Looping is a really fun process, and you get to see how layers of voices add dimension to a scene and bring it to life. It’s really cool. I got to play with a bunch of different local accents and voices and had a great time. The film looks awesome too, with lots of action and when it’s released in theaters next year I hope people come out to see it.

The story was brought to me as a “military team goes to the desert and gets killed by zombies” idea. Now, I’m not really into the whole zombies and vampires thing. It just doesn’t ring my bell. But the military thriller vibe intrigued me. So I got to work on the screenplay and came up with an alternative.

Black Ops team goes missing during Operation Desert Storm… and we unravel what exactly happened over the course of the story. No zombies, but something more like genetically mutated soldiers. Add some twists and turns and a central investigation that we keep cutting back to and voila! I have a script.

I got some really good responses on it and New Slant picked it up. As of now, we’re looking to shoot in 2012. Which is pretty darn exciting.

I’ll keep posting updates as they happen…

The film was shot on the RedOne Mysterium X camera (same as they used on The Social Network) and the story follows my character after he’s accidentally shot on a hiking trip and descends into a coma while he navigates his mind to return to his real life and his girlfriend who is being investigated for the shooting. It was a lot of fun to shoot and the little bit of footage that I saw looked really great. I look forward to the release of the film in February at Warner Bros.

He was looking to do something a little different than he has in his book. Something edgy, something geared to high fashion stuff. I had a great time doing this shoot. Ray is an awesome photographer and a great guy. His work can be seen at kachatorian.com

WOW! What a freakin dream that place is. Paradise on earth. Every bit worth the ridiculous hours of flight time to get there. My travel route was LA – Taipei – Kuala Lumpur – Padang. With an overnight stay in Kuala Lumpur and an hour and a half drive to the harbor from the Padang airport, and a 10 hour sail from the harbor to the islands, the total travel time was over 2 days.

But man, was it worth it! The surf was insane and I got some of the best waves I’ve ever had in my life. To add to the ridiculous nature of this trip, we were cruising in serious style on the Indies Trader 4. I posted some photos in the photos section for you to check out.

Here’s an article on the trip from the surf photographer extraordinaire Dave Collyer:
mentawaisurfphotos.com

Here are some more photos of the trip:

Web series are fast, fun and a great experience and I look forward to doing more down the road.

I had a great time working on this show. The cast and crew were awesome. Everyone was really really nice. It’s great to be able to work in a creative environment where the whole team is supportive of one another and creates an atmosphere of upbeat creativity. One of my scenes was pretty emotional and we shot it so many different ways. I was allowed the freedom to really explore the different facets and nuances of the moments in the scene. Very refreshing and very awesome experience. Thanks to the wonderful people at the show for having me on as a guest.

The political temperature of the day was electric. Things were changing in a huge way, and fast! People didn’t really know what to make of it. At least I didn’t. I was a 17 year old kid who had grown up in a country that was divided in so many ways, but that’s all I had known. I didn’t agree with it. But that’s just how things were. I lived in a country that was hated by the rest of the world. We were banned from the Olympics. Athletes of all disciplines were making a mass exodus overseas and disavowing their citizenship so that they could compete on an international level.

It was humiliating to see your heroes choose their careers over their identity as a South African. In hindsight, I totally understand it. But at the time, it was a little slap in the face every time one of our guys competed under another flag.

So when Mr Mandela was released from prison and the regime announced to the world that change was coming to the New South Africa, we were allowed back on the world stage. The skunk of the world was invited back into the house. I remember thinking “Geez, I hope we don’t make a fool of ourselves. Everyone already thinks we’re crap!”

The status quo was being shaken to it’s roots and there was a tangible fear in the air. We were on the brink of civil war and in one genius stroke of compassion, Nelson Mandela appealed to his people to throw their weapons into the sea. Reconciliation not war. That was the answer.  And this coming from a recent prisoner of the state, a terrorist in the eyes of the authorities of the day, now president of a new country rising from the ashes.

I remember vividly the opening game of the World Cup. School shut down for the morning and we all watched the game on a projector screen in the art department. So there I was. Sitting in my school uniform amongst a mostly white class, watching the World Cup Rugby – which was being hosted by SOUTH AFRICA. Surreal doesn’t begin to describe it.

And to seal the deal and confirm that being South African was no longer a point of shame, but rather a point of pride, the crowd in the stadium spontaneously broke into song. “Shosholoza” echoed throughout the stadium and through the airwaves across the world. This was a song of protest that was banned in the apartheid era. Being sung proudly and in support of our new country, our new president, our team. Our world had officially changed and I’ll never forget the moment. It was extremely emotional.

So that’s why it was an honor to work on this film. I had a great time working on the Warner Bros lot, and will cherish the idea that I got to contribute to the telling of a story that means so much to me personally.