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Tag: Michelle Eisenreich

  • Hometown Oscar winner to headline Doko Film Fest April 26-27

    Doko Film Fest organizers Andrew Smith and his father Raymond Smith, owners of Modus Media.

    BLYTHEWOOD – Two-time Oscar winner Michelle Eisenreich will be returning home to Blythewood this weekend as a judge, presenter and patron of the inaugural Doko Film Fest on April 26 and 27.

    Michelle Eisenrich with her latest Oscar.

    The festival, produced by local film maker Raymond Smith and his son Andrew, is the first of its kind in South Carolina and is dedicated to developing the skills, knowledge and confidence of young filmmakers in the state and beyond.

    Eisenreich, the visual effects producer for film company Double Negative in Vancouver, and her team won their second Oscar in February for their work on the film, ‘First Man.’ Her team also won an Oscar last year for ‘Blade Runner 2049.’

    As a result of her success on ‘First Man,’ Eisenreich has been asked to pull together and oversee a new TV division for her company.

    “We just finished work on Star Trek Discovery for CBS, which is in its second season, and we’re currently working on a couple of projects for Netflix and Amazon,” Eisenreicht said.

    “I would have loved to be involved with something like the Film Fest when I was growing up,” she said.

    Eisenreich will be honored with a reception at Doko Manor on Friday, April 26 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. There will also be a silent auction featuring a knife signed by James Jude Courtney aka Michael Myers of Halloween as well as live jazz music, drinks and heavy hors d’oeuvres.

    Screenings of selected films made entirely by high schoolers will be held all day Saturday, April 27, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Westwood High School.

    Throughout the day, there will be master classes held by Eisenreich and other video professionals on tips and tricks needed to produce winning and engaging films. There will also be representatives from the University of South Carolina and Savannah College of Art and Design speaking about their media arts and film courses. At the end of the day, awards will be announced in their respective categories as well as best in show.

    Venues

    The Friday night reception will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Doko Manor, 100 Alvina Hagood Circle, Blythewood.

    The film festival screenings and master classes will be held on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Westwood High School, 180 Turkey Farm Road, Blythewood.

    Tickets range from $5 – $20 and can be purchased at www.dokofilmfest.com.

  • Films selected for Fest

    BLYTHEWOOD – “The films that will be screened are now decided, so we know what the audience will be viewing, they are all very good – sad, serious, funny and some very good stories, all short and easy to watch. Adults and students will find enjoyment in them,” Ray Smith, organizer of the Doko Film Fest, said of the event set for April 26 – 27.

    The event, featuring the work of student film makers, is expected to be high-end entertainment for both adults and students, with films submitted from across the state of South Carolina, Texas, California and Canada.  Film categories include animation, music, comedy, short stories and doc mentaries.

    Of the entries, Smith said 13 films were selected.

    A special reception will be held at the Doko Manor on April 26 for Blythewood’s own Academy Award winner, Michelle Eisenreich who, with her production team, has won two Oscars for special effects. Eisenreich also served as a judge of the entries and will make a presentation on screening day, April 27 at Westwood High School.

    Also, during the screenings, four masterclasses will be offered that anyone can attend: making films with a smart phone, good camera and lighting techniques, directing actors and what makes a winning film.

    The actor who plays Michael Myers in the movie Halloween also served as a judge for the entries.

    Tickets to the event are $5 for adults and free for students.

    For more information about Doko Film Fest, go to dokofilmfest.com.

  • Doko film festival seeking volunteers

    BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood filmmaker Ray Smith is conducting an informational meeting at the Blythewood Library for those interested in the upcoming Doko Film Festival. Smith will talk about the festival and volunteer opportunities. The meeting is set for March 14, 2019 at 6:00 pm.

    The Festival is set for April 26 and 27 and is dedicated to developing the skills, knowledge and confidence of young filmmakers in South Carolina and beyond. Tickets range from $5 – $20 and can be purchased at www.dokofilmfest.com.

    The first night of the festival will be held at Doko Manor on April 26, from 7 – 9:30 p.m., featuring a reception for Blythewood native and Oscar winner Michelle Eisenreich, who will also help judge the film submissions. A silent auction will include a knife signed by James Jude Courtney aka Michael Myers of Halloween, along with jazz music, drinks and heavy hors d’oeuvres.

    The second full day of the festival will be held at Westwood High School from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., featuring screenings of selected films made entirely by high schoolers. Throughout the day, there will be master classes held by Eisenreich and other video professionals on tips and tricks needed to produce a winning and engaging film.

    There will also be representatives from the University of South Carolina and Savannah College of Art and Design discussing the two schools’ media arts and film courses.

    Awards in various categories will be presented at the end of the day as well as Best in Show.

    From 6 – 9 p.m., that evening, there will be a concert in the park behind Doko Manor.

    Tickets range from $5 – $20 and can be purchased at www.dokofilmfest.com.

  • Blythewood’s Eisenreich wins Oscar

    BLYTHEWOOD – During the Academy Awards Sunday evening, Blythewood native Michelle Eisenreich, the visual effects producer for film company Double Negative, and her team won an Oscar for their work on the film, ‘First Man.’

    Eisenreich

    And that wasn’t her first Oscar. Her team also won one last year for ‘Blade Runner 2049.’  It was a success she couldn’t have dreamed of when she arrived in Los Angeles in 1999 with a brand new degree in film from Florida State University. She was looking for a job, any job she could get in the film industry, short of acting.

    “I was much too shy to act,” Eisenreich recalls.

    She took the first job she was offered – a production assistant at Hammerhead Productions, a small visual effects company where her first assignment was a key role in creating the visual effects for the movie X-Men.

    While Eisenreich said she’d never thought of herself as a visual effects person, she apparently was one. A good one.

    “I was always interested in both the creative side of filmmaking and the technical, so, by chance, visual effects turned out to be a really good fit to combine both,” she told The Voice in a phone interview from her home in Vancouver, earlier this week.

    The Oscar wins, Eisenreich said, are important to her both professionally and personally.

    “It’s a great honor, of course, but it’s also very fulfilling on a personal level. I’ve been in the industry for a very long time. It’s a difficult industry – a lot of long hours, a lot of sacrifices. There‘s not much personal time,” she said. “When you’re on a project, everything’s about the project. It’s a big commitment, so it’s nice to be recognized.”

    In her role as the visual effects producer, Eisenreich is responsible for the budget, the scheduling, putting the team together and being the main contact for the client whether it’s a studio or a director.”

    As a result of her success on ‘First Man,’ Eisenreich has been asked to pull together and oversee a new TV division for her company.

    “It’s exciting. Instead of one project at a time, I’m now involved in seven or eight different projects at one time,” she said. “We just finished work on Star Trek Discovery for CBS, which is in its second season, and we’re currently working on a couple of projects for Netflix and Amazon.”

    One of those projects is a six-part series titled ‘Catch 22,’ with George Clooney which will launch on Hulu early this summer.

    “For the next couple of years I think it’s going to be more television than features,” Eisenreich said. “It’s interesting times for sure. Everybody’s trying to get their own streaming systems going to try to catch up with Netflix and Amazon.”

    While Eisenreich’s work sometimes takes her on movie locations, she more often works in the studio near her home, which is fine with her.

    Now married with two children, son Cooper, 11, and  daughter Harper, 9, Eisenreich said she loves living in Vancouver where the seasons change and the view is great.

    “Our home backs up to the mountains and the ocean is about 20 minutes away. It’s nice here,” she said.

    But Eisenreich said she always loves coming home to visit family and friends. She is particularly looking forward to a trip to Blythewood to help judge the Doko Film festival, April 26 – 28.

    “I would have loved to be involved with something like this [film festival] when I was growing up,” she said.

    A reception will be held for Eisenreich on the opening night of the festival at Doko Manor. For more information about the festival, go to dokofilmfest.com.