Advice from the Pros

Born on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, Davis has directed several films using Chicago as a backdrop. He is the son of actor Nathan Davis and Metta Davis and the brother of musician Richard "Richie" Peter Davis co-founder of the cover band Chicago Catz and Jo Ellen Friedman.

 

After attending Harand Camp of the Theater Arts and Bowen High School, Davis went on to study journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It was not long before his interest in civil rights and anti-war issues converged with his growing interest in film-making. Davis was mentored by acclaimed cinematographer Haskell Wexler with whom he worked on Medium Cool and began his film career as a cameraman on blaxploitation films like The Hit Man, Cool Breeze and The Slams in the 1970s.

 

His first feature film as a director was the semi-biographical story, Stony Island. Davis has gone on to direct such films as The Fugitive, Under Siege, Above the Law (both starring Steven Segal), Code of Silence, Holes, The Package and The Guardian.

 

Davis also directed the cutscenes for the videogame Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.

Through her company, Pimpernel Productions Inc, Cristen Carr Strubbe provides breakdowns, board and budgeting services for independent and studio majors alike. As a Production Manager Mrs. Carr Strubbe collaborates some of Hollywoods best directors, writers and financiers. Since 2001 she has worked along side Sam Remi, Aaron Sorkin, Christopher Nolan, Sam Mendes, Mike Nicols, Michael Mann and Steven Spielberg. Mrs. Carr Stubbe's credits include: AMERICAN BEAUTY, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, ALI, CHARLIE' WILSON'S WAR, and THE PRESTIGE.

David Stump, ASC, works on numerous motion pictures and television productions as Director of Photography, as Visual Effects Director of Photography and as a Visual Effects Supervisor, garnering Emmy nominations and an Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement for Camera Data Capture Techniques.  His credits include such projects as James Bond 22 A Quantum of Solace, Flight Plan, Fantastic Four, X-Men 1 & 2, Into the Blue, Garfield, Panic Room, Deep Blue Sea, Batman Forever, Hollow Man, Men of Honor, Stuart Little, The Sphere, Contact, Batman & Robin, Mars Attacks, Executive Decision, Stargate, Free Willy, and What Love Is, among others.

 

A member of the Producer's Guild of America (PGA), the Visual Effects Society (VES), the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), Stump has been involved in Digital Visual Effects for over 20 years, since the advent of Computer Generated Images for film.  He has also been involved in shooting High Definition images for many years and has been an advisor and consultant to numerous HD camera manufacturers.  In 2001 he was accepted for full membership into the American Society of Cinematographers, where he is currently chairman of the Camera Subcommittee of the ASC Technical Committee.  His work there helps to shape the future of digital cinematography, by bringing together working cinematographers with the builders of their tools. He is currently working on a book that will demystify digital and high definition cinematography.
 

While obtaining her BA in Film and Television from Boston University, Jenn Carroll interned in Los Angeles on the soap “General Hospital” and the Adult Swim comedy, “Children’s Hospital.” After graduating she worked as an office production assistant on TNT’s “Men of a Certain Age,” which led to her becoming the script coordinator on “Breaking Bad.” Currently she works as Vince Gilligan’s assistant on the set of AMC’s “Better Call Saul.”

Josh McLaglen graduated from UCLA in 1980 with a major in History.  After working with his father, director Andrew McLaglen, as a stuntman and a production assistant, he joined the DGA in 1984. He worked as a 2nd AD with his mentor Duncan Henderson on several films.  In 1987 he became a 1st AD on the TV mini series, AMERIKA, and his current film, REAL STEEL, marks Josh's 40th film as a First Assistant Director.  In 2002, he started working in a dual capacity as a Co-Producer/1st AD and now works as an Executive Producer/1st AD. Josh has had the pleasure of working with accomplished directors such as current DGA President: Taylor Hackford, as well as Robert Zemeckis, Francis Lawrence, Michael Bay, Shawn Levy and James Cameron.  He's been nominated twice for the DGA Award: AVATAR in 2009 and TITANIC which he won in 1997.  Josh is one of the industry's pioneers of the motion capture technology and has the distinct honor of having the two highest grossing films of all time: #1 (Avatar) and #2 (Titanic) on his resume.

In her role as the director of features at the San Diego Film Commission, Kathy McCurdy worked on such films as Almost Famous, Transformers 2, Traffic, and Mr. Wrong. As a location manager, she has been credited on films such as The Price She Paid, Tainted Blood, Rubdown, and Accidental Meeting. She is the author of Shoot on Location: The Logistics of Filming on Location, Whatever Your Budget or Experience. She currently speaks about location shooting every semester at various film schools.

American composer, arranger, record producer, and conductor, Kevin Kaska is one of America’s leading young musical talents. His orchestral compositions, arrangements, and orchestrations have been played by over 50 symphony orchestras worldwide, including John Williams and Keith Lockhart with theBoston Pops Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra (five CDs), Royal Scottish National Orchestra (recorded on CD),New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (recorded on CD), Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band, Skitch Henderson and the New York Popsat Carnegie Hall.

 

In 2012 Kevin Kaska orchestrated music on the Academey Award winning film score Life of Pi. Film composer John Debney asked Kaska to orchestrate his music into a 70 minute concert choral symphony based on the themes he wrote for the Mel Gibson film, The Passion of the Christ (Academy Award nominated score). Kevin Kaska also orchestrates for film composer Hans Zimmer, including The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.

 

Kevin Kaska is one of the few musicians to hold a Guiness Book of World Records. The World Harp Congress commissioned Kaska for a work that was premiered with the largest harp ensemble in recorded history. Kaska conducted the concert of 232 harps in Amsterdam, July, 2008.

 

His work includes: Inception, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sherlock Holmes 1 & 2, ParaNorman, Savages, Step Brothers, the 2012 Oscars, and the mini-series The Pacific.

Larry Jordan is a producer, director, editor, consultant and Apple-Certified trainer with over 25 years video production and post-production experience. He is currently using his award-winning skills in training editors to use Final Cut Studio. He is the Executive Producer and Host of Creative Planet's Digital Production BuZZ, as well as author of five books on Final Cut Studio, along with a monthly on-line newsletter covering Final Cut Studio; now in its sixth year of publication. A member of both the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America, he is a post-production consultant to Los Angeles broadcast and production studios. In addition to his broadcast credits, Jordan is recognized as one of the Top 100 Corporate Producers in America and is frequently a featured speaker at trade shows, industry events and user groups around the U.S. As an Apple-Certified Trainer in Digital Media, specializing in Final Cut Studio, Jordan combines his extensive production experience with his teaching skills to bring a wide-ranging, real-world perspective to his classes. He was one of the first four Apple-Certified trainers in the U.S. to receive credentials as an “Advanced level" Final Cut Pro instructor. In addition to authoring five books on Final Cut Pro, published by Peachpit Press and Focal Press—including Adobe Production Premium for Final Cut Pro Editors, Jordan has produced hundreds of hours of on-line training for Lynda.com and MacProVideo on all the applications in Final Cut Studio.

Days after graduating from the DGA Assistant Director’s Training Program in 1996, Maria began her first of many features & TV shows as a 2nd AD on the acclaimed film “Boogie Nights” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Throughout the next several years, Maria worked with some of the best 1st AD’s in the business & such esteemed directors as Mike Nichols, William Friedkin, Ang Lee, Francis Lawrence, Robert Zemeckis & James Cameron. But it was Maria’s experience as Key 2nd on the ground-breaking “Avatar”, which taught her the most detailed elements of filmmaking & VFX, especially as her role changed to 1st AD for Additional Photography & 2nd Units. Most recently, Maria just completed her role as Key 2nd AD for her long-time mentor & 1st AD Josh McLaglen on Director Shawn Levy’s “Real Steel”.

After graduating from USC, Noelle Green's production coordination career took off. She has worked alongside some of the greats, including: Robert Zemeckis, Cameron Crowe, Gus Van Sant, Steven Soderbergh, and Steven Spielberg. Ms. Green's credits, include: SPIDERMAN 3, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, LEGALLY BLONDE, ALMOST FAMOUS, CONTACT, SOLARIS, IRON MAN 2, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, THE TERMINAL, and THE X-FILES.

Rob Bowman has produced and/or directed episodes of nearly 40 television series and movies and films for the cinema. He earned four consecutive Emmy nominations for The X-Files. A short list of his diverse credits includes the television series StarTrek: The Next Generation, Parker Lewis, The A-Team and Castle.

 

Ron is an Emmy-nominated set decorator on the TV shows The X Files, Help Me Help You, Californication, Cold Case, and Pacific Blue. He has also worked on the films In the Mix, The Day After Tomorrow, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Daredevil. Ron is also the president of Set Decorators Society of America, a non-profit oranization dedicated to supporting the set decorator profession.

Stephen Marinaccio picked up his first camera at the age of 8 and immediately knew that he wanted to be a filmmaker. He studied tirelessly through high school and college to learn the history and techniques of the medium. With 20 years of experience working in various positions on over 45 feature films he has acquired the knowledge it takes to line produce.

 

In 2001, James Cameron gave Marinaccio his first break.  He was upgraded to UPM on the Mexico shoot for Ghosts of the Abyss. From there, he started working as a UPM on independent features and was soon accepted as a member of the Director’s Guild of America as a Unit Production Manager.

 

Soon after, Steve McEveety (Passion of the Christ, Braveheart) hired him to oversee all production and post for feature films at Mpower Pictures, including The Stoning of Soraya M. and the recently released Snowmen. While at Mpower Pictures, Marinaccio was given the opportunity to assist with development, marketing and awards campaigning, further increasing his understanding of the business side.

 

In early 2009, Marinaccio started his own company, More Nachos Entertainment.  MNE is working on various properties in the video game world, comic book channels and even the Los Angeles stage scene.

Music Editor & Composer Steven Saltzman has a diverse musical background. His education includes a Bachelors of Music Degree in composition and film scoring from Berklee College of Music in Boston. He also studied composition with Boston Conservatory composer, John Hess, and continued to study composition and orchestration with Dr. Albert Harris, as well as attended the BMI Film Scoring workshop with Earl Hagan.

 

While on the East coast Mr. Saltzman composed music for WGBH and ABC Television, animated films, a variety of commercials as well as for the theatre in Boston. Steven eventually moved to California to pursue his dream of working in Hollywood scoring motion pictures. There he composed the score for numerous independent films, commercials and syndicated television shows.

 

Steven has composed the music for The Chicken From Outerspace, an Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Award of Merit animation film. He has worked with various composers including Klaus Badelt, Nathan Furst, Mark Mothersbaugh, J.A.C. Jaview Navarette, Redford, Larry Groupé, and Ernest Troost. Steven has also been awarded three Golden Reel Award Nominations and a 2005 Golden Reel Award for his music editing.

 

His work includes:Priest, Seven Days In Utopia, Straw Dogs, The Hole, The Answer Man, Dragonball: Evolution, WAR, Inc., The King of California, Strange Wilderness

Tomlinson Holman is an audio engineer whose Tom Holman eXperiment evolved into the THX sound certification system, which uses numerous criteria to ensure that sound mixed for motion pictures is faithfully reproduced in movie theaters. First introduced in 1983 and named for Holman's initials and his then-boss George Lucas's first film, THX 1138, THX technology is now used in major playhouses, sound mixing studios, and advanced home and auto sound systems. Holman is also the developer of the 10.2 surround sound system, and co-founder of TMH Corporation and Surround Professional magazine. He designed the technical infrastructure of Lucas's Skywalker Ranch and Skywalker Sound post-production facility.

Veronique Vowell is a working location manager in Los Angeles, CA. Having ahd worked in both feature films and television series, Veronique's experience and talent has benefited such projects as Cold Case, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Banger Sisters, First Monday, Dead Last, The Replacements, Nick of Time, Richie Rich, Angels in the Outfield, Encino man, Tango & Cash, and many others.