Lance Henriksen in Harbinger Down VOD 8/7 & DVD 9/1 – HORROR MOVIE NEWS

IN THEATRES AND ON VOD AUGUST 7, 2015

ON DVD SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

PRODUCTION NOTES, BIOS, PHOTOS

FOR

HARBINGER DOWN

An homage to the sci-fi/horror films of the ’80’s

Starring Lance Henriksen, Camille Balsamo, Matt Winston

Reid Collums, Milla Bjorn, Winston James Francis, Mike Estime, Edwin Bravo

Produced by Alec Gillis, Sultan Saeed Al Darmaki, Tom Woodruff, Jr.,

Benjamin L. Brown, Camille Balsamo

Written and Directed by Alec Gillis

Director of Photography – Benjamin L. Brown

A Practical FX Production from Gillis / Woodruff

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION In 2012 Oscar winning Character FX studio Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc., posted a video of their animatronic effects that were cut from the film The Thing 2011. Their incredible work had been replaced with CGI. ADI co-owner and writer/director of Harbinger Down took note of the fan outrage.

“Genre fans had been seething for years about big studio over-reliance on digital effects. Most feel CGI creatures look less convincing in modern movies than the Practical Effects of the films of the 1980’s. The Thing 2011 was the last straw. “

It was then that Gillis decided to present the fans an offer: fund a feature that would be an homage to the sci-fi/horror films of the ’80’s and he would write/direct it, and his company would create the creatures. There would be NO CGI creatures in the film. As an added bonus longtime genre favorite Lance Henriksen would star. The result: Harbinger Down was the highest funded sci-fi/horror project in Kickstarter history.

This was the moment of conception for ADI’s film production wing, StudioADI.

During the scripting phase, Gillis was contacted by Sultan Saeed Al Darmaki, owner of Dark Dunes productions who brought further funding. Al Darmaki is an Abu-Dhabi based film maker and PFX enthusiast who represents the global reach of Practical Effects fans. He serves as Executive Producer of Harbinger Down, which is a co-production between Dark Dunes and StudioADI.

Also on the Production team is Producer Tom Woodruff, Jr. Prior to co-founding ADI, Woodruff worked on the PFX of such films as Terminator, Predator, and Aliens. He is also a Visual Effects Oscar winner for Death Becomes Her. Gillis then assembled a powerhouse team of effects artists for the production. Oscar nominee Patrick McClung (Armageddon, Aliens) came aboard as VFX Consultant. Oscar winning Physical Effects wizard Michael Lantieri (Back To the Future, Jurassic Park, Flight) served as Special Effects Consultant. Director Stephen Norrington (Blade, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) put on his visual effects hat and handled compositing.

Gillis wrote the script entirely at the Calabasas Public Library, in part because “It was the one place in Calabasas I was sure I wouldn’t run into a Kardashian.” The film itself was shot in in Chatsworth, Ca. The challenge of turning a warehouse in the Valley into a crabbing ship stuck in the middle of a storm in the Bering Sea might have daunted other film makers, but Gillis’ early training at low budget guru Roger Corman’s New World Pictures was invaluable. Says Gillis, “Harbinger Down boasts production values far beyond the reach of most modest budgeted films. Using a combination of re-purposed set flats and found objects (set dressing came from an airplane graveyard in the Mojave) I worked with the set builders to create the ultra-convincing interior environment of the crabbing ship, Harbinger.” Some in-camera illusions were simple but effective: for cold weather vapor breath the actors inhaled non-nicotine vegetable oil E-cigarettes, giving the illusion of an arctic environment. In old school fashion, Gillis eschewed green screens and built the actors actual environments in which to immerse themselves, which translates into better performances. “When the actor believes it, so does the audience,” notes Gillis.

Miniatures played an important role in creating a plausible world as well. ADI built miniature ships of varying scales, frozen arctic seas, a collapsing mountain of ice, miniature creatures and even miniature versions of the interior sets as well. Techniques the team honed on films such as Aliens and Tremors were employed invisibly to create a seamless blend of full scale and miniature environments. Big Hollywood might choose CGI, but once again the Harbinger Down team chose the tactile realism of PFX.

Gillis cut his teeth in the ’80’s, working on some of its greatest sci-fi/horror films such as Tremors, Aliens and Predator. While Harbinger Down is a love letter to the great sci-fi/horror films of the ’80’s (specifically Ridley Scott’s Alien and John Carpenter’s The Thing) it is still a modern movie. It was shot on digital cameras, and yes, CGI was employed. Says Gillis, “My philosophy is that for horror effects, if you want it to look real it has to be real. CGI should only be used to enhance the Practical Effect.” To that end Harbinger Down used digital compositing, lens flares, snowfall, and post-added camera movement. Color grading added a final patina to the image, making the environments increasingly grim as the story progressed.

Gillis is of the opinion that part of the reason genre films from the ’80’s still resonate goes beyond the image or the effects. According to Gillis, “In the pre-digital era writers and directors couldn’t rely on CGI to provide excitement and thrills. They had to look inward into the characters rather than outward to an unlimited universe created by graphics.” Harbinger Down seeks to draw the viewer in to a realistic world populated by characters you love…or love to hate. Like Alien and The Thing, Harbinger Down is not a movie with a body count. Each character’s death should make you feel something. This is where each performance in the ensemble is critical. “We were lucky to have such a diverse group of talented actors to work with. Each actor added to their character’s unique voice while still supporting the ensemble,” notes Gillis.

In an era of runaway production, Gillis is proud that Harbinger Down was shot entirely in Los Angeles.

CAST BIOS

Lance Henriksen (Graff) – Iconic actor Lance Henriksen has starred in a wide  variety of films and television projects, which exemplify the diversity of his talent. He has worked with some of the most prominent directors in the motion picture industry, including Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Sidney Lumet, Jim Jarmush, Kathryn Bigelow, John Woo, Paul W. S. Anderson and Sam Raimi. Henriksen has a number of films soon to be released including the leading role in the first live action film by Japanese National Treasure Mamuro Oshii: Garm Wars: The Last Druid.

Kids vs Monsters starring opposite Malcolm McDowell, Armand Assante and

Francesca Eastwood. Other titles to look forward to: the Max Landis film Me Him Her with Geena Davis, Haley Joel Osment and Scott Bakula and Daylights End with Johnny Strong to name just a few.

Born in New York, Henriksen studied at the Actors Studio and began his career Off Broadway in Eugene O’Neill’s Three Plays of the Sea. One of his first film appearances was for director Sidney Lumet in Dog Day Afternoon, followed by Lumet’s Network and Prince of the City. Henriksen then appeared in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind with Richard Dreyfuss and Francois Truffaut, Damien: Omen II and director Philip Kaufman’s The Right Stuff, in which Henriksen portrayed Mercury astronaut Lieutenant Commander Walter Schirra, Jr.

James Cameron cast Henriksen in his first directorial effort, Piranha Part Two: The Spawning, followed by The Terminator, and he next featured him as android ‘Bishop’ in the sci-fi classic, Aliens. Director Sam Raimi, who cast the actor in The Quick and the Dead opposite Russell Crowe, Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman, says, “Lance is a brilliant performer who goes way beyond acting. He becomes his character completely, leaving no trace of his former self and making something of every moment on screen.”

Henriksen’s additional feature credits include Kathryn Bigelow’s cult vampire film Near Dark, Jagged Edge, Pumpkinhead, Alien 3, and director John Woo’s first American film, Hard Target, for which Henriksen received a Saturn Award as Best Supporting Actor.

Henriksen starred in Dreamworks and TNT’s 12-hour miniseries Into the West, executive produced by Steven Spielberg. He also starred for three seasons on Millennium, Fox TV’s critically-acclaimed series created by Chris Carter (The X-Files). Henriksen’s performance as ‘Frank Black,’ a retired FBI agent who has the ability to get inside the minds of killers, garnered three consecutive Golden Globe nominations for “Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama Series” and a People’s Choice Award nomination for “Favorite New TV Male Star.”

In addition to his abilities as an actor, Henriksen is an accomplished painter and potter. His talent as a ceramist has enabled him to create some of the most unusual ceramic artwork available on the art market today.

Henriksen resides in Southern California.

Camille Balsamo (Sadie Graff) – Camille Balsamo was born and raised in Los  Angeles, CA. After graduating from Columbia University with a degree in English Literature, Camille moved back home to LA and began her formal acting training at Playhouse West. Soon after, she appeared alongside Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron in Lee Daniel’s The Paperboy, in Richard LaGravenese’s Beautiful Creatures and landed a recurring role on the HBO series Treme. You can currently watch Camille on both seasons of the hit TNT/Steven Bochco crime drama Murder in the First, in which she plays the San Francisco Police Department’s tech detective Kami Keefer. Never one to sit on the sidelines, Camille has taken an active on Harbinger Down as producer.

Matt Winston (Stephen) – Matt Winston, son of Special Effects wizard Stan  Winston, grew up in a world of character makeups and creature effects. While in high school, Matt began working at Stan Winston Studio and learning the FX ropes. This led to puppeteering work on projects that would become iconic cinema classics such as James Cameron’s Aliens and Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park.

After graduating from Yale University, Matt returned to his father’s workshop to learn CGI in the fledgling SWS digital department before Stan joined forces with James Cameron and former ILM boss, Scott Ross to form the visual effects company Digital Domain.

While early ambitions as an actor led his father to character effects work, Matt took the opposite path and after starting out in effects, began to develop characters as an actor and later as a screenwriter. His acting credits include memorable roles in Six Feet Under, Little Miss Sunshine, About Schmidt, Scrubs and David Fincher’s now cult classic Fight Club. He co-wrote the feature film Thanks for Sharing, starring Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim Robbins & Alecia Moore (Pink), which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival followed by a worldwide theatrical release.

Family has always been foremost for Matt, and he is proud, along with the entire Winston family, to be honoring his father’s legacy through education with the Stan Winston School of Character Arts.

Reid Collums (Bowman) – Reid Collums is an actor/writer from New Orleans.  He graduated from Louisiana State University with a B.A. in Music and Performing Arts. Since being in LA he has consistently continued his education at several different acting institutions including Playhouse West, WCI Studios, and Lesley Kahn. He has made an effort to become familiar with other sides of the industry by working in several stage productions, and volunteering to work with several top casting directors. Recently he has put more of an effort on creating his own projects writing and directing the web series Testers and writing, producing, and starring in the short film “Knocked” which is currently making the festival rounds.

Milla Bjorn (Svet) – Milla Bjorn joins the Harbinger Down cast as the only  female crew member, Svet. Being a strong woman in a man’s world is nothing new for Bjorn, who has been acting since first grade. Back home in Lidino, Sweden she would always get cast as the strongest part in the school play by being tougher than all the boys in her class. As a teenager she hosted her own radio show where she voiced 20 different characters over a four year span. Milla continued to hone her craft over numerous projects before bringing her talent stateside where she continues to entertain. In the last year alone she has starred in three films including Beyond Deceit, where she plays Susie Benson, alongside Anthony Hopkins and Al Pacino.

Winston James Francis (Big G.) – Standing seven feet tall, acting has been a  lifelong passion. Winston caught the bug early when at the age of nine he began training with Rod Perry (S.W.A.T.).   Following college, using his size to his advantage, Winston turned to the world of personal security. While not acting, the job afforded him the chance to tour the world as a bodyguard to numerous musical acts, including Snoop Dogg, Fred Durst, Bone Thugs n’ Harmony, and DJ Quick.

While working in Hollywood Winston has recurred on Sons of Anarchy as “Randall Hightower.” Fans of the show will remember him for killing “Opie.” Feature credits include Little Boy with Kevin James, Squatters with Richard Dryfuss, Higher Power, a Di Bonaventura film, and Mac & Devin go to High School with Snoop Dogg.

When Winston isn’t acting he’s probably doing something with food. Winston has a passion for eating healthy and for cooking healthy meals. Family is also very important to Winston. He is the proud father of two-year-old Ethline Katie Francis, named for both of his grandmothers.

Mike Estime (Dock) – Los Angeles comedian actor Mike Estime by way of  New York started doing stand up comedy in Washington, DC and Maryland areas. At such clubs such as the Comedy Café, Mr. Henry’s, Comedy Connection in Maryland as well as DC, Headliners in Bethesda MD, and the DC Improv. He has also performed in Miami for the Haitian Awards shows; Mike is Haitian American, which he discusses hilariously regarding his upbringing with Haitian parents and Haitian family. With his fan base rapidly building from his stand up appearances around the country as well as showcase shows that include Jaime Foxx’s “Laffapalooza,” “One Mic” on BET hosted by Kevin Hart, and Byron Allen’s “Comics Unleashed,” Mike is definitely someone to keep a look out for with his energetic physical observational brand of comedy. Mike has also been seen on the television show Everybody Hates Chris as Risky Jenkins and the feature film, The Last Holiday starring LL Cool J and Queen Latifah.

Giovonnie Samuels (Ronelle)

Edwin H. Bravo (Atka) – With roots in Chicago, Edwin H. Bravo didn’t make  the leap into professional acting until his 30s when the LA resident made the fateful decision to close his successful clothing label and pursue his passion professionally. Since then, it’s been a steady stream of roles on stage and screen — big, small and computer monitors alike — most recently alongside Lance Henriksen in Harbinger Down, the much-anticipated and forthcoming directorial debut of practical effects guru, Alec Gillis.

Hailed by filmmakers and casting pros alike for his range and unique look, Edwin’s variety of roles has seen him play multiple genres (comedy, horror, drama, children’s) and multiple ethnic backgrounds. Previous select film credits include Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Virtual Heroes with Mark Hamill, British cult favorite, Geezas and Stress, Orgasms & Salvation where he plays a pre-op transexual.

TV series highlights include Harry’s Law (NBC) with Kathy Bates; Hawaii Five-0 (CBS); Sons of Tucson (FOX); Southland (TNT); and Supah Ninjas (Nickelodeon).

Last year, Edwin tried his hat behind the camera with his writing and directorial debut in his self-penned short, The Prize, a fantasy re-imagining of the lost chapter based on the popular Highlander series. A Shakespeare student and devotee, he is developing a short film based on the 1964 classic “BECKET” and a feature film based on the effects of PTSD on military families.

FILMMAKER BIOS

Alec Gillis (Writer, Director, Producer) – Alec Gillis grew up watching genre movies. Watching is a bit of an understatement. He devoured them. Early memories of movies such as Zulu! and Planet Of The Apes inspired Alec to make his own backyard epics. A childhood spent creating monsters in his mother’s garage led him to a job with Roger Corman at age 19. There he met film newcomer James Cameron, with whom he worked on several low budget sci-fi films under the Corman shingle.

In 1985, after taking time off to go to UCLA film school, Alec was brought on to Aliens by Cameron. On that film he became a Creature Effects Supervisor for Stan Winston. After racking up credits on top ’80’s creature films like Predator, Alec left Stan Winston’s and co-founded Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc. with another Winston alum, Tom Woodruff, Jr.

After A.D.I.’s first feature Tremors, business boomed and the duo won accolades for their work, including Academy Award nominations for Alien 3 and Starship Troopers. It was their work on Death Becomes Her that earned them an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. The pair’s work has garnered multiple other awards such as the British Academy Award, multiple Saturn awards, and even a Golden Doozie Award.

A.D.I.’s recent work can be seen in X-Men: First Class, Zookeeper, and The Thing.

In addition to being at the top of the craft of Special Makeup and Animatronic Character Effects, Alec is a 3 time published author. His science fiction book, Worlds: A Mission of Discovery, is currently being developed as a feature by Sony Pictures for Tobey Maguire. He created a series pilot for USA TV, has directed shorts, and 2nd Unit on various films. He is a member of S.A.G., W.G.A., D.G.A., and Local 706.

Alec’s unique creative and professional approach has been employed by filmmakers like James Cameron, David Fincher, Robert Zemekis, Paul Verhoeven, Mike Nichols, Norah Ephron, Matthew Vaughn, Ivan Reitman, Nick Cassavettes, Sam Raimi, David Zucker, Curtis Hanson, Paul Anderson, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. His work with these filmmakers as well as the Brothers Strause (AVP: Requiem and Skyline) has informed and shaped Alec’s filmic sensibilities and experience.

Benjamin L. Brown (Director of Photographer and Editor) – Benjamin L. Brown became a Cinematographer through the circuitous route of music. He attended the University of Redlands for his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music and started in the film industry as a mixer and composer. Always wanting to learn more, Benjamin started shooting and editing video projects and developed the ability to see how picture and sound can be used together to create stories. His abilities as a one-stop shop give him the ability to truly immerse the viewer inside the world of motion pictures.

With his sights set on becoming a filmmaker rather than merely a technician, Benjamin began shooting, editing, and producing industrials and short films. He developed a philosophy of total self-reliance that proves you don’t need a bloated budget in order to make a highly visual film. Harbinger Down is Benjamin’s first feature as both Director of Photography and Editor, and his no-nonsense, high-impact style is on full display.

Sultan Saeed al Darmaki (Executive Producer) – Sultan Saeed Al Darmaki is an Emirati film-maker and businessman from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. At end of 2012, he started into the world of movie-making upon discovering Kickstarter and helping a number of independent films get produced, as well as forging alliances and making relations with film-makers around the world. Sultan has been a big fan of horror, science fiction and fantasy films ever since he was a child, with King Kong being his first exposure to creature features, inspiring him to make his own films. In August 2013, he created Dark Dunes Productions. The third Dark Dunes film, Kids vs Monsters, finished shooting in Los Angeles in May 2014 and will be released in 2015. The team is currently in production on Yamasong: March of the Hollows, a fantastical puppet film that will be directed by Sam Koji Hale and is executive produced by Toby Froud and Heather Henson.

Tom Woodruff, Jr. (Producer) – After a year of working with small make-up effects houses, Tom joined Stan Winston’s team on The Terminator. That was the beginning of a five-year period that saw Tom become a key coordinator under Winston, with the opportunity to work on such features as Aliens and Predator as well as TV shows such as Amazing Stories. During this time, Tom began wearing the complicated make-ups and costumes of the creatures designed at the studio. His physical build and tolerance, as well as his ability to perform as an actor, led to his portraying the title characters in such movies as Monster Squad, Pumpkinhead, and Leviathan.

Tom and Alec Gillis formed Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc., primarily as an imposing-sounding source from which to pursue their own Character Effects projects, but with the intent to use the company as an umbrella under which their own film productions could eventually grow.

Tom and Alec quickly grew to become two of the major Character Effects talents in the business today, with their work gathering numerous accolades and awards including an Academy Award for Death Becomes Her and multiple Academy Award nominations for Starship Troopers and Alien3.

Not content to create only the visual image, both Tom and Alec continue to be personally involved in the performance of their characters as well. Tom continues to perform in a variety of creature and animal rolls as lead characters in the features The Thing, Zookeeper, Old Dogs, AVP (Alien Vs. Predator), Evolution, Bedazzled, Hollow Man, Alien Resurrection and Alien3, Jumanji, The X-Files feature, and more, as well as television series such as Two and a Half Men, Harry’s Law, nip/tuck, Chicago Hope, and Seven Days.

Along with Alec Gillis, Tom co-wrote, AVP: The Creature Effects of ADI, and Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem: Inside the Monster Shop, books which document the entire creative process behind creating the huge cast of creatures for the hit Alien/Predator films. He has also contributed to dozens of books on the art of Character Effects and is a guest on many behind-the-scenes DVD features.

Together they created their own Youtube channel, studioADI, to reach out to their fans as well as fans of the physical world of monsters, creatures, and aliens.

At the same time he is working on writing projects, Woodruff is developing additional properties with new writers to create a slate of productions that will see Woodruff and Gillis continue their growth not only as top Character Effects Artists, but also as accomplished filmmakers.

Woodruff has recently produced the feature, Harbinger Down (written and directed by Alec Gillis), and directed the demon noir thriller, Fire City: The Interpreter of Signs.

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