Sunday, September 30, 2012

Q/A with actor Joshua Parkes

1.) How did you get involved with this project?
I worked with Ross on Petty Cash. He needed someone to get shot in the back and I fit the bill.

2.) How has the experience been working as an actor?
This was too much fun to be called "working"

3.) As an actor what was your approach to your character.
I thought of what I would do in any given situation and then did the opposite. And tried to make it a bit humorous.

4.) What is it about the story that you think will grab audiences?
I think the use of a Chinese heroine in a western is a first. "Kung Fu" had Cain, we have the Stranger.

5.) Any fond memories from shooting on location?
Having a shootout on top of the train with Walski while Cyn and Robert are attempting to talk contract details with the location owner.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Q/A with actor Theophilus Jamal

1.) How did you get involved with this project?
Producer Cyn Dulay approached me with the idea of being involved with the project as an actor, which I had set aside prior in pursuit of opportunities behind-the-camera. Regardless, I was flattered and willing to return the favor since she had just appeared in my film "Smashed!" (www.smashedfilm.com). I knew very little about the story, only that it was a Chinese western and that it starred Bai Ling. Coincidentally, Bai Ling worked on the movie The Crow with Brandon Lee, son of THE Bruce Lee, and I went to the same college as Brandon. So, I felt we were destined to meet in a weird sort of cyclical way.

2.)As an actor what was your approach to your character.
In Yellow Hill: The Stranger's Tale, I have a small, but important role as The Stranger's father. I like that the character is shrouded in as much mystery as The Stranger herself, and that he had to make a tough decision. He is a complex character placed in rough situation. In preparing for the character, I went to Chicago's Chinatown and found a Chinese coin with writing on it that supposedly translated loosely to "Keep safe our home". I tied the coin to a silk cord and wore it as part of my costume. In terms of the Fu Manchu moustache, I had never worn one in a movie because I thought it was stereotypical and cliche, but at the last minute I had a change of heart. I felt that there was an opportunity to take that stereotype and turn it around, so I asked Jenni, the make-up artist, to clip some of my hair and glue it to my existing facial hair. It looked so cool that I wore it off set until it started peeling off.

Yellow Hill: The Stranger's Tale will have its World Premiere on Saturday, Nov 10th. Lubar Auditorium, MAM. 6:45pm

Q/A with producer, Glen Popple

1.) How did you get involved with this project?
During the filming of Petty Cash Ross Bigley pitched the idea for Yellow Hill, which was a wonderful western script he had written earlier, to Bai Ling. When Bai returned for the Premiere of Petty Cash we sat down to discuss the future of this film and what we could do to make it happen. Lo and Behold Yellow Hill Investments, LLC was born in January of 2012. Yellow Hill: The Stranger’s Tale is a teaser for the feature film Yellow Hill and our first collaboration as a production entity.

2.) How has the experience been working as a producer, writer or actor?
As with any production the experience is all about the people. Some of our cast and crew came from Petty Cash but we had a also had a number of people up from Chicago, helping out through Stormynight Productions. As with any indie film everyone just dives in and helps where needed.

3.) As an actor what was your approach to your character.
To stay behind the camera.

4.) What is it about the story that you think will grab audiences?
As I said earlier, this is a teaser for a feature film. Having said that it’s still a very compelling story which will stand on its own due to the drama and action. It tells the story of the west from another perspective, that of the Chinese settlers. This teaser has a terrific storyline to introduce Bai Ling’s character of The Stranger and will be expanded in the feature, Yellow Hill.

5.) Any fond memories from shooting on location?
As with any shoot there are countless memories which would make for great stories. The one item that sticks in my mind, though, was an exchange on the second day of shooting. In the shooting of this film we crammed an amazing amount of work into two days. Very little sleep, few breaks, and under those conditions things can sometimes get tense. As we prepared to do another take on a particular scene in the bar Bai Ling, being the consummate professional, sensed that things were getting a bit tense. Just before Ross called “Action” Bai Ling said “Wait!” She turned to Joshua Parkes, with whom she worked on Petty Cash, and simply asked “Are you gay?” After everyone laughed she finished with “Don’t worry, I’m Bai”. The tension was broken and we were back to having fun.

Yellow Hill: The Stranger's Tale will have its World Premiere on Saturday, Nov 10th. Lubar Auditorium, MAM. 6:45pm

Q/A with actor and producer, Cyn Dulay

1.) How did you get involved with this project?
2 years ago, Ross pitch the Yellow Hill feature film via phone, and I liked the premise based on 2 sentences that truly peaked my interest and told Ross of the potential of the film if he decided to do it. He sent me the full script to read. I read it and truly liked it but I couldn't take on another project at the time because I was already in the middle of raising funds on another feature film. The Yellow Hill Feature Film script made me cry, and I don't think I've ever felt sad enough to cry over a script. Moments went by, Ross and I still wanted to do Yellow Hill somehow but didn't want to wait years until funding is in place, so we decided to do a short film version of it. It's a great tool to help raise funds for their feature. Together with producers Glen Popple, Bai Ling and Robert Parsons, we teamed up to co-produce a prequel to Yellow Hill". Hence, the birth of "Yellow Hill: The Stranger's Tale".

2.) How has the experience been working as a producer, writer or actor?
As with any production I get involve with, I wear many hats. Different people, different experiences. As an actress, I had a great time on set because I'm suddenly a Chinese saloon girl from the 1860's. The costume, setting and location was very inspiring. Working with a pool of talented actors truly raises the bar. Everyone had their A game on. Every actor I met on the set was extremely professional, friendly, nice and real. We became a family. I came up with all Chicago actors via van and we drove for 14 hours each way. Thank God we all liked it each other immediately. That was a long ass ride. It was fun though because we savored the moments by talking, joking, eating, lots of rest stops and restaurant stops. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. The Wisconsin Actors were just amazing. I love them and glad that we met and became friends. You can tell a veteran actor by their dedication to the project.
Bai Ling's dedication as a producer and actress was incredible and highly respectable. As a producer, taking an idea from conception to execution is very demanding but very rewarding. To get from A to Z, we do everything. Remembering how hard the cast and crew worked diligently in making it happen, with 2 days of shoot schedule, and 800 miles away from home, you can't help but love and appreciate all the good times and tense times. It's all worth it because the main goal is the Project.

3.) As an actor what was your approach to your character.
Ross originally cast me as "Venus" for the feature film project Yellow Hill. The short film version, he created a new character, "Mei", a similar character. Mei is a Chinese immigrant that moved here in search of a better life. It's pretty tumultuous to be a woman of ethnic descent especially in the 1860's. My approach to the character is taking my experiences as an immigrant, and completely immersing myself during the period, how I would feel working in a saloon, almost like a prostitute. The very thought appalls me and makes me resentful of men in general. I thought this is all there is for me in America, until a glimpse of hope came through the door when "The Stranger" came looking for her father. I took Mei's character as a younger sister of The Stranger. The very thought of looking up to someone strong, confident, experienced and can kick ass is all I need to be like her and get the f&*@ out of that God forsaken place. I took the small role and created this whole elaborate backstory, but too bad I didn't have enough time in this short film version.

4.) What is it about the story that you think will grab audiences?
People are pretty knowledgeable nowadays having access to any information via internet. Knowing the history of immigrants in this country, racism, gender gaps, and living during the 1860's, I think that the audience will relate to the story based upon their knowledge and past experiences. I think that the audience will focus on "The Stranger's " journey and they will want to know what happens next.

5.) Any fond memories from shooting on location?
Many fond and unforgettable moments were definitely made, but too many to mention. The ones that stood out the most are: When we kept leaving John Walski by accident whenever we would go to a rest stop. He sat in the back of the van, therefore, we didn't realize he wasn't in the van, because there were 8 of us facing forward. It was bad enough we did it once, but 4x. Hence, the birth of "Wherewalski.com". Another unforgettable moment was when we showed up at the GTO Cafe, 8 versatile looking strangers in search of food, in a rush to eat and leave. The regular patrons and staff just gave us a look of WTF did they come from. But the restaurant staff was extremely nice, accommodating though they were short staff to handle a large hungry crowd. We all pitched in and helped ourselves with getting coffee, and helping distribute the food from the kitchen to our table. Phylis was one of the women I will never forget. She loved us. She's always cheerful and friendly, and she loved Felix. I think the most uncomfortable moment was when the owner of The Original 1880's Town, Richard was standing outside the saloon with me, Robert and Kristine. We were discussing what the project and the production is all about. We both looked far away in a distance. Something was moving about on top of the train cars that caught his attention. He asked, what are those guys doing? Is this part of the script? I looked in aghast and saw John Walski and Joshua Parks sparring or having a gun fight on top of his train museum. I had to react quickly and come up with something so that he won't get dismayed and possibly shut our production down if he's not cool. Just when I was thinking, Kristine Kruse sprinted 500 feet towards the two playing actors and told them to get down immediately. I told the owner, Richard, that these are two well trained stuntmen and they are just like kids in a candy store. That they're very inspired by the location and it's originality that they had to get photos doing something they've always wanted to do, which was the truth. Thank God he was a very cool and nice man. I definitely would like to come back there and let people know about his town.

Yellow Hill:The Stranger's Tale will have its World Premiere on Saturday, Nov 10th. Lubar Auditorium, Milwaukee Art Museum. 6:45pm

Q/A with Producer Robert L. Parsons II

1.) How did you get involved with this project?
My partner Cyn Dulay worked with Ross Bigley in the past on Petty Cash. Ross and Glenn Popple had approached my partner some time ago about doing the film and she loved the story. So when she told me about the story I wanted to know more about it. Being new to this industry I wanted to produce a film with a story that I really liked and this was it. At the time my partner and I had other projects lined up to do. However when I read this story I absolutely loved it and I thought that THIS would be a fantastic first production for us to work on and most importantly be proud of. So I said lets do to it and by the looks of what we have seen thus far with the rough cut, my thoughts were well placed. With that said. Good job Ross.

2.) How has the experience been working as a producer, writer or actor?
To be perfectly honest it was a huge learning experience for myself as new producer and unexpectedly as an actor. I always love a challenge and where times it was frustrating it was more rewarding. I had a great time and the cast and crew were awesome. I really appreciate the help that I got from Cyn Dulay, Bruce Spielbauer,Gregg Wright, John Walski and to whom I can see as a future career as a director Brian Roloff. You guys were very helpful preparing me for my scene,because I had never acted before what so ever and was nervous as hell lol. It was a lot of help and was a lot of fun and I always say, you have to have some fun with what you are doing or else things will be well just dull and boring. When things are enjoyed they are much more memorable. A big THANK YOU to you guys!

3.) As an actor what was your approach to your character.
The role I played was supposed to be played by talented actor and friend Nathaniel Ross but he had some car trouble trying to make it back to South Dakota. Ross asked if I could do it so I said I'd give it a go. Nervous as hell with the help I got from my fellow cast, I used what they showed me and because everyone says I have a bit of a southern accent I didn't try to hide it. I know this... the line "Beans will do!" will forever be stuck in my head lol. Thanks Ross!

4.) What is it about the story that you think will grab audiences?
I think it will grab the audiences because it is a western story with a topic that you really do not hear about with the Chinese and the gold rush. China and American relations being a hot topic today it's interesting to see one aspect about the history of Americans and the Chinese and how they were treated. Then put that with the heart wrenching decision that a father made in order to survive sets the tone for things to come. You take that and put it with good old western gun slinging cowboy action with good characters and people will love it.

5.) Any fond memories from shooting on location?
Indeed I have a lot, way too many to list I will just say it was a great experience for myself as a producer as well as an unexpected actor. I am very happy to have met such fine group of new people from both Chicago and Milwaukee. They are so much fun and talented it made the whole shoot a joy. The ride there from Chicago was a blast and we had so much fun driving there and back home. Of course we kept forgetting Walski to the point that the night before we left the location he wrote a note on a page from the phone book and stuck it on the van window that read" DON'T FORGET ME!" sighned Walski. I would venture to say that my fondest memory was seeing Cyn Dulay in action acting!

Yellow Hill:The Stranger's Tale will have its World Premiere on Nov 10th. Lubar Auditorium, Milwaukee Art Museum. 6:45pm

Q/A with actor and Associate Producer Cheryl Roloff

1.) How did you get involved with this project? ,br /> I had already done some films with Ross & Glen for Third Choice Films.

2.) How has the experience been working as a producer, writer or actor?
I’ve always loved acting in every form: stage, on camera, voiceover. Each experience is great because I learn something new every time, and because I’m working with new/different people on most projects it’s always a new/exciting adventure. I also associate produced for the first time and actually didn’t mind the fundraising I helped with because I was excited for and proud of the project and really wanted to help make it happen.

3.) As an actor what was your approach to your character.
To be honest, being a saloon girl wasn’t exactly like performing Shakespeare. I practiced sitting on laps, drinking, and being man-handled just to be sure I really understood where she was coming from though. ;)

4.) What is it about the story that you think will grab audiences?
It’s a unique twist on the Western genre that no one has explored before.

5.) Any fond memories from shooting on location?
All of it. Well, just about all of it. The traveling part, not so much. The camaraderie of the cast & crew, and the costumes and set really made it more fun than work. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

Yellow Hill: The Stranger's Tale will have its World Premiere on November 10th. Lubar Auditorium, Milwaukee Art Museum. 6:45pm

Q/A with actor Brian Roloff

1.) How did you get involved with this project?
My wife got me the gig and you heard I was cheap.

2.) How has the experience been working as a producer, writer or actor?
I got to run around and play cowboy all weekend, working on a quick-draw and spinning a six shooter. It was outstanding FUN!!!

3.) As an actor what was your approach to your character.
That the movie was all about Burton

4.) What is it about the story that you think will grab audiences?
Pretty sure it will be that dashing badass redhead Burton! Tough as a box of rusty nails but an ass you could bounce quarters off of!

5.) Any fond memories from shooting on location?
Watching John and Josh run across the top of the train while shooting at each other and then get in trouble. Damn am I sorry I missed out on that! I also particularly enjoyed working with Robert, Bruce & Greg, helping to get their scene rehearsed and ready to shoot. Watching Bai roll around in the mud puddle out back was pretty freakin entertaining. Parting with Gumby Friday night, who knew he retired to Mudro, South Dakota?!? Finally the mini movie with Walski. While our duel may have degraded into a thumb war, I’m pretty sure that’s how crap got settled when they were out of bullets!

Yellow Hill: The Stranger's Tale will have its World Premiere on November 10th. Lubar Auditorium, Milwaukee Art Museum. 6:45pm