Thursday, February 9, 2017

Brazilian Designer Takes Hollywood


Thompson Communications

PRESS RELEASE


Press Contact
Steve Thompson
Thompson Communications
856-942-4434
For Immediate Release

Brazilian Designer Takes Hollywood

(March, 2017, Los Angeles, CA) If you work in the entertainment industry you probably already heard her name, if you haven't, you will! In this awards season, we are all eyes on production designer and costume designer Carolina Inoue. She won the Best Production Design award with Kumal at the HIMPFF and is a nominee for W. I. F. F. for the same category. But that doesn't mean she stopped working to attend the events and Red Carpets. Carolina Inoue is one of the most requested non-union designers at the moment. Producers book her months and sometimes years ahead to make sure she will be available for their production.



She's being asked by big studios like Warner Bros., to join the union, but according to Inoue she's in a better place outside of the union right now: "I have been able to work in both union and non union productions and be paid union rates, so I'm not looking to join the union yet, but eventually I will," she said. Currently working in a non-union production, her following show is a union show. "The industry doesn't have enough union designers, so studios are allowed to get an excuse from the union to hire non union professionals" she explains. 
That gives her a tremendous advantage, because she's being making a name in the independent movies industry and already established great relationships in the main studios in Hollywood. The future of her career is in her hands. With dozens of titles as Production Designer and Costume Designer, only in the United States where she's been living for less than five years, she says she would never pick one over the other. 

"Production Design and Costume Design are tightly connected. One of the most often comments I most frequently receive is people wanting me to overlook both departments, even when we have separate professionals taking good care of each. That's because they trust my work in both. So why should I choose one or the other if dominating both is what makes me unique?” 

She has worked with Netflix, Disney, Universal NBC, Warner Bros, CBS, just to mention a few. Her talent and charismatic personality are the keys for getting into several productions, for which she's always being referred by someone she previously worked with. She has already lined up projects for the next four years.

Carolina receives so many scripts weekly, she has had to hire an assistant to help her read and sort the ones she wants to work with! When asked what she looks at when selecting the productions, she says: story, budget and director. As an artist she wants to be able to explore her creativity and create memorable sets. So, having a good story that can be visually appealing, the money to make it happen, and a director opened to suggestions, that let her create freely, is the way to get her!

Last year she worked on The Gliksmans, directed by M. Skolnick, starring the legendary actors Edward Asner and Cloris Leachman; The Open House, directed by Matt Angel and Suzzane Coote, and starring teen star Dylan Minnette.
She's now working on Open Mic with Award winning musicians Caro Pierotto and Willo Keys, in the pre-production of Keanu Reeves' next movie and post production of Downrange, directed by famous Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura. Inoue was also the Production Designer of the pilot for the series Faulk My Life, which is expected to be distributed by a major studio soon.


"Every script is a new adventure. The story begins on piece of paper, then I as the designer, create the universe that surrounds the story told in the script. I consider where the story takes place, when it takes place, who is in the story, who the characters are, and what we want the audience to think of them. The characters range anywhere from a rich, organized, intelligent man, to a messy, dirty, poor, miserable old lady. Their homes and clothes all have to communicate that.
What I love about my work is that I tell the character's story when they aren't speaking. I can tell the character's whole background story through the set design and costume design. That's a big power and responsibility. If I don't study the story and the characters deeply and carefully, I could mislead the audience and they could get confused or misunderstand the story.


I am truly grateful for all the opportunities I have received. I am one of the few professionals in Hollywood who started as head of their departments. Most people start out as a PA and work their way up. I'm very blessed to be given the opportunity and trust to lead my department for both Production Design and Costume Design. Work in film isn't easy, but seeing the result up on the big screen is really rewarding. I have several projects in pre-production for the next three years. The industry never stops and I'm looking forward to being on set with some of my biggest idols, some of whom I have already had the opportunity to work with."
Carolina Inoue is a hard working, talented designer, with an impressive, growing list of credits. The sky's the limit!
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Carolina Inoue is available for interview by appointment, 
pending availability.


Contact: Steve Thompson / Thompson Communications
856-942-4434


Monday, February 6, 2017

Director Gui Pereira, the "Cowboy Director" Bringing Brazilian Country Music to the USA and the World!

Thompson Communications 

PRESS RELEASE

Press Contact: 
Steve Thompson 
Thompson Communications 
856-942-4434 


Director Gui Pereira, the "Cowboy Director" 
Bringing Brazilian Country Music to the USA and the World! 

(March, 2017, Los Angeles, CA) Great, innovative music has come out of Brazil for generations. In the 60s, even Frank Sinatra recorded a version of The Girl from Ipanema.

Then Sergio Mendes brought Brazilian music to the world stage.

Today, Brazil has a dynamic country music scene, and director Gui Pereira has just completed filming a full length, feature film Coração de Cowboy, a passion project that he started when he was still in college.

On the Coração de Cowboy set

"The idea for Coração de Cowboy came to me when I watched Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges. It occurred to me that there are no films in Brazil that talk about country music, even though it has been the most popular genre there since the 70s.


On the Coração de Cowboy set

I always loved Brazilian country music and I have always been surprised at how similar it is to American country music. One thing that bothered me the most was the fact that people tend to treat Country music as something just for 'hillbillies,' and they don't see the richness presented in the truth of the lyrics. I was able to put together an A List celebrity cast because they all fell in love with how real the script and the story sounded. Making that movie was the best experience of my life."

Gui Pereira has an impressive twenty-five completed film credits on IMDb, and over seventy-five television directing credits!



Back in 2011 he directed very well received music videos for one of the top Brazilian country music artists Chitãozinho & Xororó.



Then in 2013, he directed the multi-festival award winning The Adventures of Sheriff Kid McLain, which starred Chris Devlin (Criminal Minds.) The western short film was shot at the iconic Melody Ranch Studios -- once owned by singing cowboy Gene Autry, and the location of Academy Award Winning Django Unchained, and countless other westerns.

View The Adventures of Sheriff Kid McLain Trailer

The Adventures of Sheriff Kid McLain went on to win the Best Action Short Film award from the 2013 ISFF, Hollywood, the Gold Chinh Award at the Chinh India International Children’s Film Festival, and several other awards.

"We have a distribution deal in Brazil for Coração de Cowboy and it is scheduled to go to theaters later this year. 

I do have quite a few more projects that I want to direct in this specific genre... not only necessary Westerns, but more movies about Country Music. I'm hoping to do a bio film about Chitãozinho & Xororó in the near future. I also have some stories that I want to tell about American country music that are currently in the early developing stages."



Gui has established himself as one of the biggest names in Brazilian film industry. As a very young director, he has already worked with the biggest names in Brazil such as Tom Cavalcante, Chitãozinho & Xororó, Jackson Antunes, Françoise Furton and many others. 

He coordinates his work between Los Angeles and Brazil.

We will be bringing you more information on director Gui Pereira’s upcoming country music projects as they develop!


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Gui Pereira is available for interview by appointment,
pending availability.


Contact: Steve Thompson / Thompson Communications

856-942-4434










Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Designer Carolina Inoue Starts 2017 Off Right! Wins Best Production Designer Award at the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival

Thompson Communications 

PRESS RELEASE

Press Contact: 
Steve Thompson 
Thompson Communications 
856-942-4434 
steve@thomcomm.net 


Designer Carolina Inoue Starts 2017 Off Right! 
Wins Best Production Designer Award at the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival

(February, 2017, Los Angeles, CA) Carolina Inoue is an award winning production and costume designer. This Japanese-Brazilian designer based in Los Angeles has worked in South America, Europe and now leaves her mark in Hollywood. She has become known for Kumal (2016), Red Souls (2016), The Meet (2016) and will soon be known for Downrange (2017), and many more!


She began the new year by earning a Best Production Designer award from the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival, for Kumal, directed by Thirati Kay, her second award for this movie.


Last year she worked on The Gliksmans, directed by M. Skolnick, starring the legendary actors Edward Asner and Cloris Leachman; The Open House, directed by Matt Angel and Suzzane Coote, and starring teen star Dylan Minnette. 

She's now working in the pre-production of Keanu Reeves' next movie, and was also the Production Designer of the pilot for the series Faulk My Life, which is expected to be distributed by a major studio soon.

Several of the movies she worked on last year went on to earn awards:

Red Souls - Best Film at Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival 

The Boy in the Mirror - Best Film - California Women's Film Festival

Not Yet - California Film Awards and International Filmmakers Festival of World Cinema - Milan

Run for the Truth - Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards

Daughter of an architect, she grew up helping her mother design luxury houses and apartments in Brazil. But she always had a passion for making clothes: "My mom taught me how to stitch when I was five, so I could make my own clothes for my dolls and stuffed animals."

She attended The University of Sao Paulo in Brazil earning a bachelor's degree in Fashion Design, specializing in Costume Design. After graduating she earned a scholarship to study Fine Arts and Design at the University of Porto (FBAUP) in Portugal. In the US she studied Business and Creativity at Stanford University, and film at the New York Film Academy.


That training opened the doors to the the theatre and movie industries. Once she began working in movies she discovered her passion for the art department. Designing and building sets reminds her of making sketches and floor plans with her mom! She started helping colleagues at their thesis films and through referrals and good networking, in less than a year she progressed from ultra low budget films to movies with budgets of millions of dollars.

She has now been working in costume design for seven years, and has worked in production design in the US  for about three years.



She is currently working as a costume designer with Ryuhei Kitamura, a well known Japanese director, on Downrange. She designed and hand made the villain's costume. The villain's mask will be featured in the film's marketing as the "face" of the movie.  And for Hector Echavarris on The Pastor, she's making the hero's costume.

"Every script is a new adventure. The story begins on piece of paper, then I as the designer, create the universe that surrounds the story told in the script. I consider where the story takes place, when it takes place, who is in the story, who the characters are, and what we want the audience to think of them. The characters range anywhere from a rich, organized, intelligent man, to a messy, dirty, poor, miserable old lady. Their homes and clothes all have to communicate that. 

What I love about my work is that I tell the character's story when they aren't speaking. I can tell the character's whole background story through the set design and costume design. That's a big power and responsibility. If I don't study the story and the characters deeply and carefully, I could mislead the audience and they could get confused or misunderstand the story."



At the moment she is beginning work on a pilot for Netflix, and she has several other projects lined up for this year.

"I am truly grateful for all the opportunities I have received. I am one of the few professionals in Hollywood who started as head of their departments. Most people start out as a PA and work their way up. I'm very blessed to be given the opportunity and trust to lead my department for both Production Design and Costume Design. Work in film isn't easy, but seeing the result up on the big screen is really rewarding. I have several projects in pre-production for the next three years. The industry never stops and I'm looking forward to being on set with some of my biggest idols, some of whom I have already had the opportunity to work with."

Carolina Inoue is a hard working, talented designer, with an impressive, growing list of credits. 2017 looks to be a spectacular year for her, and beyond? The sky's the limit!

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Carolina Inoue is available for interview by appointment, 
pending availability.

Contact: Steve Thompson / Thompson Communications
856-942-4434