- Black Wing Digital

Black Wing Digital Entertainment
A Meryem Ersoz Digital Feature
Starring
Dean Cain
Natalie Distler
Malcolm Mcdowell
Izzie Steele
Contact:
Meryem Ersoz
740 13th St.
Boulder, CO 80302
Black Wing Digital
720-329-5007
• A Mind-Bending Media Company •
MINDʼS EYE
Synopsis
A young high-school musician, Mattie Carver, is on a strange and unpredictable journey
through the looking-glass world of the mind’s eye. Joined by her science teacher, the school
psychologist, two mysterious men in black, and her closest friends, Mattie must find the
truth in a constantly morphing reality before it slips away from her forever.
MIND’S EYE is a sci-fi psychological mind-bender similar to INCEPTION, SOURCE
CODE, and MULHOLLAND DRIVE and deals with the paradoxes of time and memory,
trauma and loss.
Black Wing Digital
• A Mind-Bending Media Company •
Q&A with the Producer - Meryem Ersoz
What attracted you to the original screenplay?
Mark Daniels' original screenplay was entitled "Out of the Mind's Eye." I've always been
drawn towards mind-bending films and also towards films which are about films. His
screenplay had both of these elements. In the original story, Mattie is drawn to the mysterious
theater where she is treated to revelations about why these strange things are happening to
her. I thought it would be interesting to expand this idea to include all of the primary
characters, so that we could see how our minds are like little movie screens where, especially
in the aftermath of traumatic moments, we replay those moments over and over again in
these insistent, fragmentary ways.!
I've always been interested in perception and the way our minds shape reality. We have a
whole world inside our heads and it is in a constant feedback loop with the world outside. We
see the past replaying itself constantly, while the world outside appears to move forward in
linear time. Time is always passing in two ways simultaneously for us, and the medium we
have invented to represent the marriage of linear time with memory time is film.!
I'm probably a little nuts for trying to represent this abstract duality in my first film, but I
always try to do the hardest things first. It makes everything else easy to do, by comparison.!
I like strange things, like prime numbers, moebius strips, palindromes, paradoxes, mysteries,
enigmas. I think of MIND'S EYE as a moebius strip - it begins and ends in exactly the same
place, staring into the cosmos at the Milky Way. The Milky Way itself is a little mindbending to me because we live inside it but, in the sky, it appears to us as a singular object
which is "out there" and far, far away. That's the kind of stuff I like to contemplate. The
world in a grain of sand. The fact that we are spinning around on this giant ball of dirt
somewhere in space, having these unique experiences.
That sounds pretty abstract. But I tried to explore these complex ideas while keeping the film
grounded in the small world of the intimate relationship between best friends who share one
very bad moment in time, which has the effect of sending time itself into turmoil. !
It was another bit of grace that Izzie Steele and Natalie Distler got along very well and
became friends throughout the course of the shoot. Most of the planetarium montage was
shot improvisationally. We had a steadicam operator follow them around the museum with
the simple mandate to "go play." I think those moments, along with the flashback scenes,
display the depth of their bond and their affection for each other, which is what makes the
tragedy of the car crash powerful. That bit where they make the shadow puppet of the heart
using their two hands was a completely unscripted and spontaneous gesture on their part. I
was so happy when I was reviewing the footage and came across it.
One of my other favorite bits in the film is the flashback of Mattie and Jess camping, where
Jess is whomping Mattie with a pillow. We actually set up a tent on the floor in my studio, lit
the tent, and cut a few branches from a tree outside my door. Here we are in one of the most
beautiful camping states in the world, Colorado, and our camping scene is set on a
nondescript concrete floor. That is the power of movie magic. !
Were there other things which were altered from the original screenplay?
The original screenplay had Mattie involved in a bus crash. We are a small independent film,
so we could only afford a car crash. Actually, this worked out well because it allowed us to
make the central tragedy of the film play out between the two best friends as a cycle of blame
and guilt.!It became less about the spectacle of a big crash and more about what happens
between the people involved.!
Also, Mr. Willis was much older in the original treatment, so we decided to make him
younger and hotter and throw in a bit of romance between Willis and Carloftis. They stand in
for Mattie’s absent parents but also have to resolve a few of their own issues, so that they can
help Mattie.!
Science is almost a form of mysticism for Willis. Understanding science helps him to
understand better those things which defy it. His counterpart, Toni Carloftis, has to get to the
bottom of why she unconsciously chose an inappropriate profession for herself, as a result of
her mother's tragic death. She has to "give up" therapy for true connections to the people
around her, which is the source of her character's transformation.
My casting director, Mark Sikes, called me up after our LA casting sessions, where we were
primarily looking for Willis and Jess Selvy. He told me that he wanted to "put somebody
really good" in the role of Mr. Simms, the orchestra conductor, but he also told me that the
only way it would work out would be if we re-wrote the part to flesh out Mr. Simms' role in
the film. Mr. Simms, who was originally a minor character, now book-ends the beginning and
the end of the film and interplays nicely with our scenes featuring Aiyana, the silent violinist.!
We were very fortunate to be able to bring Malcolm Mcdowell to Colorado. He brings such
an outstanding presence to the film and played the character with a great deal of compassion.!
Yeah, about Aiyana…what is up with that girl, anyway? Is she even real?
That's a good question and exactly the type of question that a proper mind-bending film
leaves you asking, so that you watch it again almost immediately after it ends! I think of
Aiyana as serving a function which is similar to the spinning top at the end of INCEPTION.
She takes this nice, neat package and unwinds it, so we don't know exactly whether she is
Mattie's mental projection or some sort of reincarnated spirit of Jess or a real friend/foe of
Mattie's - or what??!
I think a good mind-bending film begs its audience to go out for coffee and explore the places
in the film where things are not what they seem. Hopefully, the audience wants to watch the
film again and catch all of the small touches, the thematic echoes in the soundtrack, the hints
which are dropped, etc. In the first scene inside the Revelation Church, Edgar pretty much
tells Mattie "now you've spoiled everything" because she has basically guessed exactly what
is happening -- that she has been in a car crash and that these two characters are essentially
spirit guides -- only she doesn't realize it consciously at that point in the story.!A good mindbending film loops the audience back into the movie. The end is usually somewhere in the
beginning, only you don't realize it until the end.
Lucine Fyelon, who plays Aiyana, is! a world-class violinist. She used to play a
background artist on GLEE. She also played her violin in the Apple commercial which
features an orchestra. She has been touring all over the world with her talent in recent
years. Her improvisational interpretations of Mattie's recital piece on the set left us all in
awe. I used to teach silent films, so I think she is an important character in the film. In my
mind, at least, she is modeled after those beautiful silent film stars, like Theda Bara or
Maria Falconetti, who only conveyed their characters through their faces and gestures.
The entire sense of reality in the film turns on her speaking just a few lines at the end of
the film.!
The men in black are similar to Aiyana - a persistent echo of Mattie's and Jess'
experiences. They have a real-world identity, as the paramedics who picked up Jess from
the scene of the accident, and they have this more spectral men-in-black quality, where
they are partly savior and partly menacing.!
My mother was a physician, who set up a model emergency response system in
Southwestern Pennsylvania back in the 1970s, so I grew up during a time when critical
care medicine was still an emerging field. Paramedics feel your heart, your pulse, they are
doused in your blood. This intimate contact with total strangers who are, in the moment,
totally committed to your life is a precarious and precious thing.
What was the most challenging part about producing the film?
I had a big “oops” moment, once I had committed to the project, because suddenly I
needed a youth orchestra. Fortunately, Fairview High School in Boulder has one of the
best youth orchestra programs in the country. Who knew? This was complete blind and
dumb luck, another one of those inexplicable moments which relied on grace and
synchronicity to bring this part of the film together.!
I was lucky to meet up with Brett and Stephanie Wallace, a couple who worked at
Fairview and conducted the orchestra. They were extremely generous and cooperative.
Brett had been rehearsing a 19th-century orchestral arrangement with the group which
was out of copyright and therefore easy to clear for the film. I came to their rehearsal and
realized that this piece had a ton of solo violin which was another big "uh-oh" moment.
Since Izzie doesn't actually play the violin, that was problematic.!
Right after they played through this piece, they launched into a second number - "Winter
Mountains." I really liked the sound of it. It was very cinematic, and we could easily hide
Izzie in the orchestra. As it turned out, one of the Fairview kids, the pianist Kevin Sun,
had written this amazing piece of music. It was a student composition, inspired by our
beautiful mountains in Boulder, Colorado. It was a huge advantage to me because
licensing the music became a simple matter. But better yet, it fit the film so perfectly. I use
Kevin's piece throughout the film, during the orchestra scene, during Jess and Mattie's
flashback/merging sequence and also Kevin's solo piano bit during Jess' death sequence. I
think that single, forlorn, lonely, echoing piano works very potently with her passing.
Music seems like a very vital part of this film.
I'm a musician myself. In fact, you can hear a bit of trumpet playing echoing through the alley.
I laid those two short trumpet tracks in my studio. One of the things I love about independent
filmmaking is you can put your fingerprints all over the film, and there is no one to stop you.
I've been a musician since fourth grade, and I've always thought that music happens at a very
cellular level. There is the obvious fact that music can affect our mood and our sense of wellbeing. But I always found the act of playing seems to rearrange my being at a very deep level,
which extends beyond just shifting our mood. I think there is a molecular interaction between a
music and an instrument. When I have been playing a lot, my instrument feels lighter, more
vibrant. When I set it aside for long stretches, it plays and feels "heavy." A musical instrument
is a prosthetic limb, almost a type of extended extrasensory apparatus that allows us another
way to experience ourselves. Making good music makes us better human beings. It raises our
vibration, our frequency. It is healing.
I actually shot the macro slow-motion shots of the violin breaking up myself, with a small
second unit. The breaking violin, the bloody BFF necklace, and the milkshake were added
later. There are days when it pays to be able to break out the camera, and grab a few images on
your own. I don't know many other producers who can do this. But I wanted something which
would stand in for Jess' broken body, which was also strongly symbolic of Mattie.
I wanted the violin to be a very central image to the film. In folklore, it is considered "the
devil's instrument," so it has automatic gothic connotations. As a cinematographer, I love
wood. You can light wood in the most beautiful ways. Our DP, Jon Firestone, was able to get
some powerful and unique shots, like the long dolly shot through all of the cellos and bass
violins.!There’s a quiet power in those silent instruments, which takes us back into Mattie’s
internal world.
Most of the soundtrack music is written and composed by Colorado bands. Colorado has a
distinct emerging musical sound, you can call it gothic bluegrass or gothic rockabilly. I tried to
give the film a very Colorado-specific overall feel.
The really cruxy tune in the film is "Walking Shadows" by Tres Altman. This is an inspired
piece of music. The reference of course is to William Shakespeare's play Macbeth.
Shakespeare's "life's but a walking shadow" speech is one of the great existential soliloquies of
all time, and it still moves me whenever I read it. Tres reproduced this existential feeling in a
song which works remarkably well with the reveal of the car crash, which is also the reveal of
Deep and Edgar's true identities. My hopes is that when people hear this song juxtaposed by
the fear and grief of the characters, there won't be a dry eye in the house. It's heart-breaking at
times, this living and dying thing that we do.!
I knew when I heard this song that it was either going to be used in the car crash reveal, or it
would be used during Jess' death sequence. When my director, Mark Grove, decided to shoot
the car crash reveal in slow motion, it worried me a little bit, that it would be too much slowmotion for such a pivotal scene, but once I saw the images coupled with the song, it became
one of those moments of grace for the film, where things come together exactly as they are
supposed to.
Q & A With the Director - Mark Steven Grove
What was your favorite scene in the film to shoot?
I loved so many scenes, but by far my favorite was the car crash sequence. So much story
was told with emotion rather than words. That moment of clarity in a disastrous event
where you notice everything at once. The screeching of the tires, the sound of metal
bending, the smell of oil, smoke pouring from the burning engine, shattered glass falling all
around, the sound of breathing, the sirens, people scrambling about, blood on the ground,
feet running toward you. As I remember shooting it, I was so focused on the smallest
details. As I set up the shots, I really wanted to capture the actors responding to all this
sensory input. I spoke with them about what I wanted and I can honestly say they
embraced the scene entirely. It was the one piece of the puzzle that all our characters had in
common, the tie that bound them to one another.
Did you have a favorite location - what was it, why?
There were many great locations, visually. Especially the planetarium and the outdoor
theater…but by far, my favorite location was probably the simplest. I liked the high school.
When I stepped into the hallways for the first time, I remember a sense of my own childhood
creep back in my brain. I think all schools have certain visceral elements that remain the
same. They somehow allow you to remember the time when the world was still a blank
slate before you. All the possibilities of where life will take you. The flip side is that high
school is also where we begin testing our personal power. Popularity holds a lot of value.
This is a huge foundation in Mind’s Eye as we travel into the inner workings of our
characters sub-conscious realities. The pressures of high school are very evident in the
emotions projected by Mattie and Jess as they try to regain a hold on what is real and what
isn’t.
Was there anything particularly demanding about shooting this film?
Our producer Meryem Ersoz did hee very best to make this a smooth shoot, but one thing
that is never easy, are location changes…especially if you have to return to the same
location later in the shoot. And we shot twenty locations in thirty days. It’s always best to
shoot everything you need at one location before moving to the next. But we had to deal
with the schedules of some of our stars and a few other variables that made this impossible.
So we had to bounce back and forth a bit. But the fact that all our locations were so
cinematic made the moves less stressful.
What did you most enjoy about working with these actors?
I enjoyed the diversity. Like most actors they each came with different levels of
experience, but we had local Colorado actors and actors from both coasts. These
geographical differences may seem insignificant, but there are definite unique qualities to
each. I came on board after our producer Meryem had already done a casting call in New
York. When I first watched the audition tapes, I found two stand outs that I thought were
amazing, and the strange part was that they read together. When I watched the chemistry
between Izzie Steele and Andrew Trainor I was blown away. Meryem was in agreement
and even though we had not yet left on our LA trip to see additional actors, we were sure
they were right for the picture.
I can honestly say Dean Cain was one of the best actors I have been privileged to work with.
Not only did he know his lines, he knew everyone else’s lines as well. He was also
completely in tune with what the camera was doing at every moment that he would help his
fellow actors with knowing how to adjust. And working with Malcolm Mcdowell is an
experience I will never forget. He is one of those actors who is naturally gifted and is just
meant to share that quality with the world. He has flawless timing combined with the ability
to elevate any actor working with him to the next level.
Making the trip to LA gave us more great choices and we brought in Natalie Distler, Aaron
Perilo, Lucine Fyelon, Jesse Kove, and of course the amazing Dean Cain and the magnificent
Malcolm Mcdowell. Add them to Migina Tsai and all our local Colorado performers and you
have a spectacular cast!
What do you think is the essence of the film? the story? How would you describe its
emotional content?
This is a story of change, of our connection to one another on a super conscious level that
determines our individual realities. Normally the ability to actually tap into and control this
level of consciousness is not possible, but a tragic accident involving our two main girls,
Mattie and Jess, somehow allows them to tap into a mind bending dynamic that pulls the two
of them and a handful of others into an alternate reality which makes them question the world
around them and how it works. They are all drawn into fragmented versions of their daily
lives with both subtle and extreme differences, making them all question their sanity.
What we ultimately discover is that they all had painful events in their lives that were
keeping them from growing as people, holding them back from their true potential. They are
forced to face these repressed emotions to discover the secret to escaping their mental prison.
What I found so enticing about this story is that when you break it down, it’s all about
realizing that the choices you make have an effect on those around you. We are often so
focused on what we need as individuals that we don’t consider the ripple effect our actions
can create.
Describe two memorable moments during the shooting of the film.
Although I enjoyed shooting the subtle mind-bending elements of this film, I have to say my
most memorable scenes are effects-driven. Watching Mattie step out of her house to witness
a huge tornado a short distance away that sends a piece of debris to strike her in the head…
then waking up in her orchestra room in high school to discover she fainted. Or when she
sees an empty door frame sitting alone amidst a forest of trees that when she steps through
magically transports her to the interior of an old church. I loved the events that can’t be
explained as a trick to the eye or mistaken identity. The key to building this film was to make
these transitions through time and space believable, unique, and interesting.
Black Wing Digital
• A Mind-Bending Media Company •
MEET THE CAST
DEAN CAIN - Mark Willis
Dean was born in Mount Clemens Michigan, the
son of actress Sharon Thomas and Roger Tanaka.
In 1969, Cain's mother married film director
Christopher Cain, who adopted Dean and his
brother, and the family moved to Malibu,
California. At Santa Monica High School, Dean
excelled in sports.
He graduated from high school in 1984 and was
offered athletic scholarships to 17 universities, but
decided to attend Princeton University.
After graduating, Dean signed on as a free agent
with the Buffalo Bills, but a training camp injury
ended his football career prematurely. With little hope of returning to sports, he turned to
screenwriting and then acting, shooting dozens of commercials and appearing on popular
television shows like GRAPEVINE, A DIFFERENT WORLD, and BEVERLEY HILLS
90210. In 1993, Cain took on his biggest role to date as Superman in the television series
LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, an iconic role for which
he still is known around the world. At the height of its popularity, it would bring in an
average of at least 15 million viewers per episode. The series ran for four seasons, ending in
1997.
In 1998, he started the Angry Dragon Entertainment production company, which produced
the television series RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT. He has also starred in several films,
including THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB (2000), OUT OF TIME (2003) and BAILEY’S
BILLIONS (2004)
Dean made a return to the Superman franchise, with a special guest role in a seventh season
episode of SMALLVILLE as the immortal Dr. Curtis Knox. He was recently a contestant in
an NBC celebrity reality competition series STARS EARN STRIPES. He won 4 out of 6
missions on the show and came in 3rd in the final. Dean is #33 on VH1‘s 40 Hottest Hotties
of the '90s.
NATALIE DISTLER - Jess Selvy
Natalie Distler has been acting in
musical theater since she was four
years old. In 2004, she landed a
starring role playing Colleen Gavin,
daughter of Denis Leary's character
Tommy Gavin in the FX Networks' hit
television series RESCUE ME.
Once the series' seven-year run ended
in 2011, Natalie began to focus on her
musical career, fronting the American
country pop music duo, Archertown,
which she formed with Kyle Archer,
whom she recently married. Between
touring the US, recording in Nashville,
and planning her wedding, Natalie also
has managed to star in a number of
films, including the 2013 indie hit
LONELY BOY, which won Best
Feature Film at the Palm Beach
International Film Festival.!
IZZIE STEELE - Mattie Carver
Izzie Steele is a classically trained stage actress with a mad, hot passion for Shakespearean
theater. She is currently starring in the Irish classic Playboy of the Western World at The
Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey,
where she has also has performed in
lead and supporting roles in HENRY
IV, PART ONE, ALL’S WELL
THAT ENDS WELL,
MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM,
ROMEO AND JULIET, TAMING
OF THE SHREW, THE ODYSSEY,
and AS YOU LIKE IT. Izzie is a
member of the Equity Actor’s
Association.
In 2012, she guest starred as Wendy
Davis on NBC’s popular television
series, LAW AND ORDER SVU.
MALCOLM MCDOWELL - Mr. Simms
Malcolm John Taylor was born on June 13,
1943 in Leeds, England, to working-class
parents Charles and Edna Taylor. His father
was a publican and an alcoholic. Malcolm
hated his parents' ways and fought against it.
His father was keen to send his son to private
school to give him a good start in life, so
Malcolm was packed off to boarding school
at age 11. He attended the Tunbridge
Boarding School and the Cannock House
School in Eltham, Kent. At school, he was
beaten with the slipper or cane every Monday
for his waywardness. Whilst at school, he
decided that he wanted to become an actor.
He attended the London Academy of Music
and Art to study acting.
His first big-screen role was in POOR COW
(1967), although his two-minute scene was
ultimately cut from the completed film. Soon
after, he caught the attention of director Lindsay Anderson who cast him in the role of a
rebellious student in his film IF....(1968). The film catapulted Malcolm to stardom in Britain
but failed everywhere else. He starred as the infamous Alex DeLarge in Stanley
Kubrick’s controversial film, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971), a role that caused
him to be typecast as a manic psychopathic villain. In early 1976, he spent nearly a
year working on what would later be one of the most infamous films of all time, the semipornographic CALIGULA (1979), financed by Penthouse magazine founder Bob Guccione.
Around that time, the British film industry collapsed, forcing him to flee to America to
continue working. His first American film was TIME AFTER TIME (1979).
In the mid-1980s, nobody wanted to cast him for playing younger roles. The big roles
having dried up, he did many B-rated movies. The 1990s were kinder to him, though. In
1994, he was cast as Dr. Tolian Soran, the man who killed Captain James T. Kirk in STAR
TREK: GENERATIONS (1994). He was back on the track, playing villains again. Today,
with more than 100 films under his belt, he is one of the greatest actors in America.
He still does not have American citizenship, but he likes the no-nonsense American ways.
SUPPORTING CAST
THE MINDʼS EYE SUPPORTING ENSEMBLE
A unique mix of seasoned actors and new talent
LUCINE FYELON (Aiyana) - World class violinist and actor. Background musical
performer for multiple episodes of GLEE. Orchestra player for Apple Iphone 5commercial.
Classically trained soprano vocalist. Lucine has appeared in the FAME remake,
DAYBREAK, ENTOURAGE, HOUSE OF LIES, GREEK. She h as recorded with Will.i.am
and performed at the Grammy Awards and Telemundo Awards.
MIGINA TSAI (Toni Carloftis) - Conservatory trained at the London Dramatic Academy in
affiliation with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Full time actor and model in New York
City. Migina has appeared on CELEBRITY GHOST STORIES and worked on numerous
TV commercials and in print.
ANDREW TRAINOR (Riley Hayes) - MIND’S EYE is the break-out role which motivated
Andrew to quit his finance program at Williams College, move to Santa Monica. and produce
his first short film, featuring Natalie Distler. His parents have still not forgiven Meryem and
Mark for discovering their son.
MONTE MARKHAM (Dr. Fletcher) - Monte is a veteran character actor, best known for
his years on BAYWATCH. His television debut began with MISSION IMPOSSIBLE in
1966, and he has worked steadily in film and television ever since, on diverse projects
including MOD SQUAD, PERRY MASON, the original HAWAII FIVE-O, THE LOVE
BOAT, FANTASY ISLAND, MURDER, SHE WROTE, MELROSE PLACE, STAR TREK:
DEEP SPACE NINE, DIAGNOSIS MURDER. He is still remembered for his role as the
seven million dollar man on the 70s hit TV show THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN.
AARON PERILO (Jim Bonza) - Best known for his role in the 2011 film IN TIME as well
as his television work as a recurring guest on TRUE BLOOD. Also appeared on
CSI:MIAMI, NCIS, and THE CLOSER. Aaron recently wrapped six episodes of the
television series SUSANNA, where Aaron played opposite Anna Paquin.
JESSE KOVE (Fritz) - son of Martin Kove, his new horror film AXE GIANT: THE
WRATH OF PAUL BUNYAN recently debuted on the Syfy channel.
KEVIN SEAN RYAN (Edgar Lehman) - Kevin is required to appear in every film which
Meryem produces. He is one of Colorado’s most prolific and talented local actors. He has
worked on dozens of local projects from Colorado Lottery commercials to feature films.
DAVID WILLIAM MURRAY FISHER (Deep Vincent) - David has spent most of his
acting career on the theatrical stage, appearing in ROBIN HOOD, SHE STOOPS TO
CONQUER, and SHERLOCK HOLMES, to name a few. He recently moved to Vancouver to
increase his opportunties to work in television and film.
Black Wing Digital
• A Mind-Bending Media Company •
MEET THE FILMMAKERS
Meryem Ersoz - Producer
Meryem Ersoz is emerging as one of the top local Colorado producers. She is one of only
two producers in Colorado who has pushed multiple films through the recently approved
state tax incentives program, first with the production of MIND'S EYE, and most recently in
the spring of 2013, with the production of DEAR ELEANOR, directed by Kevin Connolly
and starring Luke Wilson, Jessica Alba, and Ione Skye.!
She comes to producing by way of her background in cinematography. Her work has
appeared on NOVA, Versus, Comcast Entertainment Channel, National Geographic, and
Lifetime. She also has worked on national commercial campaigns for big names like
Conoco, Audi/Ducati, and Wendy's. In 2011, she helped to record Bob Barker's rescue of
forty lions from inhumane conditions in Bolivian circuses and their subsequent relocation to
the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado for the documentary film LION ARK, which is
slated to begin its festival run this fall.!
Her local clients have included the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Boulder
Neurosurgical Associates, and nSpire Health. For several years, she also produced and shot
multi-cam productions for the Boulder Peak Triathlon and its parent company, 5430 Sports.
She was also part of the team which produced Jason Mraz' most recently released music
video 93 Million Miles.!
She turned her energy towards producing feature films only three years ago, and in that time
frame, she has produced four other feature films, in addition to still working as a
cinematographer. She is currently marshalling these films through various stages of postproduction. Additionally, she has a slate of several other feature films which are in various
stages of development and pre-production. She is also working on a long-term documentary
project for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Boulder.
Meryem is known for her work ethic and for re-inventing herself constantly. She also has a
Ph.D. in film history and American literature. She taught film and lit at the University of
Oregon and at CU-Denver for twelve years, before she was hit with production fever. Her
academic pedigree has come in surprisingly handy in many unexpected circumstances.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3230932
Mark Steven Grove - Director
Mark Steven Grove made his directorial debut in 1999 with the action/martial arts film THE
DRAGON AND THE HAWK. In 2005 he directed the action/horror film THE SHADOW
WALKERS, which was released by Lionsgate.In 2008 He co-directed and starred in one of
his own screenplays, Gathering of Heroes: Legend of the Seven Swords. He also wrote and
directed TENGU: THE IMMORTAL BLADE, an action/ scifi adventure, before being
brought on board to direct MIND'S EYE.!
In 1988 Mark began a career in the film industry as a stuntman. He enrolled in a stunt
workshop being taught by veteran Stunt Coordinators and Stunt Performers and quickly
proved that his ability to perform stunts was equal to his ability to perform martial arts. He
was taken under the wing of influential stunt professionals who exposed him all aspects of the
industry. A few months after embarking on his journey, he was on-set as an apprentice.
Inspired by watching the behind the scenes process, he decided to focus his attention learning
special effects. He excelled in this arena and began developing processes for how to give
bullet hits and blood effects his own signature look. He employed his ideas on a few movies
and very soon after, received an award for his innovation in the field. !
Mark began studying martial arts in 1972. His focus included swordsmanship, unarmed
fighting, acrobatics and a multitude of exotic weapons. At the young age of 17, he was asked
to conduct a seminar at a local martial arts facility. Almost two hundred people attended the
first event. He continued teaching for many years, and in 1988 he was hired as the martial arts
instructor for the Lowry Air Force base in Denver. Mark has! taught the Denver Police,
National Guard, ATF, and since 9/11 he has been involved with training the TSA
(Transportation Security Administration) with terrorist response skills.
Mark brings his extensive experience as a stunt coordinator to his directing.! He has made use
of his knowledge of martial arts, stunts and special effects on dozens of films and television
shows.!
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0343980/"
Jon Firestone - Director of Photography
Jon Firestone has been obsessed with producing science fiction and fantasy images since he
picked up his first tape-based camera in 1992. He left an electrical engineering degree in
1999, once he realized that he was spending all of his free time shooting films with his
friends, and enrolled in the Colorado Film School. At the time, CFS was in the process of
trying to shift from tape-based workflows to digital production. Jon quickly became
instrumental in bringing new technologies and digital workflows to the school.
A short time later, Jon was put in charge of implementing the school's Maya certification
program and was subsequently hired by the school to build the curriculum for the school's
animation program.!
While employed by the film school, John invested in a Sony HDW-700, one of Sony's
earliest tape-based high-definition video cameras, which he used to build a successful
commercial business. Due to these pioneering efforts, Jon became a beta-tester for several
major camera gear manufactures and was soon publishing his findings in industry trade
journals. Based on his growing reputation as a technician and as a camera operator, Jon was
invited by a local producer to work as Director of Photography for the feature film
STAINED GLASS WINDOWS. Since that time, he has DP'ed five other feature films as
well as working as 2nd unit DP and camera operator on over ten other feature films.!
In addition, he has DP'd and directed dozens of other commercial projects for diverse clients
such as Jimmy John's, Anthony's Pizza, the Alive 25 program, and the Department of
Homeland Security. He has also shot a substantial body of documentary and event work,
including concerts for Jason Mraz, Devotchka, and Airborne Toxic Event. Recently, he shot
from a helicopter for National Geographic at the Wildlife Animal Sanctuary.!
Although Jon is widely acknowledged for his reputation as a technician, his true passion and
commitment is to telling stories visually. Sculpting with light and shadows has always been
at the center of his artistic heart. Jon blends his extensive technical knowledge with his
artistic skill, pushing the edge of imaging technology to produce the finest images possible.!
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2112033
Mark Daniels - Screenwriter
Mark Daniels is an award-winning writer for stage and screen. His first screenplay was a
top five finalist at the international WILDsound Screenwriting Festival in Toronto. He has
had numerous screenplays optioned and purchased, including projects with Elaine Hendrix
(THE PARENT TRAP), Darrin Henson (THE EXPRESS), and Zane Levitt (UNSTABLE).
His screenplay for MIND’S EYE is based upon his experiences while working at a high
school. “There was not one day that was exactly like another, which created this crazy setup
for alternative realities and personalities taking place among the main character,” states
Daniels.
He is currently working with New Zealand filmmaker David Blyth on a project called
BREAKING NEWS.
Mark Daniels is represented by The Robb Company.
Mark Sikes - Casting Director!
Mark Sikes began his casting career in 1992 for Academy Award-winning filmmaker Roger
Corman. In the past 20 years he has cast over 100 films and several television series,
commercials and web series. He has cast projects for top directors such as Tobe Hooper,
Mark Jones and Luke Greenfield as well as many others.!
Over the years Mark has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood including
Dennis Hopper, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ron Perlman and Roy Scheider.!
Mark has consistently assembled casts that delivered the necessary name value to make his
projects commercially successful no matter what the budget. He has extensive background in
family films, horror, action, science-fiction, comedy and drama.!
One of his latest projects, the romantic comedy “Is it just me?” was selected by over 40 film
festivals worldwide and won numerous awards.!
Mark is originally from Springfield, Massachusetts where he ran several high school drama
programs as well as founding a summer theatre program for teens in Western Massachusetts.!
He currently teaches three weekly on-camera, audition technique classes in Culver City. His
Hollywood advice column, “The Casting Corner,” appears on the website,
www.showfax.com, every Monday morning.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0797696/
Black Wing Digital
• A Mind-Bending Media Company •
About Black Wing Digital Entertainment
Black Wing Digital Entertainment produces feature films and documentaries that probe the
surfaces of things to find the mysteries beneath. Our films tell the stories behind the stories.
We look past convention, past expectations, into invisible realms where things are not what
they seem. Beyond the obvious. Beyond psychology. Black Wing Digital focuses on the
production of mind-bending films that challenge viewers' perceptions.!
The label concept was inspired by producer Meryem Ersoz' life-long love affair with mindbending classics such as THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, THE TWILIGHT ZONE, LA
JETEE, JACOB'S LADDER, PI, MEMENTO, THE MATRIX, and MULHOLLAND
DRIVE.!
More information:
http://www.blackwingdigital.com
Additional Mind’s Eye information:
http://www.minds-eyemovie.com
Contact:
Meryem Ersoz
720-329-5007
1311 Yellow Pine Ave., Boulder, CO 80304
[email protected]