METHOD: A VOICE ACTOR PREPARES

It is with grateful hearts that we announce that our latest comedic short is almost wrapped and ready for the festival circuit. “Method: A Voice Actor Prepares” has been lurking in our vault for quite a while, but the stars have aligned, the final mix is done, we have just a few graphics shots to do and color correction and then it will be set for its premiere.

 

 

Starring BenIsaac Diskin , Tricia Pierce, Yuri Lowenthal, Maile Flanagan , Wendee Lee , PatrickSeitz , Erin Fitzgerald, Ricky Moore and Amanda Chism.

Its sure to tickle your funny bone if you like high and low brow comedic crossbreeding.

MILLER SPOTLIGHT DEBUTS

Gary-Miller is a beach community located on the most southern tip of Lake Michigan.

 

In the heart of the rustbelt, after decades of significant economic decline, many neighborhoods throughout the region are struggling to thrive and sustain their vibrancy.

 

Pockets of hope exist. Miller has been identified as an area of opportunity.  It has been chosen by Legacy Foundation to be one of the first two Northwest Indiana communities to pilot the Neighborhood Spotlight Program, which is a new place-based initiative for reinvesting in Lake County.

 

 

 

Almost Fairytales co-owner, Jessie Renslow, has been chosen to organize these efforts. She can be contacted via millerspotlight@gmail.com . Please email her if you’re interested in volunteer opportunities for this project. She was featured in an article recently about her role as a Community Builder/ Organizer.

SWADHISTHANA SWEEPS THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT

Almost Fairytales co-owner, Lindsey Myers-Pearson, edited and did the color correction on a film called “Swadhisthana.” It has been accepted to 13 film festivals so far, including recent screenings at the SedonaInternational Film Festival, The Pan African Film and Arts Festival and the SanDiego Black Film Festival.  It also was voted a Festival Favorite at the Cinema Diverse Palm Springs Gay and LesbianFilm Festival in 2014 and won Honorable Mention at the Columbus InternationalFilm Festival (2014).

BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Almost Fairytales has been designing and facilitating the digital needs for several clients. We have started doing virtual and in-person staff developments.

Additionally, much of our 2014-2015 has been spent constructing and managing a myriad of platforms for a variety of organizations/ companies.

If you are looking for someone to help you transition into the online multimedia sphere contact Jessica Renslow, M.Ed. via almostfairytales@gmail.com.

Here is a link to a website we created and manage: NoHo FUMC nohofumc.com

Here is a sample course we designed, constructed and managed: A Cup of Joe

Here is an educational video series we created for a client: The Heel Pain Epidemic

 

   

MARVEL’S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY LAUNCHING SOON

"Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy," is coming to Disney XD in 2015 and Almost Fairytales co-owner, Lindsey Myers-Pearson, is the animatic editor on this project!

Check out the test footage clip and read the official press release below for more info!

 

http://www.marvel.com/videos/watch/4826/marvels_guardians_of_the_galaxy_animated_series_-_nycc_test_footage

 Production has begun on "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy," an upcoming animated television series for Disney XD featuring the hugely popular characters introduced in the record-breaking Marvel Studios film of the same name.  The announcement was made today by Jeph Loeb, Marvel's Head of Television, at New York Comic Con.  Produced by Marvel Television, the series stars Peter Quill as Star-Lord, the brash adventurer who, to save the universe from its greatest threats, joins forces with a quartet of disparate misfits -- fan-favorite Rocket Raccoon, a tree-like humanoid named Groot, the enigmatic, expert fighter Gamora and the rough edged warrior Drax the Destroyer. The series will premiere in 2015 on the Marvel Universe programming block on Disney XD.

 "The movie and franchise quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. We're looking forward to working with the great team at Marvel Television to deliver an engaging animated series that fans can enjoy each week," said Marc Buhaj, Senior Vice President, Programming and General Manager, Disney XD.

 "This is a very exciting time for the Marvel Animation Studio as we get to explore the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe by developing the first-ever 'Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy' animated series," said Jeph Loeb, Head of Marvel Television. "After starring in the biggest movie of 2014, everyone wants more of Star-Lord and his crew – now they'll get it."

 Produced by Marvel Animation, the series' award-winning creative team includes executive producers Alan Fine ("Marvel's The Avengers," "Iron Man," "Thor"), Dan Buckley ("Marvel's Avengers Assemble," "Marvel’s Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H."), Joe Quesada ("Marvel's Avengers Assemble") and Jeph Loeb ("Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."); co-executive producers Stan Lee ("Spider-Man"), Eric Radomski ("Spawn," "Marvel's Avengers Assemble"), Cort Lane ("Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man") and Stephen Wacker ("Marvel's Avengers Assemble"); supervising producers Marty Isenberg ("Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters") and Harrison Wilcox ("Marvel's Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H."); consulting producer Steven Melching ("Marvel's Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H."); and supervising director Leo Riley ("TRON: Uprising").

 With the success of its recent theatrical release, Guardians of the Galaxy has joined the Avengers and Spider-Man as one of Marvel's most prominent franchises. Premiering in August 2014, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy debuted to rave reviews and a $94 million opening weekend – the largest August opening in North American history. The film has become the most successful domestic release of 2014, topping the box office for four weeks since its release.

Check out the test footage and stay tuned for Marvel.com for all the latest on the Guardians and all of your other favorite Marvel Animated Series!

More on Marvel.com: http://marvel.com/news/tv/23444/marvels_guardians_of_the_galaxy_animated_series_announced_at_nycc#ixzz3TS7uXwPW

 

FACILITATING THE BUTTERBIRD CHRISTMAS PROJECT

Since the start for 2014, Almost Fairytales has been helping Family Folklore Foundation, Inc. launch their latest multimedia project, “Butterbird Christmas.” Our efforts started from helping their founder, Dr. MegG. DeMakas, edit a short story into an hour-long radio play that featured local talent.

 

Based in the Miller Beach community in Gary, Indiana, Family Folklore Foundation’s mission is to offer educational opportunities to intergenerational community members using arts, literacy and problem-solving strategies to make the world a better place. We at AFF try to help promote arts and education whenever possible, so we were very happy to facilitate the pre and post production on this project.

 

 

 

 

“Butterbird Christmas,” is a hilarious, inter-faith holiday romp for the whole family. Inspired by the era of classic broadcasting, the cast and crew banded together to create a timeless piece about growing up in Chicagoland.  

Usually radio plays are performed with an ensemble of actors in unison. Each actor gets his/her own microphone and it is done in a slick studio, but since Family Folklore Foundation, Inc.  was working on a non-for-profit budget, their funding just didn’t allow for this. So, we worked with what they had.

They recorded everyone individually. Then Almost Fairytales’ co-owner, Jessica Renslow, went in and sorted them together like a giant jigsaw puzzle! Next she created sound effects. This is called foley. She also used some royalty free ones from archive.org, which is a GREAT resource, especially for any production working on a tight budget. Finally she laid in music also harvested from open access sites and a couple of local musicians who gave her permission to use their recordings. After all the tracks were laid she mixed the project into its final state. It was featured on Morning Edition in December 2014 and will air in its entirety on NPR for the 2015 holiday season!

This all-volunteer run production also premiered live in time for the 2014 holiday season at The Marshall J. Gardner Center for the Arts in Gary, Indiana. Over the course of the project, the Family Folklore Players enjoyed communicating and communing with the wide range of volunteers and supporters. They had the privilege of sharing in many special holiday moments with the cast and crew, and especially liked knowing all the goodwill this project has spread across their community. One hundred people braved the fierce Chicagoland winter weather to watch the radio play live. All proceeds from the event went to a multitude of projects dedicated to promoting literacy & arts education in Northwest Indiana. (Click here to watch this performance.)

Almost Fairytales is currently editing a documentary about the making of this project that will be submitted to film festivals and hopefully air on Lakeshore Public Media. Stay tuned for more updates on this project!