The Almost End of Winter Newsletter
Hi and happy almost end of winter to all our friends! It's been a busy and exciting few months here at Pie in the Sky Studios and we're looking forward to the rest of 2015 as we work on upping our game even more with service and facility resources so that all of our work with all of you amazing people will be even more exciting and worry free. That's our entire business plan for this year! To ask, listen and learn from what YOU our clients are saying and to use your reviews to help make every shoot professional, successful and very memorable. We're a family run studio and we have a lot of love for the art of film, it's more than a business really, it's our home and we take great pride in our work and you have and keep helping us grow. So! To spice things up during this crispy cold time! We've decided to ask YOU our favorite people to review and share your Pie experiences with us, when you do were' going to put your name in a raffle to win a $500.00 discount on your next shoot at Pie! All you have to do is click the link below and write a short review, answer a few questions and boom you're entered into our raffle! CLICK HERE TO ENTER (http://www.piestudios.ca/#!customer-survey/c1vq4) Toronto's own Serena Ryder and what she means to the artists of today. Check out Pie in the Sky Studio's Blog for an article about Serena Ryder and the type of artist we love to support here at Pie in the Sky. We were so lucky to have Serena in the studio with us a while ago, it helps that we are all big fans! Check out the article here (http://www.piestudios.ca/#!Torontos-own-Serena-Ryder-and-what-she-means-to-the-artists-of-today-/c1y3a/4F139F48-9340-431D-B79B-B76FBE956623) Here at Pie in the Sky we live for beautiful and successful shoots! That's why getting this sort of review means the world to us: "I just wanted to write to say thank you SO much for everything. The shoot was a success - it was such an amazing environment to work in. Dominic hung out and even helped out in the shoot - we were so thankul to have him there. What a great guy! Say hi to Ayda and Persia for us. I wish she could have come to see the pony. Next time! Sending along a photo - All the best and thanks again." From Anne
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When I was looking into the possibility of a post about one of our clients, Down With Webster, I checked into them further and my only regret is not having been on set at the time they were filming at Pie in the Sky! This band is a rap rock group from our very own Beaches area in Toronto and they are a blast and are full of talent. It can be tricky to mix musical genres and they do it seamlessly.
They were originally formed for a middle school talent show. They then released their first EP in Oct 2009. If you have ever followed the local Toronto band scene you have no doubt been to Lee's Palace. It so happens that the reviews from their 2008 show at Lee's at Canadian Music Week got them on the radar, so to speak. Their popularity continued to escalate, including several nominations for various categories of Juno awards and they've also won a couple MuchMusic video awards along with other awards of note. They have already opened up for such super groups as Kiss and performed at the Juno awards ceremony 2011 at the Air Canada Centre and have several platinum singles and a Gold album under their flashy belts. When you hear their music, you'll know why. I'd describe it like an adrenalin rush that leaves you feeling invigorated and energetic, never wiped out. Their recent album "Party for your Life" was officially released in Jan 2014. The third single from the album, called "Chills" had a video premiere on the 10th of Mar 2014 and we were fortunate at Pie in the Sky Studio to have been a part of that production. Here at the studio we love to support great art and we are always happy to spread the word about creative people doing exciting projects. Check out the video for the song "Chills" at the link below. Chills by Down With Webster Link by IamDreamfire Follow Pie in the Sky Studio on twitter @PieStudios Link 17 Nov 2014
6 Nov 14
We recently had one of the two original founders of MAC cosmetics, started right here in Toronto, Frank Toskan, come on set to Pie in the Sky studio to be interviewed. I have always been a fan of their great quality cosmetics and obviously they are a world famous name especially in the film and glamour industry, where makeup, use of, is an essential ingredient to any great shot. Up to this point, my personal experience with this company was obviously their beauty products but definitely great customer service throughout their outlets has always struck me as singular, as well. I think a few other noteworthy points they possess as they move forward into the future under the guidance of current group president John Demsey are worth repeating so I chose to highlight MAC this week, not only to thank Frank, one if it's originators, for coming to the studio but to help further support and share some great info about not only the business itself but it's social conscience. For a little backstory, along with new colours and shades they cooked up in their kitchen in the early 80s to supply the industry demand, by the time they'd officially launched in 1984, service was one of the key elements that boosted them into the spotlight as they were staffed with professional makeup artists, which was an innovation at the time. Through great word of mouth and a major break with an early released intense matte red lipstick photographed on Madonna who later donned her own MAC t-shirt, they took off and have continued to expand ever since. Over the years, MAC itself has tried to support and promote the idea of cruelty free products and as a leading brand the world over they still do try to champion this stance. They will only test on animals if it's required by law, per their own published policies. This is a step in the right direction. One of the most impressive aspects of MAC is their contribution to addressing the AIDS epidemic which escalated in 1994. In response, they launched the MAC AIDS Fund, whereby 100% proceeds from any Viva Glam product (lipsticks, lip glosses and holiday sets) went towards aids research. The latest figure we just got on set was that to date they have raised 300 million which has gone directly to said cause. What I think is commendable above the already obvious, is the high profile celebrity endorsement to promote this funding campaign to popularize it even further. Superstars from Elton John and Lady Gaga to Rihanna have gotten on board. The campaigns are flashy and sexy as to be expected and all for a greater cause as well. I included a shot below of a Rihanna ad endorsement of Viva Glam that sure packs a punch and exemplifies an artist expressing their personality in the name of something they believe in through aesthetics. All told, I think that MAC, a huge franchise started out of the kitchen of a salon, has, despite becoming the giant of today, given a personal touch of humility to the glamour industry and we were privileged to have such an influential individual drop by at Pie in the Sky. Thank you Frank for all you've done so far and here's to your continued success! I have my own art website as you could probably tell but I also work at Pie in the Sky Film Studio and I write articles for their website and I post them here on my personal blog as well, in case anyone is interested. The feature film I'm going to cover was appropriately premiered just in time for Halloween. I have to admit when I heard we had a horror being filmed at Pie in the Sky Studio 2, I was intriqued. I'm a fan of everything Halloween so naturally I was thrilled. As the studio itself is our second largest at 2000 Square feet I was curious as to the shots and settings that could be created in such a space for a movie. It turns out that almost the whole of the new film Hellmouth ended up coming out of our studio space! When you see the cinematography it's a testament to what amazing work can be produced in a smaller controlled environment by a highly creative and talented crew! Foresight Features (Monster Brawl, Exit Humanity) brought this production to life. Written by Tony Burgess (PontyPool) and directed by John Geddes (Exit Humanity) it is described as a 1950's throwback. Director Geddes wanted to create a story-driven film combining fantasy and horror inspired by the era of Hitchcock and even Ed Wood. This movie is an ode to classic horror starring Stephen McHattie (The Watchman, PontyPool) as Charlie Baker, a dying grave keeper who's forced to take one final job. This a a VFX spectacle, which we love especially being a green screen studio! (VFX is a film process visual effect where imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shot) What a perfect mix, as Hellmouth chronicles Charlie Baker's descent down a dark path of demonic worlds, gothic settings and medieval realms of ages past. The film recently had it's world premiere at the Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto! We are proud to have been a part of such an original creation and want to congratulate the cast and crew for their excellent tribute to the classic horror genre, for the making of Hellmouth. Written by IamDreamfire 28 Oct 2014 Hellmouth Trailer Link Here Follow my tweets for Pie in the Sky Studio @PieStudios I operate my own personal art website but I also work at Pie in the Sky Film Studio and thought I would write a bit about it. Needless to say, when you are part of a film studio environment you definitely have the satisfaction of supporting great producers and creative talent. It is a setting where the imaginative ideas flow culminating into real works of art for people to enjoy far into the future. The skill and technical know-how to produce a great film or video are quite a triumph in themselves and when you add to that a great story or character, it just makes it all the more gratifying. I am taking the opportunity this week to feature a very unique Canadian folk artist, Buffy Sainte-Marie whose accomplishments have been celebrated world over. We were very fortunate at Pie in the Sky to have a fantastic camera crew in the studio, making a production in dedication to her. More on the final outcome in a moment. To give a brief overview, Buffy, with her Native American reality and heritage, started performing in the 1960s and by the age of 24 she'd performed all over Europe, Canada, Australia and Asia. With songs like "Until it's Time For You to Go" even recorded by Elvis and Cher to name a few, she was influential both as a folk singer and activist. Her song "Universal Soldier" became the anthem of the time for the peace movement. Fast forward to the present and just a few of her many accomplishments include an Academy Award, three JUNO Awards and a Golden Globe Award. She as well, helped to found Canada's Music of Aboriginal Canada JUNO Award, further making positive inroads into Canadian society. Last year, Producer #DavidBeier, brought together actors at Pie in the Sky Studio to film a "short" (an industry term meaning a short film as opposed to a feature film) of the reinterpretation of the 1960s television interview with the folk legend and activist, Buffy Sainte-Marie. It is titled "Covered" and the world premiere is taking place at the imagineNATIVE film festival on 26 Oct 2014 in Toronto at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Theatre. You can find the details at the link below. We hope you enjoy it as much as we will! Supporting the creation of great art and film is something that is always going to be a part of the pleasure of what we do here at Pie in the Sky Studio and providing the facilities for such amazing works as "Covered" is just another reason why supporting the thriving film industry in Toronto gives us so much pride in the services we provide. Written by IamDreamfire 25 Oct 2014 -Get information for Covered world premiere here Covered -Follow her tweets for Pie in the Sky Studio @PieStudios Check out Pie in the Sky Studio |
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