Making it in Hollywood: An Interview with Actor Mark Atteberry

Every year, thousands head to Los Angeles, CA with the hopes of becoming icons for the film industry. Those that are in the mix will you tell you it’s certainly not as easy as one would think. Overnight success is a rarity, and very few find the gleaming lights of public notoriety and stardom. If one wants to navigate properly through the maze of connections he or she can find help from those who have already found some success in the business.

Enter, Hollywood Connect. Hollywood Connect (HC) exists to “[equip] creative artists and professionals to thrive personally and professionally in the arts, media, and entertainment industries” (HC website). HC hosted a well-attended Q&A with Mr. Mark Atteberry recently, and in this gathering, Shun Lee Fong led discussion and then fielded several questions from the audience to get Mark’s responses. I took notes feverishly and thought to share the wisdom – with Mark’s approval, of course.

Stage & Lighting Design: “On the Other Side of the Tracks”

I was fortunate to work with fellow creatives at Trinity Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida to create an eye-catching backdrop for a recent conference, specifically, handling the lighting aspect. Jonathan Malm (twitter: @jonathanmalm) posted a great article regarding the project on his website, Church Stage Design Ideas.

Script Writing: Cutting Pages

I ran across a great podcast/audio blog post on JohnAugust.com regarding cutting pages in the screenwriting process and thought to take notes on it for those who prefer the reader’s digest version.

Most screenwriters spend their days creating multiple pages, adding them up until they find out that they have so much more to tell beyond their typical/average 120 page (feature-length) allotment. Likewise, for television, guidelines are tighter, since time constraints for each episode are impassable. Obviously, the tempo is important,

1 Busy Week with CA Film Crew

It was an honor to work with a California team this year on the 168 Film Project as Executive Producer. Beyond this, I was able to fill in behind the scenes taking both photo an video, editing, and managing special FX. Here’s a brief overview of our week.

ARRIVAL: Producer Christopher Shawn Shaw met me at LAX, & from there we headed North to stay in Simi Valley, which would be our home base for 5 nights (until Tuesday morning). Prior to this point, Thor Ramsey and Torry Martin wrote our script and most legwork had been done on securing our locations and actors, etc.

DAY 1: Leaving about 7:30 am Friday, February 17, we headed to Redlands, CA, about a two-hour trek. Me, I always enjoy the mountains – a huge contrast from Florida – so the terrain helped the trip to go more quickly than I would have thought. At this point, I assumed an additional role for most of the production days – chauffeur to Mr. Shaw. This allowed him a little less stress as he thought through each shoot. As a producer, it’s critical to keep your director’s mind fresh.

Shooting took place at Kimberly Crest House and Gardens,

“I Need a Car” A True Run-n-Gun Video Production

Okay, first, watch “I Need a Car” and see the clip on facebook, then read how it was completed.

I usually don’t do stuff last minute, but it must have been fate that I was thinking about WJXT’s Morning Jam Contest when I was approached by a guy who asked me to help him win a car. Unfortunately, I only had two days to complete the project. GULP! So, I threw all caution to the wind and did a true “run-n-gun” production. 

How to Fund Your Film Project

Production for me has moved from the basic run-and-gun video to full-scale crews and sizeable budgets. When the needs for productions grow, it gets difficult to call favors from your crew, and it seems that everyone wants their cut on the deal. As a producer, I need to keep this in mind, balancing the budget so that it works out favorably for both the client, talent, and crew. In doing this, everyone wins and relationship lines stay open – a huge goal for continued success in the filmmaker’s arena.

So, how can this be done? What are some elements to consider when you are needing to get deeper responses from prospective funding sources?

Church Can Stink for Creative People

I’m not sure exactly how I came across Jon Reid’s blog, and I find his statements sometimes challenging, repulsive and crude, or sometimes even both at the same time. He seems to be a muckraker of sorts in the matter of Christianity, and I think every generation needs one or two. It helps us to see where we are and challenges our thinking so that we can further solidify our stance. Those who fear such things (setting aside new converts to Christianity) likely prefer to be blind, segregated, and likely unwilling to consider change for the good anyway.

Leaving that topic, I saw the video on his page that really spoke to me, cuz I’m a creative. I like to do things off the cuff. I like freedom to dream and to make dreams happen – to experiment with just about anything that you put in front of me. I don’t like numbers unless they are calculations for the use of keyframes in Adobe After Effects. And while I enjoy order, I like to bend it a bit. Yeah, I am the right-brained guy who comes up with the occasional off-the-wall statement in a staff meeting when discussion gets too dry (ho-hum), but I can also turn a basic concept or spark of thought into something that people will talk about for a long time after.

Here’s where I think that Jon is on the money: