31st Street Studios brings in Paramount, ETC

Exciting news for Pittsburgh!

31st Street Studios is ready to bring some high-powered and high-tech partners into its 330,000-square-foot former steel facility that it expects will further solidify its goal to make its Strip District facility a world-competitive movie and video game production hub.

Led by Principal Chris Breakwell, the company announced a three-way arrangement that will bring in Hollywood-based Knight Vision Studios, the motion-capture studio whose principal provided the computer-generated animation and digital production for the blockbuster movie "Avatar," to establish its capabilities at 31st Street. The studio does so in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center, which also will establish a presence in the Strip District facility, beginning to house some of its classes at the studio facility this semester and giving its students a graduate-level curriculum and exposure to the latest in motion-capture and digital filmmaking.

On top of the motion-capture agreement, 31st Street also has established a long-term agreement with major Hollywood player Paramount Studio Group and its Paramount On Location division, which will offer production support services for such regular film production demands as lighting, grip and transportation. James Knight, the founder of Knight Vision, which he launched after a three-and-a-half year assignment on "Avatar," a film that’s considered groundbreaking for its extensive use of computer-generated film techniques, said in a prepared statement that the opportunity to work with 31rst Street was a unique one.

“The environment at 31st Street and the cooperation with CMU’s ETC make this a unique opportunity,” said Knight. “We’re going to do things no one else is doing anywhere.

Don Marinelli, executive producer of the ETC program, described enormous potential for the Knight Vision technology to be set up at 31st Street that converge in different industries and in ways that have yet to be fully explored.

“The digitization of filmmaking provides myriad opportunities for the creation of new forms of visual expression, immersion, storytelling and gaming,” he said in a statement. “Having Knight Vision System at 31st Street Studios will give ETC students a tremendous opportunity to advance filmmaking in Pittsburgh.”

The deal with Paramount comes after the studio spent months using the facilities at 31st Street in shooting the Tom Cruisemovie “One Shot,” as well as after the studio facility hosted the last installment of the Batman franchise last summer, a Warner Brothers production.

No specific terms of all the financial agreements involved were divulged. No estimated cost for installing the new motion-capture capabilities was disclosed, either.

Randy Baumberger, president of Paramount Studio Group, described the 31st Street facility as ”the perfect gateway to many of our major partners across the East Coast,” calling the complex an “ideal location” in which to expand its production services.

Breakwell, whose Gateway Entertainment Studios LP bought the studio property in May, said the partnerships will play an important role in making Pittsburgh a key destination for filmmaking in the years to come.

“Our idea from the beginning was to create the best facility of its type in the country," he said. "We’ve gone a long way toward that goal in our first year, and these partnerships will continue to help cement Pittsburgh as a production environment unrivalled throughout North America.”

Breakwell does so with the firm support of Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who welcomed Paramount on Location and Knight Vision Studios to the region and expressed hope to see the region continue to bring more productions to the region, further helping to boost the local economy.

Read more at bizjournals.com/pittsburgh.

Bill Hinzman, First Zombie from Night of the Living Dead and more

Carl Kurlander wrote this great piece for Community Voices about Bill Hinzman, the “first zombie” of Night of the Living Dead.

Bill Hinzman passed away earlier this month, leaving behind quite a legacy in Pittsburgh. Best known by some for playing the first zombie to appear in the classic 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, Bill was loved by fans for his eagerness to show up to all sorts of horror film events and conventions, dress in costume, and tell stories. But I first met Bill in 2002 when I first came back from L.A. to teach at the University of Pittsburgh at a gathering which I will never forget on Halloween night where he and some of the other cast and crew had graciously agreed to speak to students of a new club called "Pitt In Hollywood" that I was faculty advisor for. 

Truth be told, I had never seen the Night of the Living Dead when growing up as I was afraid of scary movies. I, like the makers of Night of the Living Dead, had watched Chilly Billy Cardille on the local NBC. And my mother actually appeared in one of George Romero's movies, Hungry Wives (which I have never seen for fear she may be naked in the movie.) But one of my students wanted to get a guy named Bruce Campbell to speak on campus, and we didn't have any budget, so I heard Pitt had an original print of Night of Living Dead which seemed like it might be a good special event.  Then another student suggested getting the cast and crew to attend.  When I asked how, someone got a phone book and we remarkably discovered that many of those involved in the movie still lived in Pittsburgh. 

And so on October 31, 2002, Bill Hinzman joined screenwriter John ("Jack") Russo, producer Russ Streiner (who also utters the classic line "They're coming to get you Barrbarra", and actors Karl Hardman and Marilyn Eastman.   They shared with us how Night of the Living Dead came to be, a story that is now somewhat legendary in the world of independent film. Shot on a budget of sixty thousand dollars, with cameramen filling in as zombies, a automobile borrowed from Streiner's mother, and chocolate syrup used as blood, the film represents a unique group effort that embodies the spirit of the Pittsburgh film scene.   Because of their low budget, Bill and his cohorts had to be creative.   For instance, if you look at the graveyard scene, the lightning only appears in close-ups.   And if you watch closely when Barbara's car crashes, their is a dent before it hits the tree-- because Russ Streiner mother had had an accident with her car between days of shooting.   

But what really came across that evening was the wonderful comraderie that still existed between the filmmakers.   They had not just made this film on a whim.  They had worked for years on their craft, doing commercials, working on the legendary Rege Cordic radio show.   They had collectively chosen to write a horror script because they could be done on their budget.   Everyone did whatever had be done on the set-- including Bill helping out as on camera-- as he would go on to be a DP and a director of his own films.   

There is also a wonderful story of how Bill ended up saving the brother of Russ Streiner, Gary Streiner who was doing sound, when his arm accidentally caught fire during a special effect mishap.  Bill, in full zombie make-up, tackled Gary to the ground and helped put out the flames.

What came across most when I finally did get to watch Night of the Living Dead with that crowd was how wonderfully the movie holds up.   It is far more than a horror film.   Though it was not planned while they were making it, the film held great meaning in the era of the 60s with the Vietnam War and Civil Rights movement in full swing.   But it also speaks to the importance of us working together in crisis-- that all we have is each other.

Ironically, or perhaps because of Pittsburgh, when we were filming My Tale of Two Cities in a Steelers bar in Burbank, I got to meet a nice young woman named Heidi Hinzman-- Bill's daughter who has worked on many shows in L.A.   Pittsburgh is everywhere.

Although more and more mainstream films are beginning production in Pittsburgh, the film community here remains tight-knit and collaborative. Myself and the rest of those involved in this community are saddened by the loss of Bill Hinzman, but grateful for all the things he contributed to Pittsburgh and the world.

P.S.

Shortly after this, I learned that Russ and Gary's mother Josephine also passed away just shortly after Bill.   We send along our deepest condolescences to both families.  

Read more: http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/arts-entertainment-living/six-degrees-of-pittsburgh/31897-night-of-the-living-dead 

Film Notes: Film Office's Oscar party stocked with auction prizes

Are you going? Tickets are still available!

The winner of, say, the Oscar for best actress won't be the only contest at stake at this year's "Highmark Presents Lights! Glamour! Action!" party.

A poster for "The Dark Knight Rises" autographed by director Christopher Nolan along with actors Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is among the nearly 150 items partygoers can bid on at the Feb. 26 gala.

The mix of entertainment, sports, Pittsburgh and pampering prizes includes two tickets to a summer Poison concert, the chance to watch the show from the side of the stage and to meet Bret Michaels.

Both of those items carry hefty minimum bids, but partygoers can bid on a copy of the book "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" autographed by writer-director Stephen Chbosky along with stars Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Logan Lerman, Nina Dobrev and others.

A collection of T-shirts and posters from "Abduction" ($25 minimum bid) will be on the block along with an autographed script for "The Good Wife," a collection of DVDs signed by Denzel Washington, along with two seats from the Civic Arena, a Hines Ward autographed football, Steelers tickets, a trip to Walt Disney World and a "Dancing With the Stars" VIP experience.

The 12th annual Oscar party, a main source of support for the Pittsburgh Film Office, will be held at Heinz Field. The telecast will be streamed live on a big screen at the event, which is black tie optional.

Tickets, still available, are $250 per person and include entry at 6 p.m., a VIP champagne reception and valet parking; $125 gala ticket provides admission at 7:30 p.m.; and Oscar tickets, $75 if six or more ordered, with admission also at 7:30 p.m. The gala will feature food stations, a bar and live music.

To order or for more information, call the film office at 412-261-2744 or go to www.pghfilm.org.

Honorary event co-chairs are Dr. Tony G. Farah, president and CEO, WPAHS Physicians Organization, and his wife, Dr. Katie Farah. The film office, which is coming off the biggest year in its 22-year history, markets the 10-county southwestern Pennsylvania region to Hollywood.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12048/1210748-60.stm#ixzz1mgRDZTDu

Two Carnegie Mellon grads play key roles on NBC's 'Smash'

Between the school of drama and the Entertainment Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon churns out some top talent in the film industry!

Two Carnegie Mellon School of Drama grads are hoping that NBC's new television series "Smash" will be just that.

Christian Borle, class of '95 and a Fox Chapel native, and Megan Hilty, class of '04, have significant roles in the musical drama series that debuts at 10 p.m. Monday on NBC.

"Smash" follows the fictional story of the cast and creative team from inspiration to opening, as they work to develop the next Broadway blockbuster, a musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.

Shot in New York City, "Smash" offers a behind-the-scenes look at the sacrifices, betrayals, schemes, triumphs and rivalries that take place in everyone's private and professional lives as the Broadway-bound production moves from first concept through out-of-town tryouts.

"It actually is a story about some people at the absolute top and some who are getting started," Borle says. "I think it's very smart and adult, and the way they folded the music into it is very smart."

Steven Spielberg initiated the idea for the show and heads the list of executive producers, many of whom have Broadway credits. Others on the list include playwright Theresa Rebeck, who wrote the pilot, and "Smash" music creators Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman, who co-created the score for "Hairspray."

Much of the show's tension and drama are focused on the competition between Hilty's character Ivy Lynn and Katharine McPhee's Karen as they vie for the starring role of Marilyn. Karen (played by the former "American Idol" runner-up) is a talented but inexperienced newcomer hoping for her big break. Ivy is a stage veteran ready to make the leap from chorus line to lead character.

"You are going to love her, you are going to hate her, root for her and want her to fail," says Hilty, describing Ivy. "These are people who are deeply flawed and wanting to do what's best."

Borle plays Tony-nominated composer Tom Levitt, who is creating the Marilyn musical with his writing partner, played by Debra Messing ("Will & Grace). Levitt fights hard to get his long-time friend Ivy cast in the Marilyn role.

Borle is best known for originating the role of Emmett Forrest in "Legally Blonde the Musical" and Prince Herbert and Not Dead Fred in "Spamalot." He last performed in Pittsburgh in 1997, with the national tour of "West Side Story" and, in 1999, with the national tour of "Footloose." The day after "Smash" finishes shooting, he will begin rehearsals for "Peter and the Starcatcher," which is headed for an April 15 Broadway opening.

Hilty, a Seattle native whom some might remember for her work in "Cafe Puttanesca" at City Theatre, made her Broadway debut as a replacement for Glinda in "Wicked" and continued in that role in the musical's national tour and Los Angeles company.

She's best known for creating the role of Doralee in "9 to 5: The Musical" on Broadway.

"What's really nice is that ('Smash' producers) are hiring a lot of theater actors," Borle says. "They really wanted to get it right."

Those familiar with the New York theater scene are likely to savor the show's authenticity and attention to detail, Borle says. Others will gain an insider's entree into auditions and dance rehearsals, and a crash course in the politics and personalities that affect them.

Although Hilty and Borle graduated from the same drama department, they knew each other only by reputation before being cast in "Smash."

They each express an admiration for the other's work.

"Working with Christian has been fantastic. I've been such a big fan of his for a long time," Hilty says. "He's an absolutely wonderful guy, as well as a creative, smart, generous actor."

Borle is similarly positive: "She's going to blow people away," Borle predicts.

Read more: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/ae/s_779824.html#ixzz1ldfrO8hC

Pittsburgh Film Office Casting Notices

Check out the current casting notices from the Pittsburgh Film Office!

Seeking Featured Extras (Couples) for Independent Short Film, "First Kiss"

Casting: 2-4 couples for a "kissing couples" montage - ages 18-25, 35-50, 60-80. Same sex and heterosexual couples will be considered.

Production Date: We'll be filming next Sunday, January 29th in the Oakland area. Each couple will be featured in one shot, a 1-2 hour commitment between 1:00pm-7:00pm.

Project: "First Kiss", a top-three finalist in the 2011 Steeltown Film Factory competition, explores the agonies of adolescence through the eyes of Adam Schoenberger, a fourteen year old romantic who finds out a pretty girl wants to kiss him at his best friend's Spin the Bottle party. Produced by film students at Carnegie Mellon University for an honors senior thesis project.

Please submit headshots and contact details (phone and e-mail) to Yulin Kuang (yulinkuang1@gmail.com) for consideration. We will accept individual actor submissions, but coupled submissions are preferred.

CMU Film Club is looking for profiles of actors who are interested in acting in their short films

Interested actors should visit our website at http://www.cmufilmclub.comand click the "Participate" link at the top of the page to create an actor profile, where they may submit their headshots, contact details and relevant experience. 

Casting for Anima, a black and white 16mm short film

Casting for Anima, a black and white 16mm short film about two men who have pulled off a botched robbery, one mortally wounded, who hole up in the home of a country veterinarian. Shooting this winter near Pittsburgh, PA.

Seeking—Lowell: male, 30s-40s, average build, a man who's spent his life in and out of prison, the "leader" of the two and is now responsible for his friend's state, at the end of his line and he knows it; Broadwater: male, 65+, thin to medium build, conservative, a mostly retired country doctor leading a simple life; David: male, early 20s, thin build, a troubled youth who has found himself on the wrong side of the law.

Email pix & résumés and contact information to animafilm1@gmail.com. Pay, plus copy, credit, meals and travel provided. Producer plans to apply for SAG Short Film Agreement.

Read more http://pghfilm.org/hotline.jsp?pageId=2161392240601287511677038

Snoop Dogg - Rapper AND Actor - Coming To Pittsburgh

You're probably already familiar with 'The Doggfather' himself and his quite successful rapping career... but an actor? 

That's right, Snoop Dogg has appeared in over 40 films and TV shows during his career some of which are:

-90210 (2011)

-Half Baked (1998)

-Starsky & Hutch (2004)

The list goes on and on...

Most notably, however, is his success in the music industry with over 10 very successful albums released since 1993 (Most recently being Doggumentary - 2011).

Snoop Dogg will be gracing the city of Pittsburgh with his presence this upcoming Monday, January 31st to perform at Altar Bar (Located in the Strip District). For more details, and to buy tickets to this event, click here!

Meet five local film professionals who keep “Hollywood on the Mon” rolling

Five of our local film industry workers got some great coverage in the February 2012 edition of Pittsburgh Magazine. Check it out!

The continued boom in locally developed film projects means more to our region than spotting celebrities in Market Square—it means that a talented, hardworking group of people will have decent jobs. The region has long been a breeding ground for world-class behind-the-camera talent; as the tax incentive repeatedly draws Hollywood crews to the area, that talent can now make their living close to home. Pittsburgh Magazine went to the experts at the Pittsburgh Film Office and put together a crew of locals to shine a spotlight on the wide-ranging impact of the city’s silver-screen takeover.

Location Manager: James Mahathey
James Mahathey is perched atop a tiny, slanted roof above the Smithfield Street Garage downtown, rapidly snapping pictures. He’s scampered up here to figure out how Batman might look from this angle. This is after he already led Christopher Nolan and his crew to the tiny, New York-esque alleys of Exchange Way and Strawberry Way, as well as a deserted section of Pittsburgh’s subway tunnels. But there are always new angles to discover.

As location manager—a job he held during the filming of The Dark Knight Rises and many other locally made flicks—Mahathey has a multilayered role. He starts working before a movie crew even agrees to film in Pittsburgh, scouring the region for spots that the director might need. If the crew opts to visit, Mahathey will be there to show them the best looks western Pennsylvania has to offer.

And if the production is a go, he handles every aspect of the location—from obtaining filming permits to convincing neighbors to keep their yappy dogs inside during certain shots.

There’s a lot to think about. But Mahathey wouldn’t have it any other way.

“That’s one of the nice things about the job,” he says. “Every day is a little different. It’s challenging on so many levels.”

Mahathey, a Penn Hills native who currently resides in the North Hills, spent a lot of time at Pittsburgh Filmmakers while he majored in film studies at Point Park University. Eventually, he developed a reputation as a go-to guy for snapping pictures of potential shooting locations—and secured his first major gig two weeks after graduation, working on the Michael Keaton action flick Desperate Measures.
“My mom was really worried that I would never get a job,” he laughs.

Fifteen years later, Mahathey has spent so much time scoping out the scenery that he has a nearly photographic memory of the entire region. While scouting for The Mothman Prophecies, director Mark Pellington described the way he imagined his perfect setting would look; Mahathey instantly took him to a matching spot … in the middle of nowhere.

“I’ve traveled these roads so much that it’s just kind of ingrained in my head now,” he says.

Believe it or not, though, there are still places that Mahathey has never set foot—like that parking garage roof on Smithfield Street. And as he clicked his shutter, he felt himself starting to fall. Now, we all know that Batman is tasked with protecting the citizens of Gotham City. But a location manager tumbling off of a roof is unfortunately outside of the Caped Crusader’s realm; thus, Mahathey crashed down to the concrete below, tore up his knee and moved on.

“I continued to work the rest of that day,” he says, “and the next before I decided I finally needed to see a doctor about it.”

Resume: The Dark Knight Rises, Abduction, Super 8, Unstoppable, She’s Out of My League, The Mothman Prophecies, Wonder Boys, Inspector Gadget
Most Enjoyable ‘Burgh Project:  The Mothman Prophecies
Favorite Movies: Psycho, E.T.
Favorite Hollywood Type to Work With:  Robert Downey, Jr. “Just a great guy.”
Hottest Filming Location Around:  North Side. “All the perfect elements there.”
Future of Film in Pittsburgh:  “As long as the [tax] incentive stays, I think it will continue to grow. And that benefits so many people.”

Construction Coordinater: Buster Pile
Buster Pile’s introduction to the movie business is a perfect right place, right time story. After high school, he worked in the Jerome, Pa., coal mines up until the day they closed. Weeks later, his sister asked him for a ride to New Orleans. Her husband was there working on a movie, and Pile ended up hanging around the set for a few days. As it happened, Pile was nearby when a slacking worker was fired.

“The foreman was yelling at this guy, ‘I can get anybody to do your job!’ And he turned and pointed at me: ‘Do you want his job?’ And I said, ‘Yeah!’”

Nearly 25 years have passed since that production—the Mickey Rourke/Robert De Niro thriller Angel Heart—and Pile is more than passionate about the career that he found.

“[Outside of the film industry], construction is the same old thing every day—you build houses,” says Pile, who lives in Friedens, Pa., with his family. “We build everything: rocks, gravestones, planes, trains. Everything that you could imagine, we build.”

As construction coordinator, he oversees all the building aspects of a film—from hiring the crew to delivering (and repairing) the finished product. His team builds things in a way that meets all the requirements of filming, holds up under pressure and looks convincing to the camera.

In all those respects, they succeed. For example, you’d be forgiven for assuming that the beginning of I Am Number Four was shot on-location in the tropics. The film opens with a character being chased out of a bamboo hut, tearing through the jungle and ascending a giant tree. The crew must’ve flown to Indonesia for that, right?

Nope.

“That was all built in Pittsburgh,” Pile says. “We even built that tree. The woods he was running through, I think they were in North Park. Pittsburgh’s a good clone for anything.”

One of Pile’s biggest challenges came at the request of the famously imaginative M. Night Shyamalan. When planning his mysterious suspense yarn The Village, the director wanted a wholly original setting. So, he picked a patch of land in rural Pennsylvania and called on Pile and company to do the impossible.

“We had about eight or nine weeks to build a whole village, full interiors and exteriors of all those buildings,” Pile says. “And we had to put a road in to get where we were—it was not easily accessed.”

He admits that the request gave him a moment of pause. Just one.

“To my knowledge, we haven’t been out-challenged yet.”

Given the recent boom in local projects, Pile is busier than ever. And making movies is becoming the family business: Two of Pile’s three children are young film professionals themselves.

Not bad for a guy who happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Resume: One Shot, Super 8, Love and Other Drugs, Righteous Kill, Unbreakable, Dogma, Wonder Boys, Philadelphia
Most Enjoyable ’Burgh Project: August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson
Favorite Genre: Old-school Westerns
Favorite Hollywood Type to Work With: Writer/director John Sayles. “The nicest director I’ve ever met—and the nicest person.”
Pittsburgh’s Big Advantage: “I’ve traveled all over the country in this industry, and Pittsburgh is certainly one of the most picturesque cities.”

Key Grip: Bret Flaherty

The old joke is that at a certain point in a film’s credits, the normal viewer no longer has any idea what the job titles mean. Best boy? Key grip? To the average guy with a bucket of popcorn, it might as well be Greek.

So Bart Flaherty, who has held both of those titles, spends a lot of time clarifying his role.

“You just explain to people what you really do,” he says. “It’s all new to them. They can’t believe the amount of equipment used on a big feature.”

When you walk past a film set downtown and pass a seemingly endless parade of trucks and equipment, Flaherty is probably in there somewhere, gearing up for the next challenge. His crew is responsible for mounting all the lighting for a film, as well as the camera whenever it’s doing anything unusual.

“We’ve put cameras in so many different places,” he says. “We put ‘em on trains, on cars. Overhead cranes at steel mills. Rides at Kennywood. It’s one of the better parts of being a grip.”

And as much as the cameras travel, they’re nothing compared to the lights. A director can need just about anything lit a certain way—from a face to a bridge.

As a matter of fact, it’s a bridge that recently took Flaherty to new heights. This past October and November, you might’ve noticed that the 10th Street Bridge was a lot brighter than usual. The crew from Tom Cruise’s forthcoming One Shot filmed an action sequence there—and that meant a lot of light was required.

“We lit from McArdle Roadway all the way over the 10th Street Bridge and into the Armstrong Tunnel,” Flaherty says. “There was a lot of planning involved.”

You’d want to have everything carefully mapped out if you had to do his job; a number of lights were actually mounted on the top of the bridge. Flaherty estimates the workers were 105 feet above the bridge surface, which is another 50 feet above the water below. To put it mildly, there’s no room for error.

Flaherty, a North Side native who now lives in Baldwin, received a communications management degree from Robert Morris University. It was a one-off film production course that sparked his interest in film; just months after graduating, a friend told him that a movie crew needed some extra hands. This being Pittsburgh, it was, of course, a zombie movie (Flesh Eater). Flaherty signed on immediately.

“For the smaller projects, there are some very experienced people working on those jobs,” he says. “It’s a good way to learn—you’re not going to just do grip; you’re going to help.”

And to young film pros, Flaherty emphasizes that you don’t need to wait for a One Shot to come along.

“Just get your foot in the door wherever you can. Once you do, your attitude and hustle will keep you going in this business.”

Resume: One Shot, Super 8, Love and Other Drugs, She’s Out of My League, Wonder Boys, Dogma, Kingpin, Sudden Death
Favorite Movie: The Godfather
Best On-Set Environment: Kingpin. “You’re laughing all day long.”
Favorite Hollywood Type to Work With: Bill Murray. “We used to play basketball with him. Woody Harrelson would arrange the games.”
Best Part of Working in the ’Burgh: “The people. Most people who work on film are cool people, and you get really close to them.”
Costume Designer: Diane Collins
One might believe that the role of the costume department is remote—away from the action of the set. There’s an image of a cluttered-but-quiet costume studio, sewing machines running, distant from wherever the zombies are marching or the inmates are brawling.

Of course—like most conceptions of the movie business—this vision is way off.

When the criminals from Arkham Asylum broke out to tangle with Gotham’s finest during the filming of The Dark Knight Rises, Diane Collins was also in Oakland, standing nearby on a very long work day.

“You have to be on the set, standing and waiting for them to do the scene—and as soon as they’re done, you have to restore the costumes to the way they were at the beginning,” she explains. “You have to be in pretty good shape, and you have to be able to run around the set. You have to be good at being aware and noticing differences.”

The costume department can shrink and expand dramatically based on the size of the production. So, while a large crew on films like The Dark Knight Rises allows individuals to focus on specific tasks, a smaller-scale production means someone like Collins needs to have a broad view. And, of course, she’ll need to plan ahead.

“Being a great second-guesser and planner are some of the most important traits you need in this business,” she says. Referring to the Kennywood-set flick Adventureland, where filming was spread throughout the park, “Your wardrobe truck is in one area, your extra holding area is in another. Your extras wardrobe area is in another. So if you need to get something back at your truck, and you’re on the other side of the park—the pure amount of space is a challenge.”

And forgetting anything can lead to some unusual situations: While Collins was still a grad student, she was working on the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead.

“My nanny at the time always joked about the day I called and said, ‘I left the recipe for blood at home—could you go in the dining room and look it up? See what the ingredients are?’”

Collins, who grew up in the Steel Valley, designed costumes for dance and theater in Baltimore for 15 years. She eventually returned to town to pursue a master’s in costume design at Carnegie Mellon University; as Pittsburgh-based film projects increased, she discovered that she didn’t need to leave again. Her roles have varied—from designing all of a film’s costumes to performing fittings on hundreds of extras—but it’s that quality that keeps things fresh.

“Maybe that’s the attraction to me,” she says. “Every movie has a different set of circumstances and a different set of challenges, rewards, whatever. I enjoy the idea of trying to assess a new project.”

Resume: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Dark Knight Rises, Warrior, The Mothman Prophecies, Wonder Boys, Dogma, Sudden Death, Bob Roberts
Favorite ’Burgh-Made Flick: Wonder Boys
Favorite Movies: It’s a Wonderful Life, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Best Hollywood Type to Work With: Laura Linney. “She is just a wonderful person.”
Pittsburgh’s Signature Shot: Tom Hardy running along the PJ McArdle Roadway in Warrior. “It really struck home about where the city has been and that it can move.”

Production Masters, Inc.: Evie DeSarno
Picture yourself at a trade show. A huge convention center lined with booths. Every 10 feet, a company postures from a flat-screen that’s hanging from a curtain. Pamphlets, buttons, logo pens. The usual. And then, you spy some kind of tunnel. Like Noah’s Ark at Kennywood. You wander in and the video happens around you, from all angles, 360 degrees of sensory engagement.

That’s what separates Pittsburgh’s Production Masters Inc. (PMI) from other studios. The company can do anything, rising to challenges presented to them from Madison Avenue, Sunset Boulevard and everywhere in between. And Evie DeSarno knows that her team can do these things because of the talent here in Pittsburgh.

“I want potential clients to meet our people,” she says. “Once they do, they see the enthusiasm and skill level they have. Once they meet our people, my job becomes really easy.”

The role of a versatile production studio like PMI is a forgotten one when considering the film industry. DeSarno has to be ready for any request on a daily basis, and PMI has to be ready to jump into action on a moment’s notice. They’ll spend a few weeks putting together game-launch demos for Nintendo, then shift gears and create an audiovisual representation of Cirque du Soleil performers … that can interact with the cast live onstage.

Last year, PMI designed a 3-D video for the Pittsburgh Film Office’s “Lights! Glamour! Action!” Oscar party. And part of the locally shot flick Wonder Boys was made in and around PMI’s offices. The company even does pro bono work for March of Dimes, Children’s Hospital and many other organizations.

“We do everything,” says DeSarno, who grew up in Penn Hills. “Anything in the video and interactive world. There’s never a dull moment here.”

Then there’s the audio post-production side of PMI. After crews finish shooting a film, there are times when lines of dialogue need to be re-recorded. That means the actors need to find a studio that can quickly (and expertly) handle that kind of work. Fortunately, PMI steps in, having recorded performances by Laura Linney, Elizabeth Banks, Walter Cronkite, Christopher Plummer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sharon Stone, Jeff Goldblum, Phil Hartman, Dianna Argon and dozens of others.

DeSarno became a member of the hardworking PMI team after answering a newspaper ad. The Robert Morris University alumna was coming from an education company and thought that landing a job at PMI was a one-in-a-million shot. But, evidently, they liked her. “I remember giggling a lot during my interview,” she laughs. “I don’t know if that was the selling point.”

Fast-forward 18 years, and she’s a shareholder with the company. DeSarno sees firsthand that the future of her industry has a lot of Pittsburgh in it. And she knows why.

“I wish more people in the outside world would meet the Pittsburgh people who work on films and in the related industries,” she says. “And [that will happen as] more and more people talk to those that have been here—they’ll talk to the Christopher Nolans and say, ‘Wow, the community did all this for you?’”

Favorite ’Burgh-Made Flick: Dogma
Favorite Movie: Gone With the Wind
Favorite Hollywood Types to Work With: Tom Hardy, Dianna Argon and Jeff Goldblum
Dream Job: “I’ve made it very clear to the Film Office: If George Clooney even comes near Pittsburgh, I am the tour guide.”
What Pittsburgh Needs to Stay in the Game: Permanent adoption of the tax credit. “We have found a way to generate revenue for our region—how can you stop it?” 

Read more http://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Pittsburgh-Magazine/February-2012/Reel-Talent/