We’ve all seen the movies where a character is a one-man army, or everything just happens to work out for them, right? Well, what if this particular man – the one carrying 100% of the story – is about as hopeless and down on his luck as you can find? In many ways that’s more appealing because it’s their flaws, quirks and weaknesses that shine brighter than their strengths. So let’s take a look at one such a character, Sebastian Poe (played by Billy Blair), in Derek Presley‘s latest film. Written and shot here in Dallas, Tonic tells the tale of a barfly jazz pianist who must commit murder in…
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Interview…Composer Daniel Hart on ‘The Green Knight’
Daniel Hart is a composer and performer based in Los Angeles. Hart made his feature film debut in 2013 with the critically acclaimed Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, which began his collaboration with filmmaker Dallas native David Lowery (we spoke to Lowery at the time of the release) and Hart has composed the music for all of Lowery’s films, including Pete’s Dragon, A Ghost Story, Old Man and The Gun, and 2021’s The Green Knight. He has also written music for This American Life, and composed the score for S Town, one of the most popular podcasts of all time. To score The Green Knight, Hart went on his own epic personal journey as the religious overtones of the film…
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Home Grown Texas Talent Interview Series – Writer/Director Derek Presley Discusses ‘Cronus’
Local filmmaker, Derek Presley, is a great friend of the site, and we’re always excited to help spread the word about his latest projects. Filmed here in DFW, and featuring contributions of a number of area trades persons, Cronus was filmed and produced over the course of two years. It’s a film about a genius recluse with amnesia who awakens to find he has built a machine that extracts memories from the dead. He uses those memories to discover who he is and to rebuild a perfect past for himself. The practical effects, the music and the production design (not to mention acting from Joey Folsom and Ted Ferguson) are…
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Exclusive: Director Jorge R. Gutierrez, Composer Gustavo Santaolalla, and Reel FX Creative Team Explain Story, Music and Mexican Heritage in ‘The Book of Life’
Back in August, writer/director Jorge R. Gutierrez gave a small presentation to select local press outlets at Reel FX studios. While there, we got to hear all about his film – from its humble beginnings to the nearly finished product – which is a co-production between the Dallas-based animation studio and 20th Century Fox. Last month we posted an article about our exclusive tour of the Reel FX studio, as well as our 1 on 1 interview with Gutierrez and his team. This follow-up post will take a closer look at The Book of Life and explain the design of the film, give insight into the symbolism in the story, as well as touch on…
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Home Grown Texas Talent Interview Series – Stars/Director on ‘The Houses October Built’
One of the more imaginative horror movies to hit theaters this year is The Houses That October Built. Filmed in and around the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex a few years ago, it uses the concept of found footage and haunted house attractions being more than what they appear. Our buddy Mark Walters of BigFanBoy.com had a chance to sit down with Bobby Roe (star and director), Zack Andrews (producer and actor), Brandy Schaefer (actress) and Mikey Roe (actor) and chat a bit about the film and their journey making it. This is one of those “local boys make good” stories, and I’m happy to say the film is really cool too.…
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Exclusive: Video Interview…’The Book of Life’ Creative Team – Jorge R. Gutierrez, Paul Sullivan and Augusto Schillaci
This Fall, 20th Century Fox and producer Guillermo del Toro will bring an animated film unlike any other to theaters. In advance of the October premiere, we got an exclusive tour of Dallas-based animation studio Reel FX. While there, we were treated to an inside look at the film (click here to read about our exclusive tour), and met with the amazing creative team behind The Book of Life. Sitting for this interview are (L to R) visual effects supervisor Augusto Schillaci, writer/director Jorge R. Gutierrez, and art director Paul Sullivan. They, along with the members of the incredibly talented animation team, are currently working to finish the film which…
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Exclusive: A Look Inside Reel FX and ‘The Book of Life’
Reel FX is a Dallas-based company that has seen their fair share of the commercial animation world. In the last two decades, they have lent their digital magic to a multitude of projects, both large and small. The company also maintains a Santa Monica location but the unassuming brick building here in North Texas houses a multitude of digital artists – ones well-versed in the field of computer animation. Founded 20 years ago, the company began doing service work and were one of the first to have the “Flame” software (their current circle logo is loosely based on that fact). Over time, their projects grew in size, as did their commercial…
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Home Grown Texas Talent Interview Series – Film and TV Composer Darius Holbert Talks Peter Berg, Hulu and His Experiences in the Music Industry
Darius Holbert is an award-winning composer of music for film, TV, and new media and has written scores for a gaggle of international films and television shows. Less than a decade in the industry he’s already been afforded the opportunity to work with such film and TV luminaries as Robin Williams, Kevin Spacey, Bobcat Goldthwait, J.J. Abrams, and many more. His work has even been featured in hit TV shows like American Horror Story, Lost, The Client List, Grey’s Anatomy, American Idol, and Crash. Aside from scoring to picture, Darius has been commissioned to compose operas, modern dance pieces, and chamber works. He has appeared on a ton of records…
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Home Grown Texas Talent Interview Series – Writer/Director David Lowery on ‘Ain’t Them Bodies Saints’
In our last Home Grown Texas Talent interview (HGTT for short) we talked with local writer/director Derek Presley about his work and his latest short film which was screened at the Festival de Cannes. Today we speak with another talented individual whose passion for shorts and a focused narrative has made him an overnight sensation and his latest feature one of the most talked about films of 2013. So if you haven’t caught any of the buzz surrounding his film Ain’t Them Bodies Saints then there’s still time to get on the band wagon. We have a feeling this is going to be a major player come awards season. So…
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Home Grown Texas Talent Interview Series – Writer/Director Derek Presley
For the past month, Summer has been in full swing here in Texas…well, truth be told, Summer really starts in April, but I digress. So while there are many ways to beat the heat this time of year, one of the dependable standbys is retreating to a darkened theater. As part of a new series here at GoSeeTalk, we will start to shine a spotlight on some of the local Texas-born or bred filmmakers making a name for themselves. You may have heard of Shane Carruth, David Lowery or David Gordon Green, but there are similarly talented filmmakers here in the Metroplex right on the cusp of discovery. Not only…
