Every year as the FiLMLaB Contest wraps up in May we have to pivot quickly and get busy with preproduction; or more accurately, find a director and production team to do it for us. As a nonprofit, Willamette Writers is not in the business of making films, but we can, through FiLMLaB, help aspiring screenwriters get produced. We were fortunate to have Chris Alley of Ampersand Productions help us our first two years, and Martin Vavra of Galaxy Sailor in year three. But really, in my mind, FiLMLaB was always meant to feature a different director each year, utilizing the deep pool of film professionals Portland has to offer.
So it is with great pleasure Willamette Writers and FiLMLaB announces the 2015 director and crew:
DIRECTOR: Michael Parisien has been passionately immersed in film study, production, and appreciation since he worked as a Video store clerk in St. Paul, Minnesota at age 16. He attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison and studied under the respected film theorist David Bordwell, writing and directed his first four films and videos.
Michael moved to Hollywood and learned the industry from the bottom up, finding work on features, commercials, and music videos. True inspiration came after a move to Portland in 2006, where he and his team continue to make films for both clients and competitions, winning awards locally and internationally. His company is Going Street Films.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Will Walle is based in Portland, OR. Specializing in commercial, narrative, and music works, he’s always looking to collaborate with other talented and creative individuals. His commercial clients have included Nike, Intel, Coca-Cola, Vice, ADP, NFL Films, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, OPB Music and many more. For examples of his works, check out www.willwalle.com.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Alyssa Roehrenbeck is a content creator who enjoys telling stories in any format – film, photography, writing, and live performance. She comes to the FiLMLAB team as the AD for two years in a row after working with Galaxy Sailor Productions on last year’s winner, Unwelcome Guests, by Jon Dragt.
SOUND: Ryan White is a location sound recordist and oral historian based in Portland, OR. In addition to collaborating with Going Street Films on commercial and narrative film projects, Ryan also records stories for non-profits, families and archives through his oral history business, Memory and Meaning. Ryan is very excited to be part of this FilmLab project.
PRODUCTION MGR./SCRIPT SUPERVISOR: Tara Watson is an amateur screenwriter based in Portland, Oregon, writing female-driven historical drama and comedy feature screenplays. She signed on as a Production Assistant, quickly proving her worth with exceptional organizational skills that got her promoted to the positions she now holds.
Sarah Prevo (hair and makeup), Scott Uyeda (Assistant Camera), Tim Carroll (gaffer), Martin Vavra (Props/Wardrobe), Dylan Jahnson (Production Asst.) and Dylan Smith (Slate/DIT) round out the lean crew, bringing their skills and talents to what promises to be an exceptional year for FiLMLaB and our winning writer, Mark Scarbrough.
Many thanks to our hardworking crew for all you have done and all you are going to do. Break a leg!