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Deadly Class, A Fan Film

8/16/2015

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"Change the World with a bullet!"

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PictureDeadly Class, Volume 1: Reagan Youth TP - Image Comics
About Deadly Class
Rick Remender (Author)
Wes Craig (Illustrator)
Sebastian Girner (Editor)
Buy it Now on Amazon

Introducing my favorite comic book of all time, It could be yours too! Let's just say that it is full of brutal action. After all, they are high school kids; damaged and dangerous. Not old enough to vote or drink? 

Welcome to the world of the most brutal high school on earth. Marcus Lopez is not doing so well in school. Not only are his grades horrible or the jocks won't leave his friends alone, he is losing focus in class and failing "Dismemberment 101". 

Well, this is not your typical high school in 1987. Kings Dominion School for the Deadly Arts is where the world's top crime families send the next generation of assassins to train them into becoming ultimate murderers and killers. It's their everyday Arts and Craft. The jocks are the children of Joseph Stalin's top assassin, even the teachers are members of an ancient league of assassins, he is smitten by this hot girl with a doubledigit body count. This bunch of damaged and dangerous teenagers is going to take you for a dark ride on graduation day.
Jim Skinner (Director), James Sime (Isotope Book Store- Owner), Nan Pierce (Production Designer), Myra Borja (Producer)
Jim and Nan feeling overwhelmed at Isotope Comic Book Lounge.

From Comics to Live Action

How an idea turn into a movie is always interesting. Before we finished producing our last film 
"Friend Request", Jim and I were pitching to each about ideas for the next venture. How you follow a romantic comedy? We aimed for a contrasting genre by going for dark, brutal, and still fun enough to watch with his kids on the big screen. That's when the search for the perfect comic book came into mind. 

Our inspiration sparked from James Sime, who owns Isotope Comics at our neighborhood bookstore. James (who is super awesome by the way) introduced us to one of his top picks. Once we had the Volume 1 of Deadly Class in our hands, we were immensely drawn to the illustration and story line. Marcus character is such a badass along with Saya and Maria. Immediately we became it's number 1 fan. As dedicated filmmakers, we wanted to express our appreciation to the illustration by bringing it into life. To create a fan-based movie for it's fans by it's fans. Adapting the comic book in loyalty as possible. It was ambitious to film the idea, but we could not imagine doing another. The location is right here in San Francisco, illustrating the beautiful golden gate bridge and the rural streets. By the time we put the book down from reading it back to back, we have already set up castings for the lead actors. From there, our dream to doing this comic book into reality just started falling into place. But first, we need badass actors!


Castings

Being in front of the camera has given me an advantage when it comes to casting actors. I failed hundreds of auditions myself (ok, maybe thousands). The ratio is 100:1 realistically in LA or New York market. It takes 100 auditions to land one lead role. In this case we were looking for a male actor of Latin background. 

MARCUS Lopez, A troubled youth is being played by Henry Lee, who is the first choice as soon as he walked into the audition. He understood the script and read well. Other than having really short hair, he was suited for Marcus. He sold us by being a good actor. The only compromise we had to make is finding the right hair piece. Thanks to Nan Pierce (Production Designer) for bringing in what she noticed to be a "handsome fella" from the crowd. Nan met Henry while outsourcing for our cast and crew from Scary Cow Community. Sometimes, I'd like to think we just got lucky. Below is a snap shot of the first scene as Henry embodies Marcus.
Henry as Marcus on the first day of shoot.
Marcus Lopez, Illustration
Let's Talk about the Hot Chicks !

Meet Saya and Maria 
The foxy girls in crazy love triangle with Marcus. Other than killer sex appeal, they carry weapons of brutal destruction. Who does not want to see them fight and make out? 


Saya is a motorcycle ridin' and heavy smokin' gal who convinced Marcus to join School for the Deadly Arts. While Maria sported assassin techniques she have learned from El Diablo's group such as spitting dust and blinding a room dressed to kill.

As friends, they get along doing cocaine together, but sleeping with the same guy is dangerous! They might have to kill each other.
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Myra playing Saya
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Myra playing Maria



Working with Jim Skinner (Director)

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Cast and Crew (Left to Right) Heren Patel (Actor), Ren Long (Lighting/Actor), Jim Skinner (Director), Nan Pierce (Production Designer), Henry Lee (Lead Actor), Jim Oppenheimer (PA)



Jim Skinner is a family man with a beautiful wife and two awesome kids. They are the biggest fan of Deadly Class. You can count on them to be involved with creating props. It's such a beautiful thing to see a family being creative together. 

Jim is a brilliant director. After numerous years of filmmaking and consistently working, he takes pride in his work. He specializes in Cinematography. At the same time he is humble to share with you what he knows. You can ask him specific questions and he will find the time to answer them. With his great energy, the set is never boring. He never fails to motivate you to do good work. He leads you to be better at your role. In simple terms, this guy knows what he is doing. That is why I take on every opportunity to learn from Jim. In many years of my journey as an artist, I am always challenged by something new and interesting. Being a Co Producer has given me the back end exposure of the business such as negotiating finances, managing crew, and overall operation of production. Jim is the Executive Producer and director of Green Screen Cinema and he took me under his wings to learn the big ropes in this venture. That alone is an achievement in my career and not easy to come by in this business. I thought I wanted to be an actor forever until I was exposed to other valuable aspects of filmmaking. Here I am mastering a new craft and it's quite addicting. Thanks Jim!

Special Thanks

To every cast and crew who took part in this production. 
We love Deadly Class Comics!

Special Thanks to: Nan Pierce (Production Designer), Danishka Esterhazy (Assistant Director), Colin Bishop (Actor), 
Ren Long (Lighting), Ian August (Production Assistant), Jade Acosta (Sound), Allen Scott (Sound)

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Cast an Crew (Left to Right) Jade Acosta (Sound), Ian August (PA), Allen Scott (Sound), Myra Borja (Producer), Henry Lee (Actor), Colin Bishop (Actor), Heren Patel (Actor)
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What's next for Deadly Class?

Stay tuned for the blog update as we film the next scene with Saya and Marcus featuring shots at the golden gate bridge and motorcycle rides in rural streets of San Francisco. 

If you have any interests in learning how to get involve with Deadly Class Fan Film or thinking about pitching your own movie idea, feel free to Contact Us for inquiries. 
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VOTE for "Friend Request" 

7/2/2015

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Friend Request Playing July 11th

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 Our film, “Friend Request” by the brilliance of director Jim Skinner is going to be presented on the big screen in Castro Theatre by Scary Cow Film Festival 2015.  There will be a series of short films by awesome filmmakers.

You and your guests are personally invited to join me among San Francisco’s Indie Community and vote for the best line up of short films. Our film "Friend Request" will be the first in order to be featured among others. Yes, your VOTE is important! The top winners will receive future funding for their upcoming project. Your votes will help the community decide who gets to move on to the next phase. Oh, and there’s an after party with booze and snacks! ;)

“Blockbuster films are great; sometimes it is about us independent dreamers who create our vision out of Love in hopes of sharing it with you.”

Tickets are on sale
here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1771721
WHEN: Sat, July 11th, 2-8 pm
WHERE: Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, San Francisco

A Personal Touch
Overwhelmingly excited to share with you this romantic film I have been working on with director Jim Skinner. This film is very personal to me because of what I have gone through in the pass 2 years. My life journey in social media has been nothing but expressions of joy (and selfies). But, on a personal note, I hurt like everyone else. It has been the most life revealing experience of sadness, joy, failures, and success rolled into one. As most of you know, it is not in my character to give up.  So, I have invested a lot of my time and passionate energy to do the things I love the most and dealt with the process of pain through ART. As a result, we have made this film possible. To fulfill every dream, I had to give up what I was conditioned and comfortable with. To get out here in the unknown and do what feels good inside with no expectations of outside reward. To seek and become what I intended to be. That reality is happening now and I welcome you to be a big part of it.

Let's Party!
It's not a movie premiere without the after party! There will be an After Party where we will gather up to celebrate by toasting the filmmakers, mingling, talking about our next projects, and ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS! We’d love to see you there! Be sure to purchase a Festival Pass if you’d like to attend the party.

If you are in San Francisco area, please join the fun and purchase your tickets soon. Tickets are also available at the door. I can’t wait to meet you all and thank you for supporting this blog. So happy I get to share a piece of myself through this film and I can’t wait to see you all there!

 

 




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Will you be my Facebook Friend?

6/14/2015

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Will you be my Facebook Friend?

Do you remember the jerk who broke your heart in 8th grade?
Being boy crazy as I am, my first biggest crush was Greg in 1st grade. This beautiful boy with blue eyes and blond hair. I was a little girl with the biggest personality. I had no problem professing my adoration for him. Ultimately, I knew  he would be my boyfriend someday. He pretty much ignored me everyday and broke my heart.

In 8th grade, this boy who sat behind me in class bullied me. He pulled my hair on Valentines Day. Little did I know he cried so hard when I broke his heart by moving to another school. I had my first boyfriend when  I was 14. He came up to my mom in a restaurant and have asked her if he could see me. My mom had a set of rules for him. He came over every weekend and everyday during the summer to hang out with me and my family with full supervision. There was no kissing and we are not allowed to be alone together. In short, one day I broke his heart by making out with his best friend when I turned 16. Yes, I was the jerk too. The agony of childhood heartaches.

You find yourself passing time browsing through Facebook and there it is, a friend request from an odd but familiar face. All of a sudden you get poked and "how are you" messages repeatedly, not to mention he/she is married with kids. Thanks to social media where you can think of someone out of lingering curiosity and refine your search as if you are reporting a "Where are they now" episode on TMZ. In our adult life, preoccupied with going to work and paying the bills, we get little surprises such as this and pause for a minute to wonder how this person or memory impacted our life.

With this upcoming film, I am reliving my childhood life as SueWen. Portraying my own personal experience in heart breaks and pending FRIEND REQUESTS. The tales lives on.
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SueWen in the film, "Friend Request" by James Skinner
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The Singing Bones 

6/2/2015

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On the last day shoot of the film "Friend Request", I had the privilege of meeting Danishka Esterhazy. She walked into my apartment and I have asked her to kindly remove her shoes (the only rule of my roommate). Little did I know this strong framed woman who is helping us on set that day is a worldwide award winning writer/director. Danishka is known for her modern day retelling of fairy tales. Celebrated for her stunning and female -driven films and she has delighted audiences around the world with her haunting stories.

We talked about her latest film "The Singing Bones" over lunch break and how she is working with Scary Cow, an indie film co-op for the production and raising funds by INDIEGOGO to create this amazing short film. She is working with an internationally acclaimed author Francesca Lia Block who released a collection of short stories. They came together for the first time to collaborate on this new project. A short film adaptation of the story "Bones" from the The Rose and The Beast: Fairy Tales Retold.
The book became a L.A. Times bestseller. Publishers Weekly called the collection “Intoxicating” and “heady”. Kirkus Reviews wrote "[Block] uses language like a jeweled sword, glittering as it cuts to the heart."

Here is the preview of the campaign. With your support we can bring this fairy tale story into life. I mean, who doesn't love fairy tales?

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The Art of Listening

5/31/2015

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Listening to the direction of James Skinner
PictureCandid moments behind the scenes with Colin and James.

The Art of Listening

For those who has known me, listening is one of my least attributes in relationships. Being aware of this, I made a point to master my weakness. Having studied in New York for acting, I was able to understand the depth importance of communication. Analyzing each word and internalizing what it means and the sender's Point of View. Instead, I inhibited the habit of selective hearing and choosing my own translation and executing an impulsive reaction. Stubbornness plays a big role so does pride which is the root of arguments in our personal lives and displays lack of professionalism in the work place.

Being an actress, I have to utilize my inner instruments may it be the accessibility of joy or pain for the nature of storytelling. Acting is all about listening and reacting. It takes many years of training for an actor to break their personal walls and the fear of judgment from others. Especially for some who studied later than childhood actors. Adult actors possess real life experiences covering their vulnerability to exude bravery and strength. Therefore, our walls are up almost all of the time. This way we tend to be overly conscious and over analytical of what others may perceive of us, but plays very little validation of who we really are. These noises in the back of our heads will alert the nervous system and build up anxiety. Imagine being on stage full of people and you are the solo performer. A lot of people are naturally frightened by this. Learning to condition your mind and body is what we call in the acting world finding your “center”. This is done by relaxation, taking deep breaths, vocal exercises, and conditioning the body. Freeing yourself from useless energy outside and channeling your mind to accept the purest state of openness for imagination. Thereafter, ART is created. You can listen carefully, eye lining another person, and deliver a response or a reaction from a clear state. In short, to listen well, we must shut the noises in our heads, be present, and be open.

Listening to what a film director requires in a character is a skill set that you must possess as an actor. Everything costs money, especially time. You want to do each scene in less takes as possible, but that's nearly impossible if you don't play close attention to what the director wants. Scripts are translated in different ways based on individuality and their own personal experience or presentation choices. What may be a dramatic scene can turn out to be humorous for the other. The director will direct what is required from you. Your key element is to LISTEN, deliver a story and bring these beautiful characters from paper into life. 
PictureLunch break at Twitter Headquarters, Market St., SF


"That's a wrap for the filming of, "Friend Request". I'm really proud of this production and have met some brilliant people in the industry that opened doors for me."

-Myra



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Friend Request the Movie

5/29/2015

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With Director James Skinner at Twitter Headquarters for the making of his film, "Friend Request".


Friend Request the Movie

Another day checking my inbox and there it is, an unexpected email from a director (every actor's dream). He is not your typical Hollywood director, he was pleasant and ready to shoot.

Funny enough the location is inside the twitter building which is right across my apartment. I could actually see the roof top (play field) from my bedroom. Never thought I would be in there anytime soon.

As soon as I walk through security and met Jim, he introduced me to the entire cast and crew. First, I met Colin, who is my love interest in the film. He was one of the actors from House of Cards. Pretty stoked about meeting him because I love the show. He was tall, very nice, and ridiculously good looking which is a complete contrast to the character he is playing. He is playing Lo, a douche bag who broke my heart in 10th grade until we graduated. He had the nerve to come back in my life and ask me for a huge favor. Hence, the friend request sent to my Facebook and brought back mixed emotions. But, instead my character, Sue Wen, decided to play with it. Your classic romantic comedy.

We are in the 3rd day production. It's a full 3-day shoot but the film is coming along well. In 30 days this film is going to be featured on the big screen in one of the major screening theaters in San Francisco. If our work gets attention and voted among the best, our next film will be funded.

Thank you to all the cast and crew. The best part about the whole experience is being spoiled at Twitter with gourmet chefs preparing our crew meal everyday. It's all true. It's all fancy. Tech world is the best place to work for. It's so innovative and everyday they are wired to create the future. In my opinion they are the right brain type of artist. Well, in my director's case it is both. His day job is a programmer.

To do what I love is pretty awesome. I can't wait to share with you guys the finished product.

I always keep in mind that if I am doing what I love, everything else will fall into place. I know it is a lot easier said, but we all have to believe in something, right? For me, acting is part of who I am, I performed all my life as a child. I have no ambition to simply be famous. Fame is a fluke. Not everyone with talent makes it and look at all the useless space of people on television today. It is irrelevant. Do what you love, something you identify with individually in any capacity possible no matter what. You owe this to yourself because time will pass anyway, so you might as well have fun with it.

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. Feel free to shoot me an email, “Ask Myra Anything” to be featured or for your own blog submission.

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