Cinematography Demo Reel, Erin Roche Galey from Erin Galey on Vimeo.
19 September 2009
13 July 2009
Underwater World Photos from the underwater scene
Paloma, our wonderful set assistant, posing with the sea turtles
Chris Broe - breaking down our lighting set up
Me and David, the Dive Master, shooting scenes with the kazoo
That's me, directing from underwater. Seriously, this is a little ridiculous that I get to do this with my life.
Shooting some scenes - that's me on the left with the camera rig
me from underwater -- peace! We used a 1200 watt HMI to achieve the silhouette we were looking for.
Chris Broe, world's greatest camera assistant, prepping the camera for the dive. Thanks Mark Wiltshire for the underwater housing, and to Ajill at Bigfoot Industries for lending us a surfboard. And of course, to my Dad for giving me that old kazoo in the first place.
David the dive master going over the dive with me.
A little refresh on our hand signals.
Big fish tanks. Lots of fish. Good diving. hee hee.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pipe. For real.
01 February 2009
Wrapped! Production Notes...
Kindred Spirit - Wrapped!
Hey folks. Long time no update - after getting Kindred Spirit IN THE CAN (uproarious applause!!!!!!!!), I went straight onto Alexa Caravia’s BRIGHT. Then straight home for the holidays, then back to produce Eric Elofson’s MASTER OF HIS DOMAIN, to finish the 2nd year production period at Tisch Asia. We’ve been flat out for almost 3 months on productions. I’m actually wrote this somewhere over the Pacific on my way back home for the holiday after a 12 hour day on Alexa’s set, wrapping 10 hours before my flight left the tarmac, and only just now getting around to posting it. Woo! Procrastination!
I couldn’t be happier about the production. I had a small, amazingly dedicated crew of folks who worked their ass off every day for the picture. We accomplished much while having a lot of fun. Dream team is an understatement, they threw everything they had at it. I have butterflies just thinking about it.
I also had a wonderful experience with my actors, who were incredibly brave and really put themselves out there for the roles. I am so grateful to everyone for all their hard work and dedicated, honest energy on this project. I am so fortunate to have worked with each and every one of you.
A small list of people to thank in no particular order:
Eric Elofson, Shivani Khattar, Kyle Haskett, Natasha Capol, Han West, Paul Williams, Jeane Reveendran, JC Crump (aka: Captain BBQ), Laetitia Gangotena, Sean Ng, Sangchul Lee, Kalani Iida, Ajill and all the guys at Bigfoot Industries (Izad, Shahir - thanks for the surfing lessons brah!), David Glassco, Eddie & Cameron Watters, Jason Hoag, my Parents, the Addison H. Gibson Foundation, Christopher, Jenny, and William at Ubin Lodge, Laura Schuster, Angelo Perrino, Jon Hammond, Barbara Schock, David Irving, Pennie Dupont, Emlyn Wiliams, Charles Blackwell, Michael Burke, Jenn Ruff, Paul Anderson, Shamin, and Takin at Billabong, Bala at FEG, NYU Production Services, Chris Ciancimino and Kevin Connors who read early drafts, and the 20+ extras who randomly came out to Pulau Ubin to be a part of this production. THANK YOU! MERCI BEAUCOUP! XEI XEI! I could not have made this film without you.
Here’s a brief recap of the week:
In the days leading up to the production, I made some final casting decisions, outfitted my actors with sponsored wardrobe from Billabong (sick!), and started rehearsals with Natasha, who flew in from Malaysia for the week. It was awesome working with her, man. She really did her homework on the character and simultaneously opened me up to the Laban acting technique, which I’d never heard of before and found really useful. Not to mention finding an awesome new friend who totally kicks ass and who is gonna use her spare time to start up a roller derby league in Penang! (oops - did I forget to tell you about that, Tash?? We’ll talk ☺ ).
I was super lucky to discover Paul Williams after numerous casting obstacles for the Andy role. He happened to be in town for the weekend from Kuala Lumpur, and I knew the moment I had him read some lines he was the one. And he understood Andy as well - responding as Andy, staying in character for long amounts of time. He really pushed himself for the role, it was awesome to watch. Turned out he was able to take the whole week off work for the production. Serendipity!!
Paul and Natasha worked together as I continued the search for “Bridget.” We decided on Jeane Reveendren, a student at Lasalle College of the Arts where Tash graduated from last year. She was a real find, a talented actress and total trooper to jump in so last minute like she did (little did she know what I had in store for her for the week… nighttime shots on the water, a sandy bikini fight… muwhahahaahaaha).
It was an amazing experience as a director to see the actors work together to create the characters that made the most sense to them and to the story. They really gave them a life of their own. I loved it when they would disagree with me about something - Natasha saying, “no WAY - Samantha would not do that, I feel like she’d do this instead.” Music to my ears, man. Music.
During the time I was casting/rehearsing, Shivani and Eric worked out camera and production aspects. A special honor should go to them as they jumped straight into work on the production after their return from Shivani’s shoot in India and during simultaneous bouts of Delhi belly. I don’t know how they did it - Elofson especially with only one kidney. You are either a freak or a machine, I can’t decide.
Right before our shoot, I went on a surfing trip to Desaru, Malaysia with the cast to work out our surfing skillz and get to know our characters a little better. Crazy little gem of a spot, and only less than an hour away from Singapore. Admittedly, I should have listened to David Foster Wallace and worn more sunscreen, as it was so much fun that we forgot to stop for anything really. Chest high waves, and we all got some good rides in too!
I let the actors rest the next day as myself, Shivani, and Eric finished the final touches on the location, made camera decisions, and figured out how in the world we were going to come up with 20+ extras for this party. Notwithstanding the obligatory startup obstacles, production was, in my mind, a total success. We were on time, on budget, and got pretty much every shot I had shotlisted and more (which happens how often???). Working with Shivani was nothing short of a dream. I made instant use of her deep wells of patience with a nailbiter decision at the eleventh hour over whether to shoot HD or film. She and Eric were incredibly supportive, and were prepared to go either way. I knew we had the crew for either, but I wasn’t sure in the end what to focus on. In the end, story won out. We went with HD and it was definitely the right choice for this production.
We shot on the Sony EX1, which gave us absolutely stunning digital visual quality, and also allowed us to review what we shot at the end of each night, as well as the freedom to keep rolling on complicated party scenes with lots of extras, choreography in the water, lighting the beach at night, a fight scene, and other such challenges. I’m totally bummed I didn’t get to work on film this year, but there were so many pro’s to HD. Mainly that I saved over half my budget and didn’t go prematurely grey. ☺
There were a lot of highlights to this production, and what we accomplished. The surfer funeral scene, the gorgeous lei’s, the tiki torches, the BBQ, the final scene in the rain, the actors, the crew, and the support that has come from everywhere - friends, family, sponsors, investors… I am so touched, so thrilled, and so grateful.
On that note, I sign off. Stay tuned for updates on shooting the shadow show, notes from the cutting room, screening for Oliver Stone, production stills, and post-production reports.
Many Blessings and Namaste,
Erin Galey
Writer/Director
Hey folks. Long time no update - after getting Kindred Spirit IN THE CAN (uproarious applause!!!!!!!!), I went straight onto Alexa Caravia’s BRIGHT. Then straight home for the holidays, then back to produce Eric Elofson’s MASTER OF HIS DOMAIN, to finish the 2nd year production period at Tisch Asia. We’ve been flat out for almost 3 months on productions. I’m actually wrote this somewhere over the Pacific on my way back home for the holiday after a 12 hour day on Alexa’s set, wrapping 10 hours before my flight left the tarmac, and only just now getting around to posting it. Woo! Procrastination!
I couldn’t be happier about the production. I had a small, amazingly dedicated crew of folks who worked their ass off every day for the picture. We accomplished much while having a lot of fun. Dream team is an understatement, they threw everything they had at it. I have butterflies just thinking about it.
I also had a wonderful experience with my actors, who were incredibly brave and really put themselves out there for the roles. I am so grateful to everyone for all their hard work and dedicated, honest energy on this project. I am so fortunate to have worked with each and every one of you.
A small list of people to thank in no particular order:
Eric Elofson, Shivani Khattar, Kyle Haskett, Natasha Capol, Han West, Paul Williams, Jeane Reveendran, JC Crump (aka: Captain BBQ), Laetitia Gangotena, Sean Ng, Sangchul Lee, Kalani Iida, Ajill and all the guys at Bigfoot Industries (Izad, Shahir - thanks for the surfing lessons brah!), David Glassco, Eddie & Cameron Watters, Jason Hoag, my Parents, the Addison H. Gibson Foundation, Christopher, Jenny, and William at Ubin Lodge, Laura Schuster, Angelo Perrino, Jon Hammond, Barbara Schock, David Irving, Pennie Dupont, Emlyn Wiliams, Charles Blackwell, Michael Burke, Jenn Ruff, Paul Anderson, Shamin, and Takin at Billabong, Bala at FEG, NYU Production Services, Chris Ciancimino and Kevin Connors who read early drafts, and the 20+ extras who randomly came out to Pulau Ubin to be a part of this production. THANK YOU! MERCI BEAUCOUP! XEI XEI! I could not have made this film without you.
Here’s a brief recap of the week:
In the days leading up to the production, I made some final casting decisions, outfitted my actors with sponsored wardrobe from Billabong (sick!), and started rehearsals with Natasha, who flew in from Malaysia for the week. It was awesome working with her, man. She really did her homework on the character and simultaneously opened me up to the Laban acting technique, which I’d never heard of before and found really useful. Not to mention finding an awesome new friend who totally kicks ass and who is gonna use her spare time to start up a roller derby league in Penang! (oops - did I forget to tell you about that, Tash?? We’ll talk ☺ ).
I was super lucky to discover Paul Williams after numerous casting obstacles for the Andy role. He happened to be in town for the weekend from Kuala Lumpur, and I knew the moment I had him read some lines he was the one. And he understood Andy as well - responding as Andy, staying in character for long amounts of time. He really pushed himself for the role, it was awesome to watch. Turned out he was able to take the whole week off work for the production. Serendipity!!
Paul and Natasha worked together as I continued the search for “Bridget.” We decided on Jeane Reveendren, a student at Lasalle College of the Arts where Tash graduated from last year. She was a real find, a talented actress and total trooper to jump in so last minute like she did (little did she know what I had in store for her for the week… nighttime shots on the water, a sandy bikini fight… muwhahahaahaaha).
It was an amazing experience as a director to see the actors work together to create the characters that made the most sense to them and to the story. They really gave them a life of their own. I loved it when they would disagree with me about something - Natasha saying, “no WAY - Samantha would not do that, I feel like she’d do this instead.” Music to my ears, man. Music.
During the time I was casting/rehearsing, Shivani and Eric worked out camera and production aspects. A special honor should go to them as they jumped straight into work on the production after their return from Shivani’s shoot in India and during simultaneous bouts of Delhi belly. I don’t know how they did it - Elofson especially with only one kidney. You are either a freak or a machine, I can’t decide.
Right before our shoot, I went on a surfing trip to Desaru, Malaysia with the cast to work out our surfing skillz and get to know our characters a little better. Crazy little gem of a spot, and only less than an hour away from Singapore. Admittedly, I should have listened to David Foster Wallace and worn more sunscreen, as it was so much fun that we forgot to stop for anything really. Chest high waves, and we all got some good rides in too!
I let the actors rest the next day as myself, Shivani, and Eric finished the final touches on the location, made camera decisions, and figured out how in the world we were going to come up with 20+ extras for this party. Notwithstanding the obligatory startup obstacles, production was, in my mind, a total success. We were on time, on budget, and got pretty much every shot I had shotlisted and more (which happens how often???). Working with Shivani was nothing short of a dream. I made instant use of her deep wells of patience with a nailbiter decision at the eleventh hour over whether to shoot HD or film. She and Eric were incredibly supportive, and were prepared to go either way. I knew we had the crew for either, but I wasn’t sure in the end what to focus on. In the end, story won out. We went with HD and it was definitely the right choice for this production.
We shot on the Sony EX1, which gave us absolutely stunning digital visual quality, and also allowed us to review what we shot at the end of each night, as well as the freedom to keep rolling on complicated party scenes with lots of extras, choreography in the water, lighting the beach at night, a fight scene, and other such challenges. I’m totally bummed I didn’t get to work on film this year, but there were so many pro’s to HD. Mainly that I saved over half my budget and didn’t go prematurely grey. ☺
There were a lot of highlights to this production, and what we accomplished. The surfer funeral scene, the gorgeous lei’s, the tiki torches, the BBQ, the final scene in the rain, the actors, the crew, and the support that has come from everywhere - friends, family, sponsors, investors… I am so touched, so thrilled, and so grateful.
On that note, I sign off. Stay tuned for updates on shooting the shadow show, notes from the cutting room, screening for Oliver Stone, production stills, and post-production reports.
Many Blessings and Namaste,
Erin Galey
Writer/Director
16 November 2008
Skimboarding For Unity
Last weekend I went out to the Skimboarding for Unity contest at East Coast Park. It was sponsored by Billabong, Bigfoot Industries, and a couple of others. The contest flew in pro skimboarders from all over Asia to compete for prizes. Many of the surfers I've come to know in Singapore were hanging out at this contest, and we went for a big yummy Vietnamese meal afterwards (YUM! Thanks Kalani and Cheryl!!). Here are some photos of the contest, and a few of the riders who have agreed to be in my movie.
07 November 2008
Location: UBIN LODGE
Finally, a break!
Pulau Ubin - the wild jungle where tigers and elephants swim over from Malaysia... the great granite outcrop colored with exotic (but perilous?!) plant life ... a haunted island filled with Danger... and Mystery! (okay... hmm... maybe if it was up to the Singapore Paranormal Investigators...)
Ghosts, tigers, or giardia berries - it's where we're filming Kindred Spirit.
Despite the treacherous 10-minute bumboat ride across the picturesquely serene Serangoon Bay, this little jewel has (unfortunately?) made the wild accessible for sometimes nature-handicapped Singaporeans.
Still, it's lovely. It's quiet. It's all in one place. And its not too far away. (It's also available during December school holidays and Hari Raya). We here like to think it's a pretty good excuse for a vacation... ahem! I mean... my Highly Important 2nd Year Production.
For those of you out there who are still wondering why a 2nd year is shooting at a spot like this... or why a person would go to an island for a week instead of a perfectly normal and safe Sound Stage, Tonight Is Your Answer. 
From Natasha, aka: "Samantha"
Just wanted to put this out on the front page. :)
Hi,
My name is Natasha Capol and I am one of the candidates who have been to this casting call with Erin.
Erin assembled this sort of "casting call" audition to meet up with this other actress she mentioned as Eunice.
And as usual, I come in a huff and puff, running a bit late, and meet Eunice.
At first I looked at her and I thought, "Boy, she's a stunning one!" Didn't think much of it and introduced myself to her. And being as straight-forward and blunt as I usually am, said, "Ya know... You look like some famous person that I don't know the name of. But you really do. You're not famous are y?" And she just giggled.
From my perspective, we immediately clicked, Eunice and I. She seemed pretty downt o earth and not too legendary from what I was about to find out.
So we went along with the audition. And just as we ended and Eunice had to shoot off, it suddenly clicked in my incredibly slow brain, that this woman, sitting opposite me, was THE Eunice Olsen. And of course, being the clumsy character that I am, bursted out with the "Holy chumbawuma! You are the Eunice Olsen!"
Yes that was quite an embarassing realisation, especially from what I had said earlier.
To Erin's credit, she's had to put up with a lot of my spontaneities and this was definiately one of them. I must say, she seemed to quite enjoy that encounter. :)
What I liked most about the plot of this film is what the character's stories had to portray. There is this universal theme that each character portrays the despair and the desire to live and to love, to be accepted as an individual in the society we live in today. And to me, this is a very important aspect in our own modern world, especially with what is happening in the world as we speak - in terms of humanity, acceptance, choice, needs, and so on. Not only that, but in each of the characters stories, there's a real power and journey they all have to go through.
And hopefully most of you out there will get a chance to see what is to become of this film!
26 October 2008
Casting!
We're doing auditions now for KINDRED SPIRIT at NYU Tisch Asia. Here are the casting breakdowns. If you know anyone who might be interested in these parts, please have them contact director Erin Galey at EG1124@NYU.EDU to schedule a time to audition.
Thanks!
Erin Galey
(Writer/Director)
KINDRED SPIRIT is a story about the funeral of a fun-loving "Peter Pan Forever" surfer whose two girlfriends (yep) are confronted with each other for the first time at his funeral. The tense and comedic situation builds to a fistfight at the beach service, and is vaguely resolved only by their fond memory of the surfer. This film will be shot on super 16mm film by DP Shivani Khattar and production design by Laetitia Gangotena. Director Erin Galey has worked with The Flaming Lips, Woodshed Entertainment (producing John Krasinski's latest film Brief Interviews with Hideous Men), ESPN.com, the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls, and a talented group of directors at Tisch. She is currently a 2nd year studying Directing and Cinematography at NYU Tisch Asia in Singapore.
Seeking dynamic, confident actors for the following roles:
SAMANTHA (25-30. Any ethnicity. Athletic)
A previous surfer turned student, Samantha is a bit of a tomboy. She is sensitive, generous, and polite, but can become competitive when threatened (and once she snaps, her sting is fierce!). Samantha seeks redemption from a betrayal that's cast her as an outsider.
BRIDGET (25-30, any ethnicity)
Bridget is a bit of a dreamer. She wants to get married and travel the world, forget about money and live off the land, and write beautiful songs on her guitar by the campfire. She easily drifts between fantasy and reality.
ROSE (25-35, any ethnicity, possibly athletic)
Rose is a responsible, straightforward woman who wants to take care of problems. She is a compassionate caretaker who rules with tough love. She is stronger than she looks.
CAROLINE (45-70, any ethnicity)
Caroline can't cope with the death of her son. She avoids thinking about it, convinced the funeral is a pleasant party and her son will show up any minute. This is a VERY dynamic role for an older woman.
ANDY (25-40, any ethnicity).
A surf shop business owner, Andy is a free spirit turned boy scout. Albeit in a laid-back surfer kind of way, Andy is a strong, goal-oriented, creative problem solver. He’s the guy you want on your team when you don’t have the answer, and who says what no one else is willing to say. He’s a natural leader.
DALE (25-40, any ethnicity)
Dale is the quintessential surfer bum. He’s loyal to his crew, doesn’t have a job, and follows the waves. He steers clear of conflict (bad vibes dude!), and his main goal is to find the perfect/next wave.
Thanks!
Erin Galey
(Writer/Director)
KINDRED SPIRIT is a story about the funeral of a fun-loving "Peter Pan Forever" surfer whose two girlfriends (yep) are confronted with each other for the first time at his funeral. The tense and comedic situation builds to a fistfight at the beach service, and is vaguely resolved only by their fond memory of the surfer. This film will be shot on super 16mm film by DP Shivani Khattar and production design by Laetitia Gangotena. Director Erin Galey has worked with The Flaming Lips, Woodshed Entertainment (producing John Krasinski's latest film Brief Interviews with Hideous Men), ESPN.com, the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls, and a talented group of directors at Tisch. She is currently a 2nd year studying Directing and Cinematography at NYU Tisch Asia in Singapore.
Seeking dynamic, confident actors for the following roles:
SAMANTHA (25-30. Any ethnicity. Athletic)
A previous surfer turned student, Samantha is a bit of a tomboy. She is sensitive, generous, and polite, but can become competitive when threatened (and once she snaps, her sting is fierce!). Samantha seeks redemption from a betrayal that's cast her as an outsider.
BRIDGET (25-30, any ethnicity)
Bridget is a bit of a dreamer. She wants to get married and travel the world, forget about money and live off the land, and write beautiful songs on her guitar by the campfire. She easily drifts between fantasy and reality.
ROSE (25-35, any ethnicity, possibly athletic)
Rose is a responsible, straightforward woman who wants to take care of problems. She is a compassionate caretaker who rules with tough love. She is stronger than she looks.
CAROLINE (45-70, any ethnicity)
Caroline can't cope with the death of her son. She avoids thinking about it, convinced the funeral is a pleasant party and her son will show up any minute. This is a VERY dynamic role for an older woman.
ANDY (25-40, any ethnicity).
A surf shop business owner, Andy is a free spirit turned boy scout. Albeit in a laid-back surfer kind of way, Andy is a strong, goal-oriented, creative problem solver. He’s the guy you want on your team when you don’t have the answer, and who says what no one else is willing to say. He’s a natural leader.
DALE (25-40, any ethnicity)
Dale is the quintessential surfer bum. He’s loyal to his crew, doesn’t have a job, and follows the waves. He steers clear of conflict (bad vibes dude!), and his main goal is to find the perfect/next wave.
18 October 2008
The Crew
Producer/UPM/AD - Eric Elofson
Director of Photography - Shivani Khattar
Production Design, Wardrobe, Makeup - Laetitia Gangotena
Gaffer/Assistant Camera - Han West
Assistant Camera/Grip - Kyle Haskett
Script Supervisor/2nd AD/Set Documentary/Utility - JC Crump
Sound Mixer - Uta Arning
Set Photographer - Ronnie
PA's - Angelo Perrino, Alice Ho, Hui Min
Editor - Eric Elofson
Director/Writer/Producer - Erin Galey
Lets welcome the crew to the good ship Lucky Harrrrrrrm, arrrrrr! Now lets go find some treasure.
Welcome! It's pre-production...
Hello Friends, Fans, Investors - welcome to the blog of KINDRED SPIRIT. We'll be shooting December 8-15th, 2008 with a crew of students from NYU Tisch Asia and local Singaporeans.
This blog is your way to stay updated and keep track of pre-production, principle photography, and post-production. Look forward to photos, insights, a behind-the-scenes look at the film, and film production in South East Asia.
We're heavy into pre-production here in sunny, hot, and humid Singapore.
This weekend my producer Eric and I had auditions. He got a bunch of local surfers to come in, who are regulars on the waves in Desaru and Chetaring, Malaysia, as well as Bali, Sri Lanka, and even a chick from the North Shore of Hawaii. These surfers are so diverse, and really cool. They're all excited to participate in the film, and have offered their time and gear to help our production.
So far, Eric has managed to come up with:
-- free surfboards
-- a possible Volkswagen Bus (which on the island of Singapore is incredible considering cars older than 5 years must be disposed of or destroyed)
-- forty capable surfers, including our friends at Bigfoot Industries who sponsor pro surfers in and around Southeast Asia, and host international skim-boarding and surfing competitions.
-- a surfing actor who was in TIN CUP, worked in Houston and LA, and is an avid photographer.
-- Good vibes duuuuude!
Not bad for a week or two of work!
The surfing culture in Singapore is small but strong. Most of the locals live here for work and as there's no waves here, they travel to nearby locations. Bigfoot Industries has offered to sponsor surfboards, and maybe some wardrobe and transportation for the film. I also auditioned the local rep for Billabong who expressed interest in sponsoring the film and outfitting our entire cast! Keep your fingers crossed!
Today I am going location scouting at Changi Beach and Kusu Island, where I'm seeking exterior beach locations for the surfer funeral and girl fight scene. The problem with shooting at a beach in Singapore is the small city of oil tankers, refineries, and cargo ships just off the shore. During the day it looks kind of polluted, and at night there are so many lights it reads as another city. For this reason we may have to head up to Malaysia in search of a more naturalistic beach.
Stay tuned for photo updates, posts from the producer, actors and more.
All the best!
Erin Galey
Writer/Director
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)