Coma Pilot: Introducing John Mathis, film director and writer (Interview + Giveaway)

Today’s post is a little different. A friend of mine, John Mathis, is going to tell us about his new TV pilot, Coma. Let’s welcome him to the blog!

Hey, I am John Mathis, director and writer of Coma, a fantasy TV pilot my production team and I are filming this summer. We are so excited to bring something new, fresh, clean and exciting to the fantasy genre!

Tell us a little bit about what we’ll see in the Coma Pilot.
Coma is a time dimension hopping story about a girl caught in two different realities. It’s an action adventure story but, at the core of Coma it’s about these characters and what they go through in this journey of personal self-discovery. I am a huge fan of fantasy films however, when writing the Coma pilot I tried hard to make sure that it was not copying any other films in the fantasy genre. Instead I tried to make it my own while still paying tribute to some of my favorite directors and films. We are excited to be able to bring it to TV networks and sell it to such networks as ABC and the Sifi channel after it is completed!

What inspired you to create/produce this TV show?
I want to create something new. Most TV isn't unique anymore (with the exception of Downton Abbey "and "Doctor Who", of course.) I wanted to put my own personal stamp on a genre that I have grown up with and love and respect.

What’s the hardest thing about being a young, up-and-coming director/producer?Do you want me to list those answers alphabetically, or in order of significance? Haha, I would say getting people to know and see you’re potential. It’s a tough world out there and film is especially a tough industry, so it’s a little like running through a wave of people, who are going one way and you’re going the other. Not to judge you for you but, for what you can do. As a director and DP in the film world and someone who has two feature films going to theaters this summer I let my work speak for me. Advice, sell your work first and the rest will follow!

What film projects have you worked on in the past?I have had the honor of gaffing the feature film Knowhere by New Daydream films. An action thriller starring Bonnie Jonston from Tim Burton's "Big Fish".
I have DPed on "Tainted Love" an Emmy nominated cable show that airs on Halogen TV. It’s a show that exposes sex trafficking all around the world.
I was the director of Cinematography on "Waiting for Butterflies" starring Jason Burky from October Baby produced by NDF. I was also the DP on "Discover Zac Ryan" a new and emotionally powerful film by NDF. I have worked on other feature films and TV productions. Check out my IMDB for them all. I am so thankful to God for all the blessing me with these all.

 
5) Can you tell us about the awesome team you have working with you to make this show a reality?
I have a great production team behind me on this! I am so blessed to have them all. I am being helped by my dear friends at New Daydream Films.
My producer Phaedra Witt, who produced my first pilot “The Experiment House”, is my right hand woman and is helping with putting the production together. She has too many jobs to count. She is one of the hardest workers I know and I am blessed to have her on the production.
Anna Tabor the costume and prop master has the changing task of getting all the time period costumes and props for the pilot! She is doing a fantastic job; she is working with a very small budget but is making costumes you would see on a high budget BBC series! I don't know how she does it but all I can say every meeting is wow! I was happy to hear that her and her team has been nominated for best costumes and sets at the Blumey awards (which you can find out more about here) for a stage production she helped produce!
Anderson Carman is doing the FX on Coma. He is a talented animator who is attending the acclaimed animation school “animation mentor ".
There are many others who without their support I could never have embarked on this incredible journey.

How can we support you in this journey?
How can you help us, there are so many ways to do this! We really need people to get the word out about us and the pilot! We are raising funds on Indiegogo to insure that we have a smooth production and can get the best film professionals in North Carolina! The funds will be going to effects, costumes etc. (I will not be making a dime on this, this is to insure that my people are taken care of and that the production can be completed). Check out this link for a breakdown of where the funds go to as well as a video from the Coma team telling more about the project and showing off our amazing locations!



Coma Cast



Also, here is the link to the official Coma Facebook page. Please share the pages and get the word out on Coma! With your help, a promo pilot episode will be coming to a TV near you soon!

 Here is the link to the company that is helping with cameras, lights, etc.

 Thank you so much, and with your help we can make an amazing show for viewers everywhere!

So, what do you think? Sounds pretty awesome, right? Leave your thoughts about Coma in the comments below! And be sure to enter the giveaway as well.

Rules: US only. Winner must respond within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen.

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TV review: Dance Academy (Season 1)

Genre: Drama, Teen, Australian TV shows, TV-14

Channel: ABC [Australia]

Aired: May 31^st, 2010

Rating: 5 stars

Summary: Dance Academy features Tara Webster (Xenia Goodwin), a new student at Australia's National Academy of Dance. The show presents the students at the Academy learning the intricacies of ballet and dance, and is primarily shown from Tara's perspective, along with fellow first year students Kat Karamakov (Alicia Banit), Abigail Armstrong (Dena Kaplan), Sammy Lieberman (Tom Green), Christian Reed (Jordan Rodrigues), and third year student Ethan Karamakov (Tim Pocock).

Review:

Tara is what people would call a country gal. When she arrives in Sydney for her dance audition, she does anything but fit in. Upon arrival she’s promptly pointed in the direction of what she thought was the girls’ locker room, but was really the guys’ locker room. There she runs into Christian, whose criminal background as landed him in the Academy as a sort of rehab. Christian, surprised to find a girl stripping down in the guy’s locker room, dubs Tara “Training Bra.” This infamous title followers her throughout season one. Luckily, she makes more friends once she finds her way out of the dressing room (shirt on inside out). These friends include rebel girl Kat Karamakov, awkward Sammy Lieberman, and hottie Ethan Karamakov. She also makes enemies with none other than her snarky roomie, Abigail, whose life revolves around all things dance (and only dance). The series takes us on Tara’s journey as she struggles through the rigorous life at the Academy and all the trials that come along with friends, boys, and life in general.

Dance Academy was just one of those shows I stumbles upon while browsing through the titles on Netflix. Every once in a blue moon, I’ll get the urge to become addicted to a tv show, and when that happens, there’s no way I’ll get much reading done for at least the next week. I wasn’t expecting much out of Dance Academy- in fact, I wasn’t even expecting to like it. But soon I found myself watching one short 20-minute episode after the next, and then I knew I was addicted.

I’m not sure what exactly it was that drew me in. To be honest, I didn’t like Tara at first. It took me the whole season to start tolerating her. The thing that irritated me about her was her talent at looking ridiculous. She wasn’t modest about her feelings- she wore her heart on her sleeve. When Tara developed a crush on Ethan (Sorry, spoiler!), she instantly felt that her friends should know and care, for some reason. It didn’t take long for the whole stinking Academy to find out that first-year Tara Webster was secretly slobbering all over third-year Ethan Karamakov. The way she handled herself in situations was just embarrassing. It was like she had no dignity or pride to uphold at all- she acted like her reputation was something she didn’t care throwing out the window. It wasn’t until towards the end of season one that I started realizing that maybe the way Tara acted wasn’t a bad thing at all. She didn’t care what people thought of her. She didn’t have any secrets- everyone knew everything about what she was feeling all the time, and though people might not care, at least they knew. There weren’t any barriers. They didn’t have to pry to get to know her. She was open and indifferent to people’s opinions and…real.

So, just as a warning, if you start watching Dance Academy, Tara might get on your nerves like she did mine. Or she might now. But if she does, just know that it gets better. She isn’t always that ridiculous. She gains some dignity throughout the season, and you begin to like her openness. It’s refreshing to have a main character like that.

[Some spoilers in the next paragraph]

That was really my only qualm about the show. There are a couple other things I didn’t like, such as the flip-flop way that Tara dates the boys at the Academy (one minutes it’s him…now it’s someone else…then back to the first guy…) and then I wasn’t too thrilled when Sammy questions his sexuality at the end of the season (hope nothing comes of that, or I might consider dropping the show), but nothing too awful enough for me to stop watching.

Now, the things I did like about the show were numerous. I liked the dancing, for one thing. After reading and enjoying Bunheads (see my review here) I started looking for other books/movies that had to do with the ins and outs of the ballet industry. This is just the show for people who want to learn more or like that sort of thing. I also loved the Australian accents. *grin* I loved Ethan and Christian and Kat, and getting to know their backstories and lives. Abigail was a fun character too, even though she was mean (the kind of mean that borders on evil and malicious). I like all the characters’ relationships with each other, and yes, I liked the romance. It was sweet and girly, if sporadic and fickle.

I was so surprised at how much I loved this show. Every night, instead of reading (yeah, I feel the guilt coming on) I would pull out my laptop and watch several episodes of Dance Academy. It still took me awhile to get through season one, though, because there’s a good 26 or so episodes. When I finally finished season one, I thought I had my life back. I thought I could read again at night without the irresistible urge to watch DA. But no. The despicable people at Netflix added season two the day (I’m kid you not- the very day) I finished season one. There my life went, out the window again. So I’m currently struggling to fit in a few episodes of season two each night along with sufficient time to read the books that keep piling up beside my nightstand.

In conclusion, then, I highly recommend Dance Academy. It’s very entertaining and captivating (if you didn’t get the gist from the last paragraph) and perfect for anyone who’s looking for a foreign show, a teen show, or a dance show. Or all three. You pick. *wink*

Quick Content Review: [contains spoilers]

Language: None that I can remember.

Violence: None. (Two boys run from the police after they rob a service station, or “servo,” as they like to call it.)

Sexual: Mild- Moderate [Tara kisses Ethan. Tara kisses Christian. Tara almost kisses Sammy. Somehow, Tara’s not slutty, but she still ends up kissing a good deal of boys. Kat has several boyfriends who kiss her. One tries to take advantage of her before Christian intercedes. Sammy and Abigail date for a while, and want to “take it to the next level.” Sammy consults Christian on “logistics.” (Count on Sammy to make things weird.) Sammy and Abigail end up not doing anything, though (phew). It’s hard to list everything- since this was a teen show, it does focus a lot on dating and such (I guess Australian tv shows aren’t any different than American tv shows). Nothing too bad happens, though. Like I said in the review, Sammy does question his sexuality towards the end of season one, but he ends up dating girls in season two.]

TV review: Jane By Design (Season 1)

*This review is an evaluation of episodes 1 through 10. I’m not reviewing on behalf of any episode after 10, though more episodes have aired that are categorized as “season 1.”*

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Teen

Channel: ABC Family

Aired: January 3^rd, 2012

Season finale: March 6^th, 2012

Schedule: Tuesdays at 9/8 central (Also available on Netflix)

~Rating: 5 stars~

 Summary: Jane by Design is an American comedy-drama television series on ABC Family. The series follows the life of Jane Quimby (Erica Dasher), a teenager who had to be mistaken for an adult to finally get her fashion dream job and work with a world-famous designer, Gray Chandler Murray (Andie MacDowell). She is now juggling between two secret lives: one in high school, and one in high fashion.

Additional Cast: Nick Roux as Billy Nutter; Matthew Atkinson as Nick Fadden; Meagan Tandy as Lulu Pope; David Clayton Rogers as Ben; Smith Cho as Rita Shaw; Rowly Dennis as Jeremy Jones; India de Beaufort as India Jordain.

Review:

Watch Jane dream of being a fashion designer. Watch Jane get offered a job at a design studio. Watch Jane realize they think she’s an adult, not a high school outcast. Watch Jane ignore the fact that she has a calculus test tomorrow and seize said fashion job.

Watch Jane struggle to maintain her high school life and her high-end fashion dream job.

Jane Quimby is a normal everyday teen girl. Well, besides the fact that she dresses like she’s up for the runway in three minutes. She lives with her unemployed, ex-jock brother Ben, who was the football stud-muffin at her high school way back when. But that doesn’t mean Jane is on the same side of the social ladder as her brother was- oh no. She’s on the opposite end, to be exact. That said, high school isn’t the continuous ego-boosting, self-confidence enhancing parade it was for Ben. Jane and her long-time best friend, Billy stick together and try to survive.

But when the bills start coming in and the companies start calling demanding pay, Jane knows that it’s time she did something about her brother’s lack of a job. Following an ad in the paper, Jane pursues a job as an assistant at a design studio. To her surprise, she’s immediately hired. Suddenly, her life is a whirlwind of activity, juggling school, work, and her almost-nonexistent social life. With Billy’s help, she keeps her high-paying job a secret from Ben and manages to fool her boss and co-workers into thinking she’s older than she really is. Will she be able to keep everyone in the dark about her job, and will she be able to still life a normal teen life?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this show. I’m not big into the whole fashion-design thing, but I’ll occasionally pick up a book or watch a TV show about it. It wasn’t necessary the design theme that drew me in, but the characters. All are very different, but add a certain balance to the show. See a brief sketch of each of my favorites below:

Jane is such an entertaining character. She’s funny and awkward, but also polished and sophisticated at the same time. She’s just…normal, and that really draws you in. She has a funky sense of fashion, and while most of the time you’ll be laughing at whatever silly conjumbalation she’s wearing, you’ll have to admit in the end that she really does have an eye for that sort of thing. She’s also really sweet and loyal to her friends.

Billy is an amazing character. He seems kind of dark on the outside, but his soft side really seeps through when he thinks Jane’s upset. He’s like every girl’s dream best-friend. He’s helpful and caring and always there when Jane needs him. Not to mention he’s hot. *grin* You can’t help but swoon inwardly every time he smiles. And the way his eyes crinkle up at the sides…*coughcough* Erm, sorry. You’d see what I mean, though, if you saw the show. I think one thing that really kept my attention after the first episode was the relationship that Billy and Jane have. It’s so unique, and I love seeing them interact.

Ben is a great character, as well. He brings that goofy humor and comic relief to the show. At first, you’ll think he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but you’ll come to see that that’s just his personality. He’s smarter than he looks, in other words. He’s an awesome big brother to Jane, and their relationship is amazing to watch.

Nick is a jock. Well, THE jock. You know who I’m talking about. The most popular guy in high school- the one who has the cheerleader/model girlfriend, the sports car, the fan club, etc. More often than not, these types of guys are usually not very nice. Hot, yes, wealthy, yes, and a douche bag, yes. But Nick isn’t like that. He’s actually…well, nice. He’s been her crush since middle school, so when she’s around him, she loses the inability to speak cohesive words and carry on any form of a conversation, but despite this, he gets to know Jane throughout the season and the two grow closer. He respects her and doesn’t have any ulterior motives for pursuing her, and I think that’s the sweetest (though most unrealistic) thing ever. I never thought I’d say this about people but they make the cutest couple.   

I love seeing each of these relationships progress and grow and that’s really what I loved about the show. I loved the romance between the characters, though Lulu (Jane’s arch-nemesis and queen bee at her high school) and Billy’s on-off relationship got a little annoying. One show they’re on, the next they’re off. And we never really get a peek at how this whole weird relationship-that-spans-the-social-castes starts. I’d liked to have gotten an explanation about that, but it wasn’t a big deal and didn’t mar my opinion of the show in the least. I wasn’t thrilled with some of the other sexual content (India and Jeremy’s friends-with-benefits relationship, for example) and I also noticed that each episode featured a kiss without fail. While I don’t think the romance was necessarily overdone, I do think that it can have the same effect but without all the PDA. Again, this wasn’t a big issue for me, though, and to be honest, it wasn’t as bad as other shows are today.

In conclusion, I can’t wait for season 2 of Jane by Design. It’s a completely addicting show that will make you giddy with excitement and dying for more. It’s very girly, but I promise you’ll like it even if you’re not into fashion design. While it’s morals are not completely blameless, it’s definitely better than the standard of today’s teen series. I recommend it to anyone who’s in need of a girly night full of teen romance, drama, and pretty clothes.

Quick Content Review: (average of each episode)

Language: Mild (One or two words throughout the whole season)

Violence: None-Mild (Billy and Nick get into a bar fight with two other guys- nothing shown)

Sexual: Mild-Moderate (Two characters, India and Jeremy, have a “friends with benefits” kind of relationship. The two kiss afterhours in the design studio, and are shown waking up in bed once. Nothing is described or shown. Billy and Lulu have a secret relationship and are shown kissing a couple times. As Jeremy and Jane’s relationship progresses, the two are shown kissing once or twice. In one of the last episodes, Ben is shown teaching a sex-ed class. A couple girls wear low-cut shirts, but nothing too bad. The show is a typical ABC Family show in that dating and relationships get a lot of attention, but Jane By Design is far from being as sensual as others are. Kisses and such are kept relatively innocent, and sex is not flippantly thrown around like it is in many other teen-oriented shows. *coughGleecough*)