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ABOUT
THE PRODUCTION
Final
Destination opened on March 17th, 2000 with a first weekend gross
of over 10 million dollars. The film depicted the terrifying tale
of a group of high school students who are prompted to get off Flight
180 before takeoff after one of them has a terrifying vision that
the plane will explode in flight - a premonition that comes tragically
to life before their eyes. Despite having seemingly cheated fate,
the students were meant to die in the flight, and the shadowy presence
of Death begins stalking them as one by one they meet sudden and
brutal ends. Those still left alive are forced to band together
to try and change the course of destiny and outwit the untamable
forces of Death…a struggle that is ultimately lost by all but
one of the students, Clear Rivers (Ali Larter).
Due
largely in part to the positive audience word-of-mouth centered
around its series of unique and jolting thrills, Final Destination
went on to gross 53.3 million theatrically in the U.S. before enjoying
a very successful home video life.
Producer
Craig Perry describes Final Destination 2 as a thrill ride which
steps up the action, fear and comedic elements that made the first
film such a popular and lasting hit. "This film builds upon
the notion that death is all around us," he says. "Both
Final Destination films tap into that universal fear. Death could
be in your car or your bathroom! The conceit is not so otherworldly
that it stays on the movie screen. It follows you home."
"You
can't predict exactly when it's going to happen or where Death is
coming from, or even who it's coming for," adds director David
R. Ellis, whose accomplished career as a sought-after second unit
director led him to helm Homeward Bound II and, now, Final Destination
2. "You don't know how Death is going to manifest itself."
Rising
star A.J. Cook plays Kimberly Corman, who is struggling to deal
with the death of her mother when she foresees a cataclysmic and
deadly highway pileup that soon becomes a shocking reality. For
the group of strangers who were meant to die in the accident but
whose deaths were prevented by Kimberly's warning, it's left for
them to figure out both why they survived and what they can do to
stay alive once it becomes clear that Death is coming back to claim
them one by one. "Kimberly is stuck in the middle of all this
and doesn't know why she is the one having premonitions," comments
Cook. "A year earlier, she lost her mother and through that
trauma has become stronger, so she is determined not to let Death
win."
Kimberly
is also aware of the stories about the survivors of Flight 180.
"She's aware of the circumstances that prompted them to get
off the plane before it crashed, as well as the fates that all but
one of them suffered, and she knows what's going to happen with
all the survivors of the Route 23 pileup who cheated Death,"
Cook explains. "So she seeks out Clear Rivers, who is the only
survivor of Flight 180, for answers and for help."
Ali
Larter notes that Clear is not the same person as she was in the
first film. "She has gotten to a hardened place," comments
Larter. "She has tucked herself inside because she has felt
so much pain in her life. By having herself committed to the mental
hospital, she has created a safehouse so that Death can't get to
her. So when Kimberly comes to see her and asks for help, it's as
if everything she thought was true about Death's plan is tossed
out the window."
But
Kimberly does not find an eager accomplice in Clear. "When
Kimberly first seeks her out, Clear gives her loads of attitude
and tells her that she might as well check herself into a padded
room if she wants to survive," says Cook. "But Kimberly
doesn't give up so easily."
Kimberly
also finds support in Officer Thomas Burke, played by Michael Landes,
the rookie cop who rescues Kimberly from the highway crash and comes
to believe her surreal story. "She has a connection to Flight
180 and so does my character," explains Landes, noting that
the character's backstory includes being on the scene of the death
of the Billy Hitchcock character in the original film. "Now,
when it comes up again, Michael follows her into this journey of
trying to make sense of what they've seen. Michael and Kimberly
are both drawn to the same things."
"Kimberly
provides Clear and Thomas with the information that she doesn't
know what to do with," comments producer Craig Perry. "Clear
is able to interpret that information, and Thomas is able to act
on it. So, they form an interesting triangle that works in concert
to figure this thing out."
Surrounding
this core is a handful of strangers tied to Kimberly through the
freeway accident. Jonathan Cherry plays the drug-addled Rory, who
is initially dismissive of Clear's theories about "cheating
death" but becomes a believer when others in the group start
dying. "Rory's arc goes from, 'I don't really care at all',
to 'Oh my God, this is really happening,'" says Cherry.
Keegan
Connor Tracy plays the aggressive corporate executive, Kat, who
sees the events following the highway accident as an inconvenience.
"She doesn't really buy it at first," says Tracy. "But
pretty soon even her cynical attitude can't ignore the truth of
the situation they're all in."
T.C
Carson plays the hip, motorcycle-riding schoolteacher Eugene Dix,
who also is a skeptic. "He thinks it's a bunch of garbage,"
says Carson. "Eugene is a very by-the-book type of person.
But he soon has a change of heart as the corpses begin to pile up."
Rounding
out the cast is Lynda Boyd, who plays widow Nora Carpenter, harried,
suburban mother to her teenage son Tim. Also skeptical of Kimberly
and her premonition, Nora becomes a believer when her son is killed
in a gruesome accident.
With
Clear's help, Kimberly and the group set out to decode and ultimately
circumvent Death's agenda. "Clear doesn't want to trust anybody
and she doesn't want to promise anything because she's in no position
to," notes Ali Larter. "She does not know what will happen
to any of them. But at some point she realizes she has to put herself
on the line even more and try to protect Kimberly and the others.
And she doesn't know if she can fulfill her promise to keep them
safe."
What
they discover is that each has a connection to the deaths of the
characters featured in the first Final Destination. "This story
is about Death coming back to clean up its mistakes," comments
David R. Ellis. "There are some people that were tied into
Flight 180 that Death wanted to come after and didn't get. And now
it's coming back to clean that up. All of these people are somehow
related to Flight 180. And it's their time. So Death is coming to
get them, and they have no clue that they're part of Death's plan."
"This
film is about that weird, prickly feeling that something's not right
in the universe and if you don't tread carefully, you're gone,"
notes Craig Perry. "The dentist's office, a hospital, getting
your hand stuck in a garbage disposal…all of these events and
places freak people out. Add Death to the mix and you've got great,
scary set pieces for a movie."
Bringing
director Ellis into the mix was an easy choice. According to Perry,
"David is the perfect director for this movie because of his
experience directing some of the most memorable action sequences
of the last fifteen years. Moreover, he had a very clear vision
of how to approach the tone, by effectively balancing scares with
a dark streak of humor." To inject this sensibility, Ellis
spent four months developing the script with the writers and producers.
Ellis
brings over thirty years of production experience as a stuntman
and second unit director to Final Destination 2. "I want this
to be a non-stop thrill ride," says Ellis. "The first
film is terrific, but with every sequel you try to make it better
than the original. We tried to pattern the sequences in such a way
that they would have as much shock value as possible without being
hokey." But he quickly points out, "the action isn't carrying
the film, the story is, and we have great action surrounding that
story. And some great death sequences!" Perry agrees: "the
writers came up with the most twisted, sick, depraved, yet very
creative and entertaining ways to dispatch people off this earth."
Writers
Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber did not want to limit themselves
to a re-hash of the first film. Says Bress, "We wanted to take
what the first film did effectively, and add levels and layers that
would come out through the characters. When we first started writing
this, we were trying to think, 'how can we make Death just a total
badass?' And to be perfectly honest, the first crack we ever took
at this script had to be reined in!" But it was working with
director David R. Ellis that offered the most opportunities. "David
created an atmosphere where input was welcomed," says Bress.
"He looks at filmmaking as a collaborative art form and that
is the single greatest experience of this film to me as a writer."
Working on Final Destination 2 provided a refreshing change of pace
for the writers. "The people behind this film - the producers
and the director - are the coolest people you could ever hope to
work with in this industry."
Ali
Larter returns to lead the ensemble cast in her role as Clear Rivers,
the only survivor from the first film. Admitting she was hesitant
to return to a role she played three years ago, Larter was won over
by the script and director David R. Ellis. "He's incredible,"
she says. "He maintains this light, fun set, even though it's
a supernatural thriller!" Larter was also drawn back to the
character because "There are two lead female characters, and
there aren't that many movies for women where they're this strong
and feisty," she enthuses.
The
cast and producers agree that filming with David R. Ellis proved
to be a fabulous working experience. "He has a real grasp of
technical things but is also good about giving you specific and
insightful direction," remarks Keegan Connor Tracey. Michael
Landes adds, "This is a real comfortable environment, and it's
because of David, who's like the quarterback of all this."
Craig Perry agrees, "We wanted someone with his expertise on
board. It's a very technically complicated movie, and the wealth
of experience David brought with him was a huge asset. And when
you add the level of positive energy he brings to the set, it just
makes the entire shoot a lot of fun."
Casting
was key as the filmmakers wanted people from all walks of life grouped
together to confront Death. Says writer Eric Bress, "This time
it's not just a bunch of high school kids. It's people from all
walks of life: a woman and her teenage son, a crystal meth freak,
a schoolteacher, a cop. It's not just another 'dead teenager movie.'"
Craig Perry agrees that "it's a bunch of people who would never
be in the same room together suddenly finding themselves having
to work together, despite their differences, to overcome this thing
that's coming after them."
A.J.
Cook clearly stood out as the strongest candidate for the part of
Kimberly, says David R. Ellis. "She has great range and could
do all the emotional stuff, and yet she's very strong when her character
needed to be." T.C. Carson, who plays Eugene, has "a great
presence" says Ellis, and Jonathan Cherry "totally captures
the essence of Rory, especially his humor and vulnerability."
Keegan Connor Tracy's character is the polar opposite of Rory, which
leads to the inevitable "sparks… and I'm not talking romantic
sparks," adds Perry. "Everyone's really fun," says
A.J. Cook. "With thrillers, there's just something fun about
them. You get to be scared and run around like an action star!"
Final
Destination 2 hopes to maintain and build upon the action and special
effects standards set in the first film. For Freddie Hice, third
generation stuntman and stunt coordinator on the film, his goal
was to exceed the action from the first film. The biggest stunt
challenge from his perspective was setting up the highway crash
sequence that opens the film. With at least eight car wrecks and
twenty-two stunt people, safety on the set was a priority. "This
picture doesn't have what I would call big, explosive stunts. They're
a series of beats where people get killed - tricky for sure, but
not outrageous," he explains. All the actors were gung-ho to
do as much stunt work as they could, which makes Hice smile. "They're
young, made of rubber and it only hurts for a little while then
it goes away," he says. "I love it when they let me do
stunts," adds A.J. Cook. "It makes the day so much more
interesting!"
As the characters try to escape their fate, they learn the hard
way that death doesn't forget. There may be a few detours, but in
the end, everyone has the same Final Destination.
The
film was shot in and around the Greater Vancouver area, including
Campbell River on Vancouver Island.
###
ABOUT
THE CAST
Ali
Larter (Clear Rivers)
Ali Larter's recent work includes the action-western American Outlaws
alongside Colin Farrell, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back with director
Kevin Smith and the hit film Legally Blonde opposite Reese Witherspoon.
Additionally, Larter completed a successful run on the New York
stage in "The Vagina Monologues."
Larter made her feature film debut in the blockbuster hit Varsity
Blues for Paramount Pictures and MTV Films. Her additional film
credits include New Line's Final Destination; Warner Bros.' The
House on Haunted Hill, a remake of the original Vincent Price horror
classic, with Taye Diggs and Geoffrey Rush; and Fox's Drive Me Crazy.
A native
of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Larter began modeling at the age of
thirteen and traveled the world before moving to Los Angeles.
A.
J. Cook (Kimberly Corman)
One of Hollywood's hottest new stars, A.J. Cook has appeared in
over seven feature films in the past five years. Born in Ontario,
Canada, Cook made her feature film debut in The Virgin Suicides
opposite Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett. She recently starred in
Disney's teen movie Out Cold. Other feature film credits include
Ripper and Wishmaster III. Cook is currently filming the lead role
of "Alice" in Living Neon Dreams, a contemporary story
loosely based on Alice in Wonderland. The film is being directed
by Jeremy Tarr and will be released by MGM.
Cook's
television credits include "Higher Ground" with Hayden
Christensen, "Blue Moon" and the Emmy Award-winning "In
His Father's Shoes."
Michael Landes (Officer Thomas Burke)
Michael Landes' recent projects include the drama series "Special
Unit 2" for UPN and MGM's Hart's War, starring Bruce Willis
and directed by Gregory Hoblit.
Landes
produced and starred in the feature films The Gentleman from Boston
and Getting Personal. He also starred opposite Jennifer Aniston
in Dream for an Insomniac, and opposite Sandra Bullock in When the
Party's Over.
Landes'
television credits include the role of Jimmy Olsen in the long-running
series "Lois & Clark," and the lead in the NBC comedy
"Union Square." In addition, he was featured in recurring
roles in "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" with Will Smith,
as well as "The Wonder Years," where he got his start
portraying Winnie Cooper's first boyfriend, Kirk McCrae. Landes
also made numerous guest star appearances on a variety of popular
television series, including "Providence," "Get Real,"
"The Drew Carey Show" and "thirtysomething."
In 1993, he was nominated for a Young Star Award for his gripping
performance in "Please, God, I'm Only Seventeen."
Landes
has starred in many other made-for-television movies, including
Danielle Steel's "No Greater Love," Rescuers: Stories
of Courage" and "Max Knight: Ultra Spy."
T.C.
Carson (Eugene Dix)
T.C Carson is a triple threat, playing varied roles in theatre,
film and television. His feature film credits include U-571, Nature
Boy, Livin' Large and Relax It's Just Sex. He was a regular on the
Fox television series' "Living Single" and "Key West."
Carson launched his acting career as a dancer where he won two dance
scholarships before moving into theatre. His distinguished voice
keeps him busy behind the scenes doing voiceovers on animated programs
such as "Hyperman" and the Fox series, "Life with
Louie."
Jonathan
Cherry (Rory)
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Jonathan Cherry was raised in Toronto,
Ontario and studied General Arts at Western University. He later
moved to Vancouver to study acting, writing and directing at the
Vancouver Film School. Cherry began his acting career in commercials
before making his television debut on the made-for-television movie
"Til Dad Do Us Part." Other television credits include
MGM/Trilogy's "Outer Limits" and the WB's "My Guide
to Becoming a Rock Star."
Cherry
made his feature film debut in the recent Dimension Films release
They.
Keegan
Connor Tracy (Kat)
Flare Magazine called Keegan Connor Tracy a "21st Century Fox",
featuring her in their September 2000 issue as one of Canada's up-and-coming
stars to watch.
Tracy,
a Sarnia, Ontario native, is best known for her role as Audrey in
the Granada/SHOWTIME hit series "Beggars and Choosers."
She also recently starred with Josh Hartnett in the feature 40 Days
and 40 Nights.
Also
wrapping recently was the film Blackwoods, in which Tracy stars
opposite Patrick Muldoon (Starship Troopers). Tracy's other feature
credits include the road-trip comedy Duets; Double Jeopardy, directed
by Bruce Beresford; The Prince of Mulberry Street; and Take My Life,
Please! Additional television credits include guest-star roles on
the series "Millennium;" the Francis Ford Coppola produced
"First Wave;" "The Addams Family;" VH1's "Back
in Black, Seven Days;" and E! Entertainment's "Hollywood
Off Ramp."
Tracy,
who holds a BA in Psychology, has her own production company, Drama
Queen Productions, and has written several screenplays and short
films. She also built and maintains her personal Website that you
can visit for more information at www.keeganconnortracy.com.
Sarah
Carter (Shaina)
Sarah Carter was only a teenager when she began her acting career
in the theatre with roles in "A Chorus Line," "The
Sound of Music" and "Wizard of Oz." Unbeknownst to
her many fans, Sarah is an accomplished debater and public speaker,
representing Canada in debating competitions around the world where
she ranked continually in the top five speakers. After winning a
nationwide monologue contest, she was invited to meet agents and
casting directors in Vancouver and quickly parlayed those connections
into roles on the television series "Dark Angel", "Wolf
Lake" and the critically acclaimed "Undeclared".
She can next be seen starring on the WB mid-season show "Black
Sash."
Lynda
Boyd (Nora Carpenter)
Lauded as a powerful stage actress on the Vancouver scene, Lynda
Boyd starred as a series regular on "The Crow: Stairway to
Heaven," as well as playing the lead role in four seasons of
WTN's "You, Me and the Kids."
Boyd's
performances can be seen regularly on numerous series such as "ER,"
"Mysterious Ways" and "DaVinci's Inquest." Her
performance as an ex-junkie in "Cold Squad" garnered her
a Gemini nomination for Best Female Guest Star. Boyd also received
a Blizzard Award (Manitoba Film Award) for her performance in "Nights
Below Station Street" as well as the prestigious Jessie Richardson
award (Vancouver theatre's top honor) for her work in Brad Fraser's
"Poor Superman." Boyd also penned three episodes of "You,
Me and the Kids," and recently wrote and directed the short
film Arbor Vitae.
David
Paetkau (Evan Lewis)
David Paetkau got his first big acting break in the Chevy Chase
comedy Snow Day, where he was lucky enough to work with Iggy Pop.
His television credits include "Smallville" and the Steven
Spielberg-produced series "Taken." Paetkau's other feature
credits include Slap Shot 2, Duets and Disturbing Behaviour.
James
Kirk (Tim Carpenter)
James Kirk is one of Vancouver's busiest young actors with many
film and television roles on his resume. His television credits
include recurring roles on the series "Taken," "Edgemont"
and "You, Me and the Kids." Kirk's film credits include
Twice Upon a Christmas, Bang Bang You're Dead, Mindstorm and Once
Upon a Christmas. James has also performed in the theatre, playing
roles in "On Golden Pond," "Oliver" and in the
choir for "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."
Tony
Todd (Mr. Bludworth)
Tony Todd is an old hand at scaring people and returns to the role
he made famous in the original Final Destination. Todd's other feature
credits include the title role in the successful Candyman film franchise,
The Rock, The Crow, Criminal Justice, Bird, Platoon and Night of
the Living Dead.
Todd's
television credits are just as extensive and include "Star
Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
and "Babylon 5," as well as "Homicide," "Them,"
"Law and Order," "New York Undercover" and "NYPD
Blue."
ABOUT
THE FILMMAKERS
David
R. Ellis (Director)
David R. Ellis made his directorial debut on Homeward Bound II:
Lost in San Francisco and Final Destination 2 marks his second feature
credit. Bringing over thirty years of experience as a stuntman,
stunt coordinator and second unit director, Ellis is one of the
most sought-after action second unit directors in Hollywood, garnering
an impressive list of box office hits as second unit director on
features such as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Perfect
Storm and the upcoming Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions.
Eric
Bress & J. Mackye Gruber (Writers)
Both native New Yorkers, Jonathan Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress met
in Los Angeles in 1994. Their first feature film, Blunt, was completed
three years later, written by Eric and directed by Jonathan.
The
controversial independent film toured the festival scene and won
many accolades, including "Best Comedy" from the 1998
New York International Independent Film Festival and later the prestigious
Lumieres in the 1998 New Orleans Film Festival, an award distinguishing
it as one of the Top Ten Films.
The
next year, Bress and Gruber sold their first one-hour pilot to Disney/ABC.
From there, they sold their first major feature film script, Frozen,
to Phoenix Pictures.
Bress
and Gruber recently co-wrote and co-directed The Butterfly Effect,
a supernatural drama starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart. New
Line Cinema will release the film in 2003.
Jeffrey Reddick (Executive Producer/Original Story Creator)
Jeffrey Reddick's first industry experience was working in New York
as an Executive Assistant at New Line Cinema to Robert Friedman,
then Co-Chairman, Worldwide Theatrical Marketing. It was a fortuitous
arrangement, as Reddick sold his original treatment for Final Destination
to New Line Cinema. Reddick shared final screenplay credit on the
film with Glen Morgan and James Wong.
In
2001, New Line purchased Reddick's treatment for Final Destination
2, and made him an Executive Producer on the project. With this
sale, Reddick decided to leave New Line after eleven years in the
summer of 2001 to pursue writing and acting full time. Reddick's
first produced TV Movie, "Return to Cabin by the Lake,"
recently aired on USA Networks. Reddick currently has several features
and TV movies in development and recently joined with writer/director
David Sporn to form Short End Productions. Their first film will
be a horror film penned by Reddick.
Warren
Zide (Producer)
Warren Zide partnered with Craig Perry in 1997 to form Zide/Perry
Entertainment. Their first production was the successful action
film The Big Hit, starring Mark Wahlberg and Christina Applegate.
In 1999, Zide/Perry served as producers on Universal's comedy smash
American Pie. In 2000, Zide/Perry produced New Line Cinema's sleeper
hit Final Destination. In 2001, Zide/Perry produced Warner Bros.'
Cats & Dogs; American Pie 2 for Universal, and the romantic
comedy RepliKate for Helkon Media AG. Zide/Perry's upcoming projects
include American Wedding, the third in the American Pie series;
Crash and Burn for Fox Searchlight; and Westward for New Line Cinema.
The company currently has a first-look production deal with MGM
to develop and produce feature films.
Zide
is also one of the leading literary managers in the business, representing
many talented young screenwriters.
Craig
Perry (Producer)
Craig Perry partnered with Warren Zide in 1997 to form Zide/Perry
Entertainment. Their first production was the successful action
film The Big Hit, starring Mark Wahlberg and Christina Applegate.
In 1999, Zide/Perry served as producers on Universal's comedy smash
American Pie. In 2000, Zide/Perry produced New Line Cinema's sleeper
hit Final Destination. In 2001, Zide/Perry produced Warner Bros.'
Cats & Dogs; American Pie 2 for Universal, and the romantic
comedy RepliKate for Helkon Media AG. Zide/Perry's upcoming projects
include American Wedding, the third in the American Pie series;
Crash and Burn for Fox Searchlight; and Westward for New Line Cinema.
The company currently has a first-look production deal with MGM
to develop and produce feature films.
Justis
Greene (Co-Producer)
Justis Greene has produced for both film and television. His most
recent credits include co-producing Mission to Mars, I'll Be Home
For Christmas and Mr. Magoo. In television he produced the TV series
"Breaking News" and "The Outer Limits."
Other
feature co-producer credits include Walt Disney Pictures' Homeward
Bound II: Lost in San Francisco and White Fang II: Myth of the White
Wolf. Greene was the associate producer on Another Stakeout for
Touchstone Pictures, and produced the last two seasons of "Neon
Rider" for the CTV network in Canada. His other film credits
include Alive, Ernest Saves Christmas, Earth Star Voyager, Return
of the Shaggy Dog, Davy Crockett, Wings, Agnes of God and The Clan
of the Cave Bear.
Gary
Capo (Director of Photography)
Gary Capo met director David R. Ellis during the first season of
"Baywatch." Since then Capo has paired up with Ellis as
the second unit cinematographer on numerous films, including The
Kid, The Perfect Storm, Deep Blue Sea, Soldier, The Negotiator,
Sphere, Desperate Measures, The Devil's Own and Waterworld. Since
then, Capo directed and photographed second unit on K-19: The Widow
Maker, The Thin Red Line, Message in a Bottle, Fly Away Home and
White Fang, and was the second unit director of photography for
Mission Impossible and Face/Off.
Among
Capo's many television credits, he was the main unit director on
"Baywatch Hawaii: The Boiling Point," and second unit
director of photography on "Nash Bridges" and "Thunder
in Paradise."
Michael
Bolton (Production Designer)
Michael Bolton adds his talents to the creative mix after recently
working on Out Cold, Saving Silverman, Wrongfully Accused and Romeo
Must Die. Bolton has also worked on several Disney projects including
Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco and White Fang. Other feature
films include The Fly II, Short Time, The Vagrant, Weekend at Bernie's
II, The Crush, Look Who's Talking Now, Hideaway and Golddiggers.
Eric
Sears, A.C.E. (Film Editor)
After graduating from the USC School of Cinema in 1975, Eric Sears
began his career as an Assistant Editor for Director Martin Scorsese
on the films New York, New York and The Last Waltz. Over the past
twenty-six years he has worked in both the feature film and television/cable
industries, earning such credits as Dad, Encino Man, Hot Shots and,
most recently, Original Sin. His work in cable television includes
HBO's "The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas
Cheerleader Murdering Mom," "The Rat Pack," "Cheaters,"
and "Gia."
Currently
Eric is on the Board of Directors of the American Cinema Editors,
an Editor's Peer Group member for the Television Academy of Arts
and Sciences, and is an Active Member in the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences.
In
1998, he was honored by both the Television Academy of Arts and
Sciences and The American Cinema Editors, receiving an Emmy and
an Eddie award for his outstanding work on "Gia."
Jori
Woodman (Costume Designer)
Jori Woodman has worked on numerous feature films including Mystery
Date, The Guilty, Stay Tuned, Lake Placid and Mr. Magoo. Woodman
designed the costumes for the Emmy-nominated miniseries "Titanic,"
starring Catherine Zeta Jones. Her television credits include "Season
of Fear," "The Laurie Samuels Story," "The Substitute"
and "Lake of the Woods."
Shirley
Walker (Composer)
Shirley Walker composed the spine-tingling score for the original
Final Destination. She will be frightening moviegoers with her equally
chilling score for New Line Cinema's remake of Willard, which will
be released in 2003.
Television
audiences were treated to Walker's dark, atmospheric underscore
for the short-lived but highly-acclaimed NBC/Dreamworks series "The
Others," about a team of psychics. But it was her signature,
high-energy, big-action, additional music that saved the day in
Universal's 1999 film Mystery Men.
Walker
broke industry ground with her work on 1995's Escape from L.A.,
a score she co-wrote with the film's director, John Carpenter, which
captures the dark, futuristic feel and industrial action of the
film while blending dashes of both "old west" and world
music. She then firmly established herself as a leading talent among
Hollywood film composers with her score for MGM's suspense thriller,
Turbulence. However, the most heralded is her gothic score for the
animated film, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, arguably the finest
Batman film music to date.
Widely
credited as a pioneer for women composers in the film industry,
Walker has maintained her status as one of today's most respected
members of the composing community with her scores for the award-winning
"Batman" and "Superman" animated series' from
Warner Bros., which have earned her multiple Daytime Emmy nominations
and one win. In 1999, she added to her legacy the highly acclaimed
"Batman Beyond," with its futuristic, techno/grunge rock
underscore, for which she garnered a Daytime Emmy award, the soundtrack
now available from Kid Rhino.
Other
recent TV credits include underscores for "Disappearance,"
a TBS film starring Harry Hamlin and Susan Dey; and HBO's popular
"Spawn" series.
Walker
began her professional music career as a piano soloist with the
San Francisco Symphony while still in high school, and later got
her first big break as a synthesist on Francis Ford Coppola's 1979
feature Apocalypse Now, and co-composing credit on Coppola's Black
Stallion in that same year. Award nominations have included a CableACE
nomination for the Blair Brown film "Majority Rule," a
Prime Time Emmy nomination for the Fox series, "Space: Above
and Beyond," and two Annie nominations; one for the animated
"Superman" Main Title Theme and, more recently, for her
original score for HBO's "Spawn" series.
Joe
Bauer (Visual Effect Supervisor)
Joe Bauer began his career in Visual Effects as a Supervisor/Coordinator
on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" for Paramount Pictures
Television. His relationship with the franchise continued for a
two-year stint on "Star Trek Voyager," where he received
a Primetime Emmy award for the series' pilot episode.
His
first feature was the action adventure Double Team, directed by
legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Tsui Hark. He then worked with Walt
Disney Pictures and director Mark Steven Johnson on the feature
Simon Birch. He followed that drama with the sci-fi thriller The
13th Floor, produced by Roland Emmerich. He worked again with Tsui
Hark and premiere action choreographer Yeun Wo Ping (Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon and The Matrix series) on the Miramax fantasy The
Legend of Zu. Most recently, he supervised visual effects for Bill
Paxton's directorial debut, Frailty.
Joe
Conmy (Visual Effects Coordinator)
Joe Conmy began his career working for Ivan Reitman's Northern Lights
Entertainment. He moved into the Visual Effects arena on "Hercules,
The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena, Warrior Princess,"
where he had an opportunity to work with legendary Matte Painter
and Visual Effects Supervisor Harrison Ellenshaw. Next, he worked
with Joe Bauer on the Miramax feature The Legend of Zu, for director
Tsui Hark and action director / fight choreographer Yuen Wo Ping.
Conmy was one of four Americans working on the picture, which was
shot entirely in Hong Kong and Beijing. Most recently, he worked
on Dimension Films' Scary Movie 2, with visual effects supervised
by one of the early pioneers of digital effects, Ariel Velasco Shaw.
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