We need an Assistant Director (AD) and a Sound Designer. No experience is necessary to be the AD, your job is to be the Commander Riker to the director’s Captain Picard. You’ll be the second in command on set, making sure that everything and everyone is where they’re supposed to be.

The Sound Designer needs to have some experience with audio; even if it’s minimal that doesn’t disqualify you as you can learn on the job (that’s what our sound designer for Spirit’s Requiem did). You’ll be capturing and editing all the sound needed for the movie. It’s a pretty simple description for what is one of the most important roles we need. If you’re interested in either AD or sound then send an email to basisproductions@gmail.com or leave a post on our Facebook page.

As for the acting we are now casting for two roles: one is leading and the other supporting, both are for actresses. We do have male roles in this film which we will be casting soon, so you actors out there sit tight and prep your Shakespeare monologues. As Descartes said to Hamlet: To be, therefore I am.

If interested send an email to basisproductions@gmail.com with a head shot and resume (if available) to set up an audition time, and let us know which character you would like to be considered for (you can apply for both).

That’s all for now. Move along, nothing to see here.

Oh, you want to know what the movie is about, dontcha? You’ll just have to apply for a cast or crew position to find out.

And you’re still here. Hmm, I’m guessing you want to know what compensation is. You’ll be credited in the end credits (and IMDb if they give us another page), you’ll get some good experience (it’s super effective), and you should have a fun time. I can’t make any promises on that last one though, that’s up to you.

What’s there to say about the man in charge? Peter James wrote and directed Spirit’s Requiem, in addition to doing a myriad of other jobs on the film. My interview with him is long winded [Ed. note - that's my fault.] and so I’ll keep the introduction brief. In fact, how about we move on to the interview? This man needs little introduction.

There are a lot of people out there with dreams of becoming a filmmaker. Where did your dreams come from?

Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality. Getting that corny line out of the way, I’d say it was Star Wars. Or The Lord of the Rings. I liked writing, and movies are writing with light rather than a pen.

Spirit’s Requiem is a 47 minute long adventure about a young girl running around in the forest. There’s no violence, no language, and no kissy kissy stuff. How does a college age guy decide to make something like that? 

So because I’m a young adult dude that means I’m not able to make a G-rated movie starring a 10 year old girl? Talk about gender and age stereotypes. Yeah, I know it’s unusual, but unusual times call for unusual measures. You’ve got to stand out from the crowd, and there aren’t too many people making movies like this (I think…).

You’ve written a lot about the development of Spirit’s Requiem as a story, but you’ve never said much about the first incarnation of it back in the spring/summer of 2010. 

Originally I was all set to start filming in June of 2010, however I found myself very ill-prepared, a consequence of me not having done anything even close to this size before. My classes at Webster hadn’t even touched most of the pre-production tasks like assembling a cast and crew. The Exile was made with friends and family, and that’s how I began with Spirit’s Requiem 1.0. Things began falling apart because I didn’t maintain good communication with the people I had shanghaied into helping me. For some people I just asked if they wanted to be in a movie and then told them that I’d tell them when they were needed on set. Not a good idea. In fact it was a very bad idea.

That does sound like a bad plan. Did you even take their acting skills into account?

Not really, as this was back when none of the characters talked out loud. It’s a long and complicated idea, suffice to say the characters communicated through “text boxes.” It was an experiment that I abandoned just before we started filming in May 2011, though in my heart I think I abandoned it long before that. Using some of the skills I learned during the original production of The Exile (which is like Fight Club in that we don’t talk about it – seriously) I did cast one actor who I simply couldn’t find amongst my friends, the Evil Man, who was to be played by Bill Finkbiner. He later returned to the party when the movie began again. I also put out a notice on Overclocked ReMix for a composer, as I didn’t have any of those amongst my friends either. Jonathan Peros answered the call and came on sometime in April 2010. He, too, stayed on despite the movie being in limbo for over 8 months (bless him!). I’m getting ahead of myself. We began production in June with a plan that was already falling apart like a game of Jenga. The actress playing the Girl, who was only 5 years old, put on a terrific performance – as seen in the small amount of footage I shot with her – but like most 5 year olds she lacked patience, and I just couldn’t take half hour breaks for every 10 minutes of filming. Like the wind she was gone and production was facing serious problems. I couldn’t give up so I went searching for another actress, which is how I met Aster Coyle.

But things still didn’t work out, otherwise we would be doing this interview a year ago.

Nope. Halfway through our first day of filming I decided to throw out the script and go Tolstoy instead of Dostoevsky. I’d be lying if I said it was a tough decision. I knew I couldn’t keep the project together so I had to abandon it. Spirit’s Requiem was adrift but salvageable. Instead I filmed Aster running around the countryside resulting in over 5 hours of footage with no discernible narrative. Assembling something from this huge pile of images is a huge editing challenge, one that I’m still working on a year and a half after the fact.

I still find it hard to believe that you kept on and restarted the project.

Knowing what had gone wrong the first try helped me to better prepare for another attempt. I think Castle Town also helped me a lot. Doing the pre-production for a much smaller project was a good learning experience. When I restarted Spirit’s Requiem in spring of 2011 I knew what I had to do and how to go about doing it.

I know with big budget films there can be hundreds of people on or near the set. Was filming with such a small crew difficult? 

Even on lower budget films there can be lots of people around the set. I’ve seen no-budget student films where they have a dozen people on hand, oftentimes just standing around. Let me give you the crew breakdown: I had one crewmember for four days, two crewmen for three days, and I was all by my lonesome for five days. The cast often helped with carrying or holding things, but our production crew was slim to non-existent. To answer your question, yes it was difficult. I really could have used a camera assistant to man the camera when I was needed elsewhere and a script supervisor to ensure that we were filming everything we needed, plus a general production assistant for those random jobs that always pop up.

In addition to directing you were the cinematographer/camera operator. How did you manage to do both simultaneously? 

I’m not really sure how it happened. They’re both big jobs and as I stated before I didn’t have a whole lot of help with me. I believe I got it done by not spending as much time as I would have liked to with the actors. I had to focus on the image so much that most of the time I had to essentially let the actors roam free, to use a cattle metaphor. We had a good cast that was able to work with little direction from me, but looking back I realize that I “neglected” the actors to focus my energies on ensuring the camera was properly placed and the lighting was good.

What was it like filming with one character who never spoke and another who had a penchant for long winded oratory? 

Honestly I don’t know the answer to that question. I pretty much just let Aster and Elyse do their thing and I captured it on video. I don’t think I would have filmed anything differently had both characters been talkative. I’ve tried to think of a more substantial response to this question but nothing’s coming.

The countryside plays an important role in several of your works. The Exile, Spirit’s Requiem, and that thing I’m not supposed to talk about all take place in rural areas. Is there a reason for this?

I like running around in the forest and any excuse to do so under the guise of work (aka filming) is a damn fine excuse to me. I also like showing off pretty scenery.

What was your favorite scene to film?

Scene 17, otherwise known as the campfire scene. I was excited and concerned about this scene because we used fire as our sole means of lighting. My cousins, Dan and James, were there to help make the campfire and the torches, and we had a lot of fun putting the torches together and lighting things on fire. For me it was a challenge to get the exposure I needed, we just barely had enough light to see the actors. It was nice not to have a time restriction either, since we were filming at night we didn’t have to worry about getting everything done before sunset. I don’t know how long we filmed that night, it was at least 90 minutes, but relative to other scenes we spent more time on scene 17 than any other.

I don’t know if this is appropriate to ask, but how about your least favorite scene to film?

This is supposed to be a promotion interview meant to cast the film in a 100% light, right? I suppose I’ll indulge you. The final scene. Even after the last minute rewrite I still had no idea what I was doing. I spent most of the shoot stumbling around in the dark trying to figure the scene out. It wasn’t much fun.

Where do you go to next?

Back to school. If you’re referring to filmmaking (which I’m guessing you are) I have no idea what I’m going to do next. Seriously, none.*

*Ed. note – this interview was conducted a couple of months ago. Things may or may not have changed.

-Spirit’s Requiem is online. That’s right, you can watch the movie right now. In fact, why don’t you click on this link and watch it? Spread the word and tell your friends about the movie. With every piece of attention Spirit’s Requiem gets, Basis Productions will be on ever more stable ground to produce yet another film. Your attention will also sate our narcissism, but that’s merely a pleasant side effect.

-All of Spirit’s Requiem’s actors (that’s awkward to say aloud) now have a Bacon Number of 3. If you don’t know what that means then you should move on to the next point. Check it out for yourself.

-You might have caught a brief glimpse of what was supposed to be our next project a couple of months ago. That spark eluded us, but we are mounting a rescue attempt. Keep your ears tuned to emergency radio frequency 108kHz for further updates.

And that’s it for this month. My English teacher always told me to never use more words than were necessary. And then he assigned me a 10 page book report.

For those of you who are a little out of the loop, Spirit’s Requiem is about a young Girl who goes on an adventure to save the world. There are Spirits, sacred swords, magical flutes, strong female characters, and an Evil Man. You’ve gotta have a villain, especially one that is evil. Sounds like a bit much, right? Where are the Girl’s parents in all of this? Don’t think about it too much, just remember the MST3K mantra.

You can find more info on the movie here, including interviews with the crew and our archived production updates. For now, sit back and enjoy the film. I recommend going directly to the YouTube page and watching it in full screen. If you like what you see be sure to let us know and spread the word. We at Basis Productions make movies for people to watch – the more, the merrier. If you like what you hear you can buy the soundtrack directly from the composer here. Now let’s get it on like [trademarked video game character]!

John Williams. Ennio Morricone. Max Steiner. Jerry Goldsmith. Alan Silvestri. Jonathan Peros. What do all these men have in common? They compose music for movies. When you think of Star Wars what comes into your head? Horns. Lots and lots of horns blasting that incredible fanfare. Remember that beautiful music from Gone With the Wind? It’s called Tara’s Theme (not to be confused with Terra’s Theme).

Okay, so you might not have recognized that last name. That’s understandable for now, but in a few years you could get some weird looks if you confess to not knowing who Jonathan Peros is. Am I being hyperbolous?* The only way we will find out is if we wait and see. Mr. Peros, on the other hand, has a lot of work to do because I do not like being wrong. In case you still do not know who he is, Jonathan Peros composed the music for Spirit’s Requiem. The interview I had with him is quite in-depth, so I will let him give you the details.

If you want to hear the soundtrack before you read the interview – or listen to it while you’re reading the interview – you can download it here. Please, give generously.

How did you get into music composition? Were you a musician before you became a composer?

Well, I picked up guitar in the sixth grade. I think I just wanted to look like a cool rockstar and get all the hotties in my grade. That actually worked for a little while, then backfired when I ended up spending more time on my guitar than developing a social life. I practiced and practiced and quickly became the best guitarist at my school. I was actually really into heavy metal and started working on making self-produced metal recordings with Sonar when I was like fourteen. I was actually getting established as a musician and producer/engineer long before I took any ventures into orchestral composition. I got into composition in that sense in high school. I took music theory, and then when there wasn’t anywhere to go with it, I took music theory AGAIN, to see if I could get anything more out of it. Then, when I tried taking the class for a third time, the teacher was like “Hell,” and created an independent study on advanced theory and composition for me. And that’s where that all began. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing with it at the time, but I started to figure it out a little bit more after some years, and here I am now.

You’re studying film scoring at Berklee College of Music and you’ve done some work for Overclocked ReMix, which is in fact where you ran into Peter – or did he run into you? Was Spirit’s Requiem your first original film project?

Yeah, I went on the recruitment forums on OCR and saw a post by Peter about this movie. I think that was the only time I’ve been on the recruitment forum in my life. Anyway, I sent Peter some of the original compositions I’d done and he was pretty impressed. He left the recruitment window open for a little bit, but I think he had pretty much made up his mind right away. Spirit’s Requiem was the first commercial film I’ve scored. I had done some projects for school and whatnot, but nothing that would actually be released for anything other than demoing purposes. I think a 45+ minute film for the first time isn’t a bad place to start with.

How is composing for film different than composing music by itself?

When you bring up scoring for film, there are a whole slew of things that you have to keep in mind and it really affects what you write for. In the broadest sense, you have to keep in mind the emotional curve of the entire film and try to match the director’s vision of that as best you can over the duration of the whole score, while keeping the thematic content relevant to the rest of the score, but still developing throughout. On a smaller scale, with each cue in the film, you plan out the music before a note is written. If you watch on the screen and there’s an important event that happens in the film, you have to write your music so that it’s synchronized perfectly to have something at that point in the music accentuate the dramatic effect of whatever happens on screen. If I’m scoring to film, I’ll have the length of a cue, the amount of measures, and all the tempo changes planned out before I even begin writing music.

Now it’s kind of funny that you bring this up, though, because for a good majority of Spirit’s Requiem’s OST, I didn’t do any of that. Since the film was so inspired by video games, Peter actually made the stylistic choice to ignore standard movie music paradigms and instead opt for a soundtrack that works in the same way video game soundtracks work – by looped music, rather than music synched to film. So Peter and I went through the script together and decided what areas would need music, he described the emotional context of what the music would convey, and I began writing music before the movie even entered the filming stage. It’s different than how just about any film goes about its music, but it allowed me for a lot more freedom with how the music flowed.

The story and music was stylistically influenced by video games, but what specific games influenced the music? Were there any influences beyond that?

When me and Peter were talking about the music for the movie, he essentially was like:

“You know Zelda?”
“Yeah.”
“Just do that.”

So the soundtracks for Zelda were a huge influence on the music. If you’re listening, I’m sure you can pick out a handful of Zelda references. There were some other game soundtracks that I referenced, too; mostly Japanese RPGs from the 90s. One of the tracks is pretty heavily Chrono Trigger, which I was happy to do, with that being my favorite game ever made. There are also a good amount of classical and impressionist composers influencing the soundtrack. There are some Mahler, Schubert, Vaughan Williams, and Ravel influences throughout. There’s even some atonal Schoenberg in there. I wanted to find a happy medium between a fun feel of videogames and the sophistication of concert music composers.

The music sounds like a real orchestra, though I’m guessing that you don’t have one hidden up your sleeve. If you do then you’ll have to show me how that trick is done! How did you actually make the music?

The only secret is really big sleeves.

Really though, thanks. Saying that a fake orchestra sounds real is a huge compliment to anyone who sequences an orchestra. Almost all of my music begins at the piano. I’ll just play and play it until I stumble across something I like, and I’ll see where I can run with it. Once I have a couple of related ideas that I like, I’ll begin sketching it out on paper for an orchestra. At first, I write very linear, only writing the important melodies and chords, trying to just get a skeleton of the entire song. Then once I have the bare bones of the sketch written, I’ll then go back and start fleshing it out for more instruments with counterlines and harmonies. Once I’ve got the sketch done, I’ll decide what instruments I want doubling what lines and I’ll start sequencing everything out on the computer. I’ve gone through a handful of different orchestral sample libraries over the years, but for the majority Spirit’s Requiem I used LASS, Vienna Instruments, and some scattered Cinesamples and ProjectSam stuff. Everything was sequenced in Cubase 5 for the project.

I would say that my favorite track from the OST is the Anicauas Hills. It is a beautiful piece of music that complements and enhances its scene in the movie really well. What is your favorite piece that you composed for the film?

Thanks again for the compliments! It’s pretty hard for me to pick a favorite. I’ve got a handful that I’m pretty fond of. But if I had to choose, I’d probably go with the Credits music. It’s mostly just a softer variation of the Main Theme from the movie but somewhere right in the middle, it surprises you with a brand-new theme which I like a whole lot.

Where do you go to now that you’ve finished Spirit’s Requiem?

Well during my work on Spirit’s Requiem, I picked up a videogame project for Cadenza Interactive. It’s a sci-fi shooter called “Retrovirus.” I’m going to be working hard on that for the next little while. The music for that is going to be heavily electronic ambient/drum’n'bass stuff – wildly different than what I did for Spirit’s Requiem. I’m really looking forward to the release of that game. I’m also doing a little bit of work for some friends I’ve made at USC for a puzzle game called “Spectra.” It was a school project of theirs, but there was some talk during its short production of continuing it after the class for some indie game festivals. Aside from those, just finishing up school, pursuing my own musical endeavors (which consist of basically every genre of music ever invented), and looking for more games and movies to write music for!

The Girl is the young hero of Spirit’s Requiem, a child of 10 years who is summoned by the Great Spirit to go on a journey and save the world. Most 10 year old children would be terrified if handed such a task, but not the Girl. Her courage keeps her going every step of the way even as the shadows close in around her. The Girl performs her task without looking back, without making any argument or complaint. She has no internal conflict, she is a fountain of optimism and a paragon of virtue. As a certain friend of mine (who may or may not have made this film) often says, “Goodness and love will always win.” Because of this the Girl can come off as being one dimensional, and while there is some truth to that the goodness of the Girl serves a greater purpose.

As I discussed in the interview with Elyse Bertani, Spirit’s Requiem is really about the character journey of Shade. This journey would not be possible without the Girl, for she sets the example which Shade follows: strength through courage. Shade sees the Girl’s bravery in the face of overwhelming danger and learns what it truly means to be a hero. The Girl is Shade’s foil and vice versa, the seeming flatness of her character is what allows Shade to grow and discover the goodness within herself.

What is most unique about the Girl is that she is a silent protagonist, an archetype typically only seen in video games (and silent movies if you want to be technical about it). She never utters a word on screen, instead communicating her thoughts and emotions through nods and facial expressions. It is implied, however, that she speaks to the characters she meets, it is merely the audience who lacks the ability to hear her. This experimental technique allows the viewer to better place him or herself in the shoes of the Girl. The viewer can fill in the Girl’s voice with their own and become a hero themselves.

Recently I talked with Aster Coyle, the girl behind the Girl, and asked her about what it was like to play this fun loving adventurer. Aster is the only cast member who is not an actor, and the only one never to have been on film or on stage before (excepting writer/director Peter James’ still unreleased “visual poem,” but he claims it doesn’t count as a film).

The Girl is a courageous young adventurer who loves to explore the woods. Do you share any of these characteristics with her?
I do like exploring the woods, so I just had to be myself. It is hard to find adventure…except in movies.

You spend a lot of the movie running around the countryside, most notably in an early montage scene just after you’ve found the sword. How did you film those sequences? Did Peter just tell you to do whatever you wanted or was there more of a plan?
A little bit of both; Peter gave me some guidelines but allowed me to be spontaneous.

The most distinctive aspect of Spirit’s Requiem is that the main character is completely silent. What was it like playing a character who doesn’t speak?
I usually do not say very much, but expressing myself without words was tricky.

The Girl is a stable character, undergoing little growth over the course of the story. Rather, Shade is the one who grows as the Girl shows her the meaning of strength through courage. What do you think of Shade and her development from anti-hero to hero?
I actually grew a lot during filming, my boots would hardly fit by the end. [she smiles] I think Shade finds herself during the course of the journey as she sees the girl take responsibility that should not be carried by youth.

You are in every scene in the movie, so you have a unique perspective on the film. What is your favorite scene?
The scene where we meet the cowboy was fun to film.

It is rumored that you were not intimidated by Bill (the Evil Man), and in fact found him to be amusing. Is there any truth to this? What was it like working with him?
It was fun working with Bill, I was not intimidated by him.

Prior to Spirit’s Requiem you worked with Peter in the summer of 2010 on an earlier version of SR which became what Peter calls a “visual poem.” Basically you ran around the countryside filming interesting and/or beautiful footage. What was filming that like, and did it prepare you for shooting this movie?
Filming that was easier. It got me used to having the camera on me, but did not really prepare me for filming with other people.

You like to draw, in fact there’s a video in the special features of the Spirit’s Requiem DVD that shows you sketching. Do you want to be an artist?
I want to be a manga artist.

Finally, do you have a funny story relating to Spirit’s Requiem?
During the filming with the Great Spirit we forgot to bring a willow crown for the Great Spirit to wear, and we had to make one out of weeds!

Also, we have a screening of Spirit’s Requiem coming up in just over a week’s time. Did you think I’d let you forget? Tickets are still available, get them here!

That’s it for updates this week. You can see why I’m switching to a monthly format, because there really ain’t too much to talk about. I guess I could plug a few things:

-Music! Be sure to get your hands on the incredible musical experience that is the Spirit’s Requiem Original Soundtrack, available now for digital download.

-An interview with Shade! Or more precisely, the actress who portrayed Shade, Elyse Bertani. You know you want to read it, because knowledge is power or something like that.

-Photos! We recently added some photos to the gallery. Check them out. No, seriously, check them out.

In keeping with our theme for today, I thought it appropriate to post this video about the dangers of smuggling clocks.

According to the official synopsis, Spirit’s Requiem is about a young Girl and her adventure to awaken the Spirits. Yet this description is not quite accurate. The narrative may be from the perspective of the Girl, but the story is all about her companion and guide, Shade. Shade is a cynical and sarcastic shadow-being. She was once human, but her failure to complete an important mission resulted in her becoming a shadow of her former self. In order to regain what she lost she is tasked with accompanying the Girl and guiding her to the Spirit’s Altar.

The journey to awaken the Spirits serves as the backdrop for Shade’s journey as a character, and it is her story that engages the audience and makes us care about the outcome of the adventure. It is certainly not a stretch to say that both the Girl and the viewer are merely tagging along on Shade’s quest for redemption.

Elyse Bertani is the actress who brought Shade to life. Spirit’s Requiem was her first leading role in a film. Despite being just 16 years old when filming began, Elyse tackled the complex character of Shade, whose cynicism and depth derive from decades, perhaps centuries, spent as a shadow-being. I exchanged emails with Elyse shortly after the film premiered in December 2011 to get her perspective on Shade, acting, and the filmmaking process.

Let’s start off with a basic question: why acting?
I’ve always acted, ever since I was really young. Acting has always been my favorite way to spend my time. It’s always changing, becoming a new character, telling a new story, meeting new people that you get to work with. It’s definitely what makes me happiest to be doing.

Prior to Spirit’s Requiem you had a supporting role in horror film. How did the experience of working on SR compare to that?
Well, for one thing I didn’t end up with fake blood all over my face in Spirit’s Requiem (haha). But really, it was definitely a different experience because the horror genre and the fantasy genre didn’t really overlap. Both productions were worked on in isolated, nature area with very small crews which made travel and work much easier. Both the horror movie I was in (called The Year After Infection) and Spirit’s Requiem were major learning experiences for me as an actor. They helped me get used to working on camera and used to all the technical aspects that come with film as opposed to theatre, which is what I typically perform in.

Spirit’s Requiem was shot in what might be considered an unorthodox manner. Most of the filming took place in the two hours preceding sundown with a minimal crew, limited use of artificial lighting, and a harried schedule that allowed for relatively few takes. Did you find it to be a difficult environment to work in?
It definitely gave us some time restraints to try and get the best shot with the best lighting possible quickly, but overall it was nice to be always moving at a quick pace.

Though I know how great it is to be out in the country and running around in the forest, with the compressed schedule I’m guessing there wasn’t much time for fun on set?
We all had our fair share of goofing off on set. Typically it was just three or four of us, Peter, Aster, Sam, and me, so we all got along and had a good time in between takes. When it came down to running low on time though, we all knew when to really focus and make what we were doing count.

According to the “Spirit’s Origins” articles (you can find them here and here), Shade underwent many changes before the final draft was written, growing from a benevolent companion to a much darker and conflicted character. Writer/director Peter James even mentioned – perhaps jokingly – that Shade was male until shortly before you were cast. What was your first impression of Shade and how did you bring her to life?
My favorite part of Shade is that she has so much sass and attitude behind everything she says or does. If she has a problem with something, she comes outright and says it and that’s definitely something that I liked about her. Shade has been through a lot in her life and her snarky commentary is the best way she can find to cope with her situation that she only sees as babysitting some kid. It isn’t until the end of the film that she realizes all that she’s been through has led her to a form of redemption for her past actions and you really realize she has a sense of good intentions and caring for the Girl. Shade was initially a boy in earlier versions of the script which is why she has a non-girly, tough and independent outlook on life that I think translates well into the final form of a very sardonic character. I had a really great time portraying Shade because I love to find characters that allow me to have fun with an attitude problem. Shade goes through a lot in this film, a very broad range of emotions that were a challenge to keep up with at times but by the same token, kept me always ready for her next move.

Shade talks a lot, having three whole scenes dedicated to her monologuing, supplying the Girl – and by extension the audience – with back story. How were you able to deliver such large amounts of expository dialogue?
There were plenty of moments of “uhh… and like yeahh…” where I would blank on lines in those huge sections, trust me. Actually, the first day of shooting, I got the scene numbers we were doing confused and didn’t know I had to have one of those huge monologues memorized that day. The whole ride out to the filming location I spent furiously studying the script on that section because I felt awful about it and hoped Peter wouldn’t get completely ticked off at me for my mistake. It’s all just a matter of looking the script over plenty of times and really figuring out what your character’s motivations and objectives of the scenes are that are driving her to say these lines. Once you figure that part out, everything tends to flow really well.

The first monologue scene in particular must have been difficult, as it is a single long take of you and Aster zigzagging through the forest while you talk without pause.
It was probably less of a challenge for me, and more for Peter because he was walking blindly backwards to film with only Same guiding him and praying that he didn’t trip and hurt himself or his camera. I just kind of followed along and got to ramble to Aster. I never really seem to shut up in this movie, haha. It took a few takes, but we eventually got it right.

Perhaps all the Girl wants to say is “Shut up, Shade!” Along those lines, what was it like working with a character who never talked, and was it a relief when you were acting opposite characters who could talk back?
It was definitely a strange experience not to have anyone else’s words to feed off of for most of the movie. When I act, I generally like to focus all of my attention on getting something from or through to another character, so when they have no verbal reactions or responses it definitely poses as a challenge. It almost got to a point where it was strange having to talk to other people in some of the other scenes because I was accustomed to figuring out how to drive the conversations on my own and that kind of added to Shade’s independent character- that she was fine doing everything all by herself, even the talking.

The most distinctive physical aspect of Shade are her two tattoos: a Celtic knot with a lightning strike through it and a broken rectangle. They are called brands in the film as they mark her for her failure to defeat the Evil Man. Beyond that basic function, what do the brands mean?
The brands serve as a daily reminder to Shade that she messed up big time and really is powerless against the Great Spirit. As much as she wishes for independence and free will, those tattoos are always there to bring her back to reality that her control and power is basically insignificant compared to the Spirits. Identity is something people strongly associate with their physical image and therefore, as punishment for her previous actions, her natural form is taken away and disfigured by these brands so that everyone may see she was once a traitor and now has to pay for her past actions.

You once mentioned that you have a habit of being cast as sassy and sarcastic characters much like Shade. Are you drawn to sassy roles, and does this reflect on your normal temperament?
I do tend to get cast as the sassy or firey characters, which is certainly enjoyable to play because they’re strong-willed and always seem to have the most fun. I sometimes let my character attitudes roll over into my everyday life attitudes, so if I’ve been playing a lot of spunky, sassy characters lately it tends to show.

Some actors prefer to throw themselves into a role through intensive research, sometimes staying in character for the entire duration of the shoot. Others take a much different path and simply read the script over and over again in preparation for the role. What is your approach to acting?
I like to go through a script once or twice and make some initial notes on certain sections of the storyline that are most influential in the journey my character goes through. I also mark the lines that stand out to me as the most powerful ones that I will have to say or react to. Then I typically go to the director to figure out how they perceive the character and from there, a real person begins to take form. Sometimes I get a little too into the mindset of a character, which is why my sassy side definitely came out all throughout this production, so I hope Peter and Aster didn’t mind that too much. I really try to find my character’s objectives with other people and her motivation to achieve her overall goal and build from there.

Alright, I’ll get the obligatory question out of the way now – what is your favorite scene in the film?
My favorite scene is definitely the campfire scene. We were out in the middle of a dry hayfield in the middle of August with a campfire and two torches. I just love how the whole scene turned out with the interactions between the Girl and the Cowboy and I and the way the lighting worked out and what happens in the scene. It came together really nicely and was definitely one of the most interesting to shoot.

What can you tell us about Shade that no one else knows?
Hmm. Something about Shade that no one knows? I guess what she probably misses most about her life before she became a Shade was her family and mostly her younger siblings. So despite how harsh she can be to the Girl at times, she looks to her as someone that needs to be cared for, like another little sister.

You’ll be graduating from high school in May. Where do you hope to go from there?
I’m looking to get a BFA in Acting, but I haven’t quite decided on a school yet. After that, the plan is to move out to Los Angeles. My sister lives out there already working as an actor and I’m planning to join her within the next few years.

We finally have a date and time for our upcoming screening of Spirit’s Requiem! The screening will be held on Saturday February 11th at the Emerson Library conference room on the campus of Webster University in St. Louis, MO. The doors will open at 6:30pm and the movie will begin at 7pm. This will probably be the only time you’ll be able to see the film on the big screen, so be sure to save the date.

For tickets please fill out the form below* and your tickets will arrive via email within 24 hours. All you have to do then is print them out and take them with you to the screening. Tickets will not be available at the door, this is the only way you can get your hands on them (unless you go to the director in person and ask him nicely).

How much are tickets, you ask? That’s the best part – they’re FREE. But we only have a limited number of tickets so be sure to contact us soon!

For reasons which I hope are obvious, tickets are no longer available for the screening. Check back soon for information on where and when you’ll next be able to see Spirit’s Requiem.

But wait, there’s more! Everyone in attendance will be entered into a raffle to win a copy of the Spirit’s Requiem poster. These posters aren’t available to anyone outside of the cast and crew. At the end of the screening we’ll pull a number out of a hat (or something to that effect) and if it matches your ticket number…

*Basis Productions respects your privacy. We won’t share your information with anyone, not even the guy in Nigeria offering us 25¢ per email address.

There haven been some substantial changes to the layout of our project pages. You will now be able to find out more information about each project. Did you know that both Spirit’s Requiem and The Exile were filmed at the same location? And that auditions for Castle Town were held less than two weeks before it was filmed? Now you can discover those lovely tidbits of useless info just by visiting the page of your favorite project. Check it out.

There have been a few other little updates and additions to the site. Make a game of it to find all of them! First prize is a hypothetical badge that lets everyone know that you have too much time on your hands. Last prize is a realthetical badge that lets you travel through time warps.

There will be an interview with a member of the Spirit’s Requiem cast/crew next week. I promise. Who will it be? I’m not telling. I will tell that it will be the Basis debut of Evan Haverson, who is some guy attempting to get his degree in journalism. He’s conducting the interviews instead of myself because it would be awkward for me to interview my own crew.

Let’s all be sure to make him feel welcome as I want Evan to return to our merry little website because I tire of writing all these updates and articles. I leave you with a message regarding apartment hunting.