Emily Robinson...Got the Part

Emily Robinson...Got the Part Role: Tessa in 'Brindlebeast,' a new musical in development By Byron Karl August 27, 2011 Emily Robinson has been described as an "old soul" by the producer of the musical "Brindlebeast." Born in New York City, Emily began her career with Ford Models and transitioned into television work around age 8. Landing roles on TV commercials, "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," and "Saturday Night Live," she says she was bit by the acting bug and placed herself in the Back Stage talent database to find "some great parts that are out there for me in television, theater, and film." As a student of Manhattan's Professional Children's School, the union actorshe belongs to Actors' Equity Association, the Screen Actors Guild, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and is currently represented by Innovative Artists and Marilyn Zitner Managementadditionally augmented her education with private training in dialect, singing, tap, and ballet. However, this skill set alone wasn't broad enough to encompass the role of Tessa, a child of a deaf adult, in "Brindlebeast." In addition to dancing and singing, the musical's sides required a performance using American Sign Language.Anita Riggio conceived the Equity project as writer and lyricist, having first written the children's book "Beware the Brindlebeast," based on her own experience. The musical focuses on confronting your personal demons and involves a deaf single mother and a children's book illustrator coming together and resolving their personal issues. Tessa is the matchmaker daughter of the single mother, eager to be a conduit of information between the two via signing."I looked through all the photos and rsums of all the 9- to 12-year-old girls in the Back Stage roster," states Riggio. In producing her own work, Riggio knew it was paramount to cast the best talent and went about setting up multiple auditions. She vividly remembers the impression Emily left on her. "Emily did her homework," Riggio recalls. "She came prepared knowing fingerspelling and a few signs. She looked everyone in the eye, asked questions, and established immediate rapport with Eric Kunze [the male lead] by teaching him how to fingerspell his name."Emily knew that confidence with the sides was key to landing this role. "You usually are only given a few pages of script, with very broad descriptions," she explains. "But if there is something like ASL, I do as much research as time allows." In regard to preparation, Emily is currently taking acting intensives with Diane Hardin and works one-on-one with choreographer Lane Napper."Brindlebeast" is currently being developed. Emily explains, "We have been in the recording studio once and will be headed back to record more songs. We are hoping to have a producer's reading later this year. I have learned so much from this role, and the signing will stay with me forever."Has Back Stage helped you get cast in the past year? We'd love to tell your story. Be in the weekly column by emailing casting@backstage.com for New York or bswcasting@backstage.com for Los Angeles with "I Got the Part" in the subject line. Emily Robinson...Got the Part Role: Tessa in 'Brindlebeast,' a new musical in development By Byron Karl August 27, 2011 Emily Robinson has been described as an "old soul" by the producer of the musical "Brindlebeast." Born in New York City, Emily began her career with Ford Models and transitioned into television work around age 8. Landing roles on TV commercials, "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," and "Saturday Night Live," she says she was bit by the acting bug and placed herself in the Back Stage talent database to find "some great parts that are out there for me in television, theater, and film." As a student of Manhattan's Professional Children's School, the union actorshe belongs to Actors' Equity Association, the Screen Actors Guild, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and is currently represented by Innovative Artists and Marilyn Zitner Managementadditionally augmented her education with private training in dialect, singing, tap, and ballet. However, this skill set alone wasn't broad enough to encompass the role of Tessa, a child of a deaf adult, in "Brindlebeast." In addition to dancing and singing, the musical's sides required a performance using American Sign Language.Anita Riggio conceived the Equity project as writer and lyricist, having first written the children's book "Beware the Brindlebeast," based on her own experience. The musical focuses on confronting your personal demons and involves a deaf single mother and a children's book illustrator coming together and resolving their personal issues. Tessa is the matchmaker daughter of the single mother, eager to be a conduit of information between the two via signing."I looked through all the photos and rsums of all the 9- to 12-year-old girls in the Back Stage roster," states Riggio. In producing her own work, Riggio knew it was paramount to cast the best talent and went about setting up multiple auditions. She vividly remembers the impression Emily left on her. "Emily did her homework," Riggio recalls. "She came prepared knowing fingerspelling and a few signs. She looked everyone in the eye, asked questions, and established immediate rapport with Eric Kunze [the male lead] by teaching him how to fingerspell his name."Emily knew that confidence with the sides was key to landing this role. "You usually are only given a few pages of script, with very broad descriptions," she explains. "But if there is something like ASL, I do as much research as time allows." In regard to preparation, Emily is currently taking acting intensives with Diane Hardin and works one-on-one with choreographer Lane Napper."Brindlebeast" is currently being developed. Emily explains, "We have been in the recording studio once and will be headed back to record more songs. We are hoping to have a producer's reading later this year. I have learned so much from this role, and the signing will stay with me forever."Has Back Stage helped you get cast in the past year? We'd love to tell your story. Be in the weekly column by emailing casting@backstage.com for New York or bswcasting@backstage.com for Los Angeles with "I Got the Part" in the subject line.

Dorm

In Thailand, the youthful Ton Chatree is distributed to some boarding school by his father to review harder and also have less entertainment with television. Once within the school, Ton feels outcast and misses his family and buddies. He becomes scared using the ghost tales his new schoolmates tell in regards to a boy that died within the pool along with a youthful pregnant lady that committed suicide. He turns into a good friend from the also lonely boy Vichien, and then Ton realizes that Vichien may be the boy that drowned within the pool, and the dying repeats every evening. Ton tries to find away out to assist uncle to relaxation in piece.

Mocap allows 'Apes' pic to rise

Andy Serkis in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" CherninClarkWhile the lifelike simians in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" represent groundbreaking performance-capture technology, the filmmakers' first priority was using that tool to bring humanity to their CGI creations.The latest installment in the franchise was painstakingly crafted on all levels, given its high profile as a key summer tentpole for 20th Century Fox and its status as the first feature from Peter Chernin's Chernin Entertainment banner."Apes" is a "huge special effects movie," said Chernin, who produced the pic with Chernin Entertainment film prexy Dylan Clark. It contains the second-highest number of vfx shots of any Fox pic behind only "Avatar."But Chernin stressed that "Apes" is "not about razzle-dazzle action. It's about smart storytelling with sophisticated effects that draw audiences closer to the characters."At a screening event last month, experts from WETA Digital, the visual effects studio behind the film's apes, explained how it created portable performance-capture rigs to help pick up the many LED markers placed all over an actor's face. They measured not only the facial movements but which facial muscles were firing, allowing filmmakers to record the nuances of actor Andy Serkis' facial gestures, then translate them into the CG image.So while Serkis' actual face is never seen in the Rupert Wyatt-helmed film, his movements are."I would hope that audiences are as emotionally involved and as invested in him as any lead actor this summer," Chernin said.Filmmakers also shot many of Serkis' mocap scenes on practical sets with the actors -- often outdoors and on location -- a distinct difference from other mocap-heavy films shot in indoor empty motion capture "volumes." That helped thesps, including James Franco, Freida Pinto and John Lithgow, by allowing them to play off of Serkis instead of a greenscreen.Clark said that having Serkis acting out main ape Caesar's motions and facial expressions "results in a more captivating, intimate, intense performance."Striking the right balance between visual effects and storytelling is the central challenge for a film that seeks to align the "Apes" brand with the necessities of a 21st century tentpole. Some observers questioned whether using "Planet of the Apes" in the title was a risky move given that "Rise" takes place in the present day."We ultimately felt that the rewards outweighed the risks in pursuing this film," Chernin said. "This is as pure an origins story as I've ever seen, and we understood the value of the franchise brand and wanted to take advantage of that."While Chernin emphasized the choice to do an origins story rather than a reimagining, the tone of "Apes," which bows today, is certainly different from that of previous films in the franchise."The most relevant analogy to this is the 'Batman' franchise and ... Chris Nolan's reinvention of that, which felt a little more serious, darker, contemporary....cooler," Chernin said.Chernin and Clark believed that setting "Apes" in present-day America added relevance for auds. Marketing the film internationally, however, required taking overseas tastes into account: According to the producers, international trailers focused more on character and story than the domestic trailers did (though Chernin points out that the trailers have aligned more in recent weeks).While many studios push for splashy 3D tentpoles, the producers and Wyatt have said they didn't feel pressure from Fox to make the film stereoscopic. More than that, the shoot was quick -- July through September of last year with pre-production going in March -- and there wouldn't have been time, according to Chernin, to make the film in 3D.But, just like the original 1968 film, the latest version aims to reflect the cultural zeitgeist."The deeper resonance is ultimately about science and responsibility," Chernin said. "This is ultimately a very cautionary tale about science gone amok and about mankind's use of science." Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com