Finding Salvation: An Interview with Julia Specht

With the Season Finale of Project Nephilim: Salvation, right around the corner, Paracelsus Films is taking a moment to interview many of the cast and crew members of the epic series. In the first of several interviews we sit down with Julia Specht to discuss the charming Rhea Jordan, as well as her ongoing involvement in the series.
 

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Of all the characters in Salvation, Rhea is unique in that she is the most truly innocent. Young, vibrant and curious, she seems to stand in stark contrast to the darker events and characters throughout. What to you is the most striking thing about her?

Rhea is very interesting. In the context of the story, she exists as refuge for Chase from her work as a police officer; for the audience, she is also refuge from the dramatic pressure of the story. She's young but possesses an older soul, and in addition to her generally carefree attitude, she holds a gnawing desire to look beneath the surface of the story she is a part of. In Salvation she's 15, and of course, like most 15 year-old girls, she likes science fiction, resents the immaturity of people her own age, and plays chess with herself. At the same time, because her father was a police officer, and Chase (her adopted mother) is a detective, she is very interested in the intricacies of crime investigation. She cares very deeply about finding out what happened to her father, and is naturally curious about the role James Prescott had in his death. I think it will be very interesting to see where this curiosity may eventually lead her, not just in the season finale but in the larger storyline. Suspense!

What attracted you to the character?

I started with this character when I was 16. Maybe 15. I can't remember exactly, it's been a while. It was relaxing to play someone my own age without having to force myself into an obnoxious pseudo-teen role that I've never been particularly good at. She's quirky, but not in the cliched sense of the term--I think Vincent and Alex went to great lengths to really avoid that. The idea seems to be these days that you make "tripping" a character trait and the teenage girl immediately becomes 'unique' (I'm looking at you, Stephanie Meyer!). Rhea is legitimately charming! She says things that aren't about boys! She makes nerdy pop-culture references! Also, as far as her relationship with Chase goes, it follows the Bechdel rule; there are two female characters who talk to each other about something besides a man. Though she's mature in her own mind, she's still very naive; this naivete is wonderful for us as writers, because that means there are all sorts of terrible things we can do to her in the future. :)

Terrible things?
Well... dramatic, interesting things--not necessarily evil horrible things. It gives us a chance to really peel away and explore different layers of her personality. We get to watch her grow as a person in a very unique way.

How was working on a semi-epic mini-series?

Don't kid yourself, this series was Homer status. There was nothing semi about that epic. But it was fun, despite occasional frustration with the length of the production. But that's expected when you have a shoot that lasts over 2 years. I enjoyed trying to keep up with the story behind the series, which was actually the most difficult part. Not only does Vincent like his secrets, sometimes I'd come back to the script after a few months and find that the entire cannon had been shifted slightly and, as a result, that labyrinthine story I'd just mastered had developed entirely new layers. It was a valuable experience for me; I learned a lot about character development, and the formation of an interwoven storyline. All sorts of shit is going to go down in the season finale and in the upcoming sequels that viewers of the original series probably will not see coming; from this point forward, questions are going to start to be answered, and things are going to reveal themselves to be much darker than I think anyone really expects.

You're taking on a producer/writer role for the sequels, talk a bit about some things that you hope to contribute to the story.

I'm excited to provide a different perspective on certain aspects of the story as it is now. I've got a different voice and vision than Vincent, and, one of the great things about working with him is that he really does welcome collaboration. He has this whole massive world he's created, but he's always willing to add new perspectives and ideas to the mix. It will be fun to work with him and Alexandria (Leonard) to add more depth and texture to it. We've already spoken quite a bit about where we see things going, especially for Rhea and James and Chase, and it's all very cool and interesting. In Salvation, Rhea was really situated on the fringe of the storyline. She was an active part of it, yes, but her involvement was really tied to those brief moments when Chase's story intersected with her own. She's going to be taking on a much more active role in the sequel and I think that once all is said an done, when you look back to Salvation, you'll definitely see her in a much different light. As to the details of the story itself, you'll just have to wait and find out. I can say, however, is that one of the things we're doing together is streamlining the whole project into a tighter format than what we saw in Salvation. It's sort of great to be the one that knows what's coming, because it makes the whole process much more exciting. 

Julia Specht is originally from Lunenburg, MA, and is currently a first-year at Wellesley College (there are no men, "freshman" sounds weird). In addition to her work with Paracelsus Films, Julia is also a core-cast member with Boston Actors Theatre, and an artistic associate with Laurelin Films. She is the writer/director of Paracelsus' upcoming short film, "Christmas After the Zombocalypse", and is planning to independently shoot a documentary about Conrads Drive-In Seafood (a fish restaurant in Lunenburg) this summer. 

Finding Salvation: An Interview with Joey Pelletier

With the Season Finale of Project Nephilim: Salvation, right around the corner, Paracelsus Films is taking a moment to interview many of the cast and crew members of the epic series. In the first of several interviews we sit down with Joey Pelletier to discuss his portrayal of James O'Riley.

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James O'Riley makes his first appearance in the 2nd episode, Vade Retro, briefly appearing as the detective who investigated Melissa Weller's initial disappearance. What are some of your thoughts on the character?
I like to think of James as a true-blood Bostonian. He’s a great guy. Grew up in Lynn, die hard Sox fan—obviously. Had a bit of a falling out with the Bruins, but you know... Who hasn’t? He has a lot of quirks and I liked that about him. It really set him apart from your more traditional TV cops. I mean, look, the guy likes the opera and plays the Oboe.  There really aren’t that many Oboe-playing cops on TV these days.  But at the same time I think he also has some very traditional elements to his character. He’s the son of a cop and I think police work comes quite naturally to him.  He’s quite passionate about what he does, and unless something earth shattering was to happen, I think 40 years from now, he’ll still be heading up the Missing Persons’ division. Well maybe not heading it, I don’t really think that’s in his personality. He’s passionate but he also tends to let his mouth get him in trouble. Politics really isn’t his strong suit.

What do you think about James' Involvement in the Melissa Weller investigation?
Next to Chase, I think James is the one who is the most closely invested in the girl’s death. The disappearance of Melissa’s brother Elias, was one of his first cases, and the one he was never able to close. That sounds a bit cliché, but I think for James-who is a very passionate individual—he developed a bond with the family. He knew Melissa, he knew how much the loss of her brother affected her, and I think on some level he feels indirectly and irrationally responsible for her death. It’s not a logical rationalization, of course, but I do think that he feels as if he failed her in some way. And I think for James, it was very difficult for him to have to give up his search for the boy, who by all accounts is likely dead as well.

You mentioned Chase earlier, would you agree that they seem to have a rather interesting relationship?
To say the least!  James has the major hots for Chase, but c’mon how can you not? She’s amazing and gorgeous and brilliant and a total badass! And she’s a mom! There’s something absolutely wonderful about that. She runs around all day chasing bad guys, dealing with absolutely horrific, horrific shit, and yet in spite of it, at the end of the day she’s able to go home and have this intimate, quirky and fun relationship with her daughter.  So yeah, I think James has a mad crush on her.  They go back a lot longer than I think she and Roland do. It’d be interesting to learn more of their history.  And, truth be told, James thinks there's a BIG chance that Chase would date him.  And he just keeps trying... But, I don’t really think Chase is into him in the same way. She’s a very complicated character, and I think her heart is still with Andrew (Rhea’s father). I think deep down he realizes this, and I hope that eventually he finds a nice girl or guy or whatever to marry.  But even if he does, I think deep down he’ll always have a thing for her.

Where do you imagine this story will take him?
That’s a good question. Vinnie has a really complex story in mind and he’s let bits and pieces slip here and there, but on the whole, we’re as curious as everyone else.  I know we’ll be seeing a lot more of him, which is great. His character has so many dimensions—one moment he's fun and playful and the next he's no bullshit badass. It will be fun to explore that in more detail. Pick him apart and see what else is under there.

Do you think he’ll ever solve the mystery of Elias Weller’s disappearance?
Oh I hope so. I think it’s so central to his story, not to mention Chase and Melissa’s. It’d be a shame not to. No, I think we’re going to see a lot of mysteries surrounding Elias come to light in the season finale. I think in the end—the end of all of this—James will get his resolution, I just wonder if it will make him happy.  One of the ideas that get brought up a number of times in the series is that you have all these characters who are really trying to uncover some truth they need to know. Some obsession that drives them. But I don’t think that finding those answers will ever make them truly happy.  I think there’s something more going on that they’re blinded to. There’s this whole mess with San Jose in the background. Everything revolves around that and I think that the closer our characters get to that… It should be very interesting.

What was it like working on a no-budget semi-epic miniseries? 
It was great!  A really good experience—especially not having much film exposure before this.  This was exactly the scene to start with.  Vinnie, Jon Overby and Paul Ezzy are all extremely professional and have keen eyes for what they want, but they're also very nurturing and have a lot of knowledge to give. It’s also fun to try and figure out ways of doing things that typically require a lot more crew members on hand. Though, I will say it was hard keeping up with my appearance throughout the season.  I could never remember what length my hair was or if I had a beard or chin strap.  I think it changes a number of times in a couple of episodes. Maybe once or twice in the same scene if you look carefully. But please don’t.

What can viewers expect to see from him in the Season Finale? 
A lot of high action drama!  Shots are fired.  Fists are thrown.  It's gonna all come together.  

Born in Portland, Maine, Pelletier is a graduate of Dean College in Franklin, MA. In 2004 hemoved to Boston and began working in the Marketing Department for the 11:11 Theatre Company. While there he was featured in four original plays by Brian Tuttle, originating roles in  All My Upside-Down Roses and Under Her Umbrella.  With Alarm Clock Theatre he originated roles in Duplex: A Musical and the 2006 Elliot Norton Award winning P.S. Page Me Later.  Along the way he's acted in Tinderbox Stage's production of Polaroid Stories by Naomi Iizuka, Zeitgeist Stage's Blowing Whistles, Holland Productions' Kid Simple: A Radio Play in the Flesh by Jordan Harrison, and imaginary beasts' The Fantastic Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor.  In 2008 he became the Assistant Artistic Director and Core Cast Member for Danielle Leeber's Boston Actors Theater (BAT) where he has performed in Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman, and Sex Drugs Rock & Roll by Eric Bogosian.  Pelletier's first full length drama Where Moments Hung Before was produced by BAT in 2009 and was received with critical acclaim. 

Paracelsus Films is Pleased to Announce

Casting for Prinicple Roles in our Upcoming Short Film: Christmas After the Zombocalypse has Been Completed.

Written and Directed by Julia Specht, Christmas After the Zombocalypse is a dramatic zombie comedy (dram-zom-com?) about a couple who have survived well into the zombie apocalypse by hiding in a storage attic. With supplies and life (living and undead) dwindling, the two try to keep their spirits up by musing about everything from zombie digestion to holiday memories.

Staring:
Jennifer Reagan* and James Aitchison

Production on the short film will begin at the end of February for an anticipated release in December, 2010.

*Jennifer Reagan previously appeared in the 4th Episode of Project Nephilim: Salvation where she reprised her role of Alisson Daniels from the Boston Actors Theater production of Hence These Tears

Preview of the Season Finale

Well it's been a long time coming, and frankly, I can tell you it's really going to be worth it.
The Season Finale of Project Nephilim: Salvation is almost here.

One of the biggest things happening on the production is the addition of new footage.

Originally, Project Nephilim was conceived to be an ongoing web series. The hope was to produce roughly 10-20 half hour episodes per season for 5 seasons. That's a lot of episodes.

Once we completed the season, it was decided that the series might work better as a film series, rather than monthly episodes. The complex and intricate story arc required a massive commitment from a massive cast of 25 actors. As you can imagine, on a very limited budget, it became difficult to schedule everyone as needed. With that in mind, and understanding that the season as written would now require a far greater sense of completion than was originally planned, a number of scenes have been added in an attempt to resolve storylines in a far more satisfying way, while setting up the larger story arc that will be seen across the subsequent films.

The first major addition to the season finale comes in the form of additional footage depicting events which were only previously mentioned. Specifically the interaction between Melissa Weller and Robin Quick. Because the events depicted occur several months prior to the beginning of the pilot episode, it was easier to avoid any glaring weather, hairstyle continuity issues. It was also wonderful to be able to work with both Michael Simon (Robin Quick), Danielle Leeber (Mattie Howard) and Shaine Carney (Melissa Weller), three amazing actors who ironically had never gotten a chance to interact on screen with each other.

Many of the flashback shots were done in a single day at various locations, with MIT providing the backdrop. Although in the storyline, it is mentioned that these events occur at BU, MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics provided a far more intreaguing backdrop with it's colder architechture. This was the same location in which many of the Cassie Meeks flashbacks occured in Episode 4.

Although much of the footage shot appear as flashbacks, their inclusion helped to fill in some gaps in the largely dialog driven narrative. In short, we decided to show not tell the events. The ability to show powerful moments from these characters pasts helped to shed some new light into their motivations throughout the series, and of course set up a far greater mystery that will have deep repercussions across the subsequent feature films.

Although not every midcholorian in this season will be explained in the end, many of the lingering questions will be answered, and we believe our audience will be able to move forward with a far greater sense of understanding about the shape of things to come.

Announcing our Newest Short Film!

Last week, Paracelsus Films hosted auditions for our upcoming short film, Christmas After the Zombocalypse. This is a very exciting adventure for us, as it marks the first major production for us since Project Nephilim: Salvation.

And of course, everyone loves zombies!

Christmas After the Zombocalypse is a dramatic zombie comedy (dram-zom-com?) about a couple who have survived well into the zombie apocalpse by hiding in a storage attic. With supplies and life (living and undead) dwindling, the two try to keep their spirits up by musing about everything from zombie digestion to holiday memories.

Written and directed by Julia Specht, and featuring the creative artistry of  Director of Photography, Paul Ezzy; Storyboard artist Christine Banna; makeup and effects artist Morgan Ryan; Christmas After the Zombocalypse is scheduled to begin shooting on February 26th with an expected release in time for (you guessed it) Christmas 2010.

Check back later this week for Casting announcements and more!