celebrations at 12:00 PM Pacific Time.
Soma Games Staff Bio – Erin Marantette
Soma Games LLC is an indie video game developer located in Newberg, Oregon. We believe video games can be far more than time-wasters. Video games hold the potential to showcase beauty, reward adventure and excellence, and challenge thinking. Our goal is to passionately and dutifully craft the games that elevate humanity rather than waste it.
ERIN MARANTETTE
Erin Marantette is currently the Art Director for our Lost Legends of Redwall™ project, the multi-game project that’s had our studio’s primary focus for nearly four years. However, her relationship with Soma Games started in 2011 with a summer internship, and she came on to the team full time in 2014 after graduating with her bachelor’s in studio art from George Fox University.
Her niches are character development and concepts, and art direction. She enjoys practicing leadership combined with art, “I love being able to nurture other people in their strengths and being able to give them opportunities to grow,” Marantette said. She explains her love of character development as an outpouring of the family in which she grew up. Several of her family members are psychologists, and creating characters gives her the opportunity to “add little cues that hint at their psychology.” For example, “I like to ask questions like, ‘why does this person dress the way they dress?’”
One of her recent favorite character concepts was a coming-of-age mouse for Lost Legends of Redwall™. The mouse character was at the awkward stage most humans experience in middle school. Erin’s mission was to explore what that time of life might look like on a Redwall character, primarily in the character’s attire — little things that may be consciously unnoticed by players, but interpreted subconsciously to speak to the character’s personality and motivation.
Both personally and professionally, Erin makes an effort to practice mindfulness. In her work, that includes exercising self- and other-awareness to best use her, and her team’s, time. She is particularly careful when mentoring interns who are experiencing the video game development industry for the first time. She usually starts with concepting assignments, which are more creative and less structured, and slowly pushes them to explore the deeper limits of their skill sets to stretch their potential.
Recent Posts
Categories
