Charles Anteby

Charles Anteby's latest demo reel includes a scene from To Rest in Peace.

The scene was shot on our third day of production. During the screening in Kuwait, several people tried to guess which local hospital we filmed in. But this was actually filmed in Santa Clarita, California. Kudos to our production design team.

The third day of production was particularly difficult, because of a big technical setback we had in the morning. We were not able to get our first shot in until after lunch, and then only because of some major problem solving by camera department, grips and electrics, and producers. Having a professional cast with a good attitude helped us rally and rescue the scene. My biggest concern when the crew is working against the clock is: will the stress of the day affect the performances? But I was very happy from "action" to "cut."

Congrats to Charles on your continued success!

Congrats Katie Byron!

Congratulations to our production designer, Katie Byron, for the success of her feature film Like Crazy. It won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and also won Best Actress for Felicity Jones. The film opens in theaters October 28th.

The Variety review praises Katie's work:

Production designer Katie Byron adeptly adorns Anna's and Jacob's respective apartments down to the finest detail, from half-empty bottles of dish soap in the sink to student-loan letters from Sallie Mae in the mailbox.

There's another great review on Entertainment Weekly.

One of my favourite aspects of screening To Rest in Peace, is the shock people express when they find out we filmed most of it in California. They are immersed in the world of Kuwait, and believe we filmed it there. So much of that movie magic is Katie Byron's work.

After one screening in Kuwait, someone insisted "But the house was filmed here, right?" "No, nothing with actors was filmed in Kuwait. It was just me and the cinematographer here." "But how did you find a house that looks like that in California?" "Production design!"

Congrats Katie! And best wishes for your continued success.

River Jordan

Merik Tadros, who played Ali in To Rest in Peace, has his graphic novel featured at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend, March 18th to 20th.

River Jordan is inspired by a true story, set in Chicago, USA, and Amman, Jordan. Rami, a nine year old boy, struggles to overcome his father's tragic murder. He is guided by Nabil, an old family friend who turned blind from grief, before finishing a painting of the River Jordan. Nabil asks Rami to finish the painting, teaching him lessons from his family past that allow the boy to overcome his loss.

Merik weaves the layers of narrative beautifully. The plot, the characters, the visuals and the theme all integrate, giving River Jordan as much metaphor as it has drama. It's one of the best stories I've read, and I can't wait to see it as a film.

Good luck, Merik!

Michael Ashton

The talented Michael Ashton, who did visual effects for To Rest in Peace, recently released his short film Lazy Teenage Superheroes. The trailer is above, and the full film is on www.lazyteenagesuperheroes.com.

It's incredible what Mike can do in the digital realm, and I am amazed by how quickly he weaves his magic. On To Rest in Peace, he consistently delivered quality effects on time or ahead of schedule. Check out this before and after video to see his process on Lazy Teenage Superheroes:

The film was also shot by our director of photography, Sean Conaty.