Swedish helmer created 'Safe' haven

Denzel Washington and director Daniel Espinosa round the number of "Safe House" If director Daniel Espinosa had his way, Hollywood's studio culture would embrace a kinder, gentler approach to filmmaking. Universal's "Safe House," the Swedish helmer's first American feature, which needed in $40 million in your area in the last weekend, had its share of bumps and snags throughout production, but Espinosa opposed pressure to handle the issues by getting rid of people. "I saw that lots of Americans' first knee-jerk reaction to conflict is always to fire somebody," he mentioned. "I don't do that. I don't fire people, which i don't let people to obtain fired in my sets." Espinosa arises from the eu school, where most photos burn through a smaller amount gold gold coin in comparison to reported $80 million allotted to "Safe House," having its roster of title stars, introduced by Denzel Washington. "In Sweden, once we fired somebody we wouldn't have the funds to use anybody else," states the Chilean-born director. "Whenever you concentrate on smaller sized budgets, you ought to get on. I aim to create really a family group structure (round the set). Firing people creates a very anxious workplace, which isn't ideal for creativity." By safeguarding his crew, Espinosa mentioned he could build the kind of loyalty that saw "Safe House" through some pretty rough patches. "It's nice when you're shooting as well as the producer states we must shut lower now because we've not anymore earnings with this particular day, along with your d.p. along with your crew say, 'We'll take action totally free.A You know you've won in it.In . "Safe House" experienced drastic changes before shooting. The film, in which the capture from the rogue agent (Washington) sparks a number of internecine destruction within the CIA, is positioned and was shot in Cape Town -- but was scripted for Rio p Janeiro. "Four several days before we'd start shooting in Rio, they'd uprisings and riots inside the favelas," mentioned Espinosa. It absolutely was november 2010 and "we didn't know how much security we'd need and then we couldn't visit.Inch The helmer and also the team scouted areas, including Hong Kong and Australia. They needed an area "concentrating on the same socioeconomic structure as Rio, with insufficient cities living next door in the center and upper classes, an urban area that's one character inside the movie." Shooting around the soundstage or using greenscreen wasn't an option, Espinosa mentioned. "I stated thirstily once we cannot find (shantytowns like the) favelas, I'd rather not shoot there. I desired the city to affect my figures, which can't happen if you're in the studio." Cape Town, having its teeming townships, shown an ideal location. They used 35mm film for your 75-day shoot. Espinosa hopes to produce more U.S. studio pictures, but more youthful crowd needs to continue safeguarding his deckie's within the vagaries of producers. "I'll get fired before anybody else," he mentioned. "I really do that because I like the task as well as the people Sometimes with. Worst-situation scenario: I'll go back to Sweden and spend some time with my pals." Bookings & Signings WME signed d.p. Guillaume Schiffman ("The Artist"), co-repping him with Salite Cymbler of France's Cinelite agency. WME also hired agent Carol Jeter, who results in board d.p. John Bailey ("Large Miracle"), production designer Lilly Kilvert ("Gray Guy") and producer Ginger root root Sledge ("Bernie"). Montana Artists signed first AD Serta "Laz" Lazarovit s ("The Frozen Ground"), production designer Alan Bainee ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona"), d.p. Cameron Duncan ("Southland") and costume designer Kim Wilcox ("Nobody Walks"). Agency reserved co-producer Darren Demetre on Sofia Coppola's "The Jewellery Ring," UPM Buddy Enright on Mikael Hafstrom's "The Tomb," d.p. John Rutland on Eduardo Sanchez's "Can be obtained,Inch production designer Ough Eyres on Kazuaki Kiriya's "The Ultimate Dark evening," and editors Michelle Tesoro on HBO's "Luck" and Jonathan Schwartz on Showtime's "The Big C." Desire to comment or advise a column subject? Email peter.caranicas@variety.com Contact Peter Caranicas at peter.caranicas@variety.com

Sci-Tech Honours marked by remembrance

Saturday night's Academy Scientific and Technical Honours banquet was marked by emotional remembrances of departed pals, another defense in the Academy's mission for encourage excellence, together with a phone call for the entire movie industry to obtain the spectacle and showmanship making watching movies in theaters irresistible.The evening incorporated the presentation of Oscar statuettes to Douglas Trumbull, who received the Sawyer Award for just about any career including groundbreaking visual effects, pointing, and pioneering technology also to they that built the ARRI laser scanner, that have received an Academy Plaque in 2001 but was "upgraded," since the Acad sometimes does when an innovation stands the age range. Because honorees are introduced in advance in addition to their individuals are present, the Sci-Specialists will be probably the most intimate of kudofests. Saturday's presentation was more emotional than most because two males were being honored posthumously: Dr. Jurgen Noffke, honored for your ARRI Zeiss Master Prime Contacts, died a year ago and John Lowry, honored for your digital image restoration method that bears his title, died out of the blue a three week period just before the presentation. Noffke and Lowry were appreciated within the podium with the teams that shared their honours. Lowry's widow needed to the stage along with his fellow individuals who win to collect his Plaque. Trumbull, within the remarks, spoke of his future plans and mentioned sadly "I used to be depending on John. This can be a tough one."Trumbull's plans include developing a movie along with his Showscan Digital process and mixing high frame rates, laser projection, high-gain screens to upgrade the film experience. "I am searching for a method to produce a movie you are in, rather than searching at," he mentioned.He referred to as round the industry to re-think its next steps so that it makes and presents movies that demand to look round the bigscreen, this really is this is not on mobile items, laptops and pills. "In my opinion we could make movies so people will (say) 'I wish to visit the flicks tonight, as it is so large, it's so grand, it's so spectacular, and there's a great deal showmanship that If only to visit the flicks.AInch Jonathan Erland, champion in the Bonner medal for intend to the Academy, spoken in greater detail in regards to the historic mission in the Academy to encourage excellence. He appreciated the founders in the Academy itself, the last individuals who win in the Bonner medal as well as the tech pioneers he'd known and labored with, many now dead, including Doug Trumbull's father, Don TrumbullErland referred to as round the Acad to bear in mind the how important its mission is among the rapid technological and business change swirling across the movie industry. "There's a classic Chinese curse: May you existence in interesting occasions," mentioned Bonner. "We're past interesting. We're completely to white-colored-knuckle fascinating." He reminded the number the main Oscarcast should certainly provide the Academy's mission and rejected the notion that entire org takes a new vision. "If our Academy still means excellence in movies, plus it must," he mentioned, "your real task before us is always to manage the trends, to ensure that movies stay strongly related the Academy's mission as well as the ideals we espouse, not one other way about. When all movies are perfect, you have to can discuss a completely new vision with this particular Academy."Erland noted he together with other founding people in the Acad's elevated Science Council are soon to term out. He mentioned he while others are while creating an institute for movie studies that will cooperate together with other orgs, like the Acad. The Sci-Tech banquet was once well-known due to its gleefully cheesy entertainment, but people days have remaining. Saturday evening Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova completed three tunes, including their Oscar-winning "Falling Progressively." While using primary Oscarcast now prone to avoid song performances, that made the Sci-Specialists really the only Academy Award presentation this season to possess a live show of the greatest Song champion. Onstage, Hansard devoted part of a sound lesson for the late Whitney Houston, in addition to saluted the late Ronnie Chasen, whom he mentioned "appeared to become super good to us."Milla Jovovich was the presenter and host for your evening. She fought sometimes while using jargon on her behalf account teleprompter, as all Sci-Tech presenters do, but won inside the participants along with her warmth and enthusiasm. With no TV clock demanding they hustle offstage, every champion got his moment within the microphone to hail their fellow "brainiacs," and "brainiacs" and apologize to partners and youngsters for your extended several hours they'd devote. Several honoree mentioned he wanted this might inspire his children. Andy Jantzen of Vision Research, collecting a Plaque for your Phantom high-speed camera, mentioned to his children "The task your grandmother and grand daddy started in 1950 is not done. The task continues." Acad prexy Tom Sherak, at his final Sci-Tech banquet before his term finishes, mentioned he'd had time to ponder the oft-repeated indisputable fact that Academy Leader may be the finest delinquent job on the market. He mentioned this Honours season, he recognized why it absolutely was so: "I obtained to fulfill (Honorary Oscar champion) Richard Cruz, which i arrived at meet Doug Trumbull." Contact David S. Cohen at david.cohen@variety.com

'Stick Fly' to seal

Broadway play "Stick Fly," that has not handled to remain with Broadway auds, will shutter later this month. New follow Lydia R. Gem acquired lukewarm-to-reviews which are positive, but despite a cast of identifiable faces together with a creating assist from Alicia Secrets, the expansion shown unable to sustain B.O. in the Broadway season that has created around be abnormally crowded with new plays. Since the show began previews November. 20, weekly B.O. has only rare assigned $300,000. In recent days, weekly attendance has hovered in all the different 60%. Dule Hill, Mekhi Pfifer, Tracie Thomas, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Rosie Benton and Condola Rashad star in the staging helmed by Kenny Leon, whose Rialto output of Samuel L. Jackson-Angela Bassett topliner "The Mountaintop" made an appearance its run lately. "Stick Fly," of a well-to-do Black family trading a weekend at their summer season home in Martha's Vineyard, needed a circuitous road to Broadway, bowing in Chicago in 2006. The title ongoing being frequently produced at U.S. regionals in urban centers including L.A. and Princeton right before a Leon-helmed co-production from Boston's Huntington Theater and D.C.'s Arena Stage. Broadway version of the co-production evolves from the creating team including Nelle Nugent, Secrets, Samuel Nappi, Reuben Cannon, Charles Salameno as well as the Huntington, among others. "Stick Fly" shuts Feb. 26 within the Cort Theater. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

Terra Mater unveils 'Carnival of Life'

'Brazil - A Carnival of Life'Terra Mater is continuing its run of documentary event films with "Brazil -- A Carnival of Life," which promises to take auds on a journey from the Amazon jungle to the country's vast stretches of coastline and barren deserts to some of the longest waterfalls in the world.It's one of two films Terra Mater will unveil at the European Film Market.Sophokles Tasioulis, head of cinema and international theatrical sales at the Vienna-based company, describes the project as a "super blue-chip event natural history documentary" in the vein of BBC Worldwide's "Earth" and "Deep Blue" (on which Tasioulis served as producer).Established last year as a division of Red Bull Media House, Terra Mater specializes in doc production and distribution for TV, theatrical and multimedia platforms.Currently in production, "Brazil" is scheduled to be delivered in 2015 as a 90-minute film and a six-part TV series.Also making its market debut is Otmar Penker and Gerald Salmina's "Cry of the Eagle," about an Alpine shepherd who finds redemption when he rescues a baby eagle.Like Terra Mater's hit Spanish film "Among Wolves," by Gerardo Olivares, which became the new company's first title last year, "Cry of the Eagle" combines wildlife footage with a fictional narrative."Wolves," a fact-based tale about a boy raised by wolves in the Sierra Morena Mountains of southern Spain, was a solid box office hit domestically and recently sold to Polyband in Germany, where it is due to hit screens in June.It has also sold to Jupiter Films in France, Suntower Communications for Scandinavia and Feelgood in Greece.Pointing to the inherent difficulties most European films face outside their countries of origin, such as language barriers and the lack of well-known stars, Tasioulis says nature docs have a major advantage: "A wolf is a wolf in Japan as well as in China or in America. It doesn't speak a language, it doesn't carry a passport -- that makes these sorts of films easier. If you can find the right recipe, combine it with a dramatic story, then it works."Another Terra Mater pic on its slate is the $15 million-plus "Lighthouse of the Orcas," in which wild killer whales help an autistic child come out of his shell in South America. Olivares helms.As with "Wolves," crews will spend up to a year in the wild shooting footage of eagles in the Alps for "Cry of the Eagle" and orcas in Patagonia for "Lighthouse of the Orcas."Also in the works is "Mind Over Matter," a portrait of the athletes taking part in the 2012 London Paralympic Games, including a match-up between star sprinters Oscar Pistorius and Jerome Singleton -- the fastest blade runners on the planet.Terra Mater boasts the former production team of Universum, the acclaimed nature-wildlife film unit of Austrian pubcaster ORF, including CEO Walter Koehler. Contact Ed Meza at ed.meza@mannaa.de

Harrison: Ben and Jamie's Kiss Was One of the Most Horrifying Moments in Bachelor History

The Bachelor, Jamie and Ben After weeks of waiting to have her first kiss with Ben, Jamie finally made a move leading to one of The Bachelor's most cringe-worthy awkward moments. In this week's chat with host Chris Harrison, he explains that the NY nurse was out of her element, why the two-on-one date could've gone either way and how next week Ben finally confronts Courtney. Courtney outdid herself on this week's group date by basically going topless:Chris Harrison: If anybody was surprised by that, you're crazy - that was so her. But I have to say when she's on the group dates she dominates. Bless these girls playing a completely different game and being so worried about each other. As Courtney says, these group dates are like one-on-one dates for her. I know it's rubbing everyone the wrong way, but it's rubbing Ben the right way. VIDEO: Chris Harrison has a familiar face in mind for Bachelorette Emily Maynard Did you think Rachel had the two-on-one date with Blakeley in the bag?Harrison: No, honestly either one of them could've gone, but he didn't have anything with Blakeley. The more Blakeley pushed and opened herself up the more he realized, I don't feel that way about you. You hate to make this whole a game, but it is. You have two people and one girl is just making it easy on you, hugging on you, kissing on you, a little affirmation here and there, and then you walk into another room and the girl is insecure and crying. Who are you going to be attracted to? What did you think watching Jamie and Ben's first kiss?Harrison: You can tell she's shy ... and she was obviously out of her element. That was easily one of the most horrifying moments in the history of the show. It was sad, horrifying, funny - it's rare you feel every emotion possible, but you just didn't know what to do watching. VIDEO: Bachelor's Chris Harrison says if fans hate Courtney now, wait until next week Was it awkward telling Casey S. she had to go home?Harrison: The whole point with her was that I didn't want it to be confrontational. In no way was it a Bentley or Rozlyn thing, where she had come on to deceive. Through talking to the girls and hearing from the boyfriend [it was apparent] she was in love with this guy [at home] and she really just came to the realization on the show. I think she came on the show to try to get over this guy, but it just didn't work. It looks like next week, Ben finally confronts Courtney.Harrison: He hears more from other girls and so he finally says, we're getting way late in this process if there's this much smoke there's got to be something to it. So there's a confrontation next week where it all comes to a head. Don't forget to check out this week's Bachelor: The Morning After ...

Robert Halmi Sr. exits RHI Entertainment

In another major change at RHI Entertainment, Robert Halmi Sr. is exiting the organization he founded decades ago to produce a brand new Gotham-based production shingle. Halmi, who's 88, stated he'd still collaborate with RHI on projects that he's recently been developing. The move may come as RHI emerges from the Chapter 11 personal bankruptcy filing and grows its focus past the made-fors which have been Halmi's signature for many years. Halmi's boy Robert Halmi Junior. left his publish as prexy and Boss of RHI in This summer. "As our new management team re-focuses our production strategy, we plan to broaden our portfolio to incorporate television series along with other formats that haven't typically been central to RHI's business design," stated RHI board chairman Gabriel p Alba. "This new agreement is fantastic for both sides. It guarantees our working relationship with Robert continues which we can usually benefit from his singular creative vision, even while the organization develops into new areas." Halmi Sr. stated the brand new pact allows him the "freedom to concentrate solely on which has inspired me right from the start. I'm thrilled to have the ability to continue doing things i have always loved probably the most.Inch The Hungarian-born Halmi Sr. made his title like a producer of large-budget event movies and miniseries. Halmi hit his peak within the the nineteen nineties having a string of effective made-fors on NBC and ABC, including "Gulliver's Travels," "The Journey," "Noah's Ark," "Merlin" and "Alice in Wonderful." Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com

Nikita's Melinda Clarke: Control of Division Is Up for Grabs!

Melinda Clarke Amanda may be the current head of Division, but it appears that Percy might be calling the shots... from his prison no less. "I think Amanda is a master manipulator, but I think Percy's ego is even bigger," Nikita's Melinda Clarke tells TVGuide.com. "I think Amanda is a little more realistic but found herself getting caught up in the power and grandeur of all of Division. She's ultimately the same creature as Percy, and gets caught up into wanting more and more power. It goes beyond just money. For the future of Division, it'll be interesting to see who ends up in power. Clearly it could be up for grabs." From Nikita to Chuck: TV's sexiest crime fighters On Friday's "Clean Sweep" (8/7c, The CW), the former colleagues pick up from last episode's cliff-hanger, in which Percy (Xander Berkeley) is on the verge of escape. Amanda (Clarke) knows she can't kill him -- his death would trigger the release of all Division data in the remaining black boxes -- but threatens to put him into a chemically induced coma. Percy, however, only has to give the command and his Guardians are standing by to shoot the Oversight members they're holding hostage and then unleash a deadly gas in Division that will kill everyone, including Amanda. In the midst of this power struggle comes personal feelings of bitterness. After Percy was deposed as the Commander of Division for trying to take over Oversight last season, Amanda was promoted in his place. "I think she misses having that dynamic and that relationship with Percy," says Clarke. "She's really furious with him for his actions and breaking up the dynamic duo that I think she saw as their relationship. We saw a little crack in her armor last week when she said, 'We had something,' but he's saying, 'We had nothing.' "He knows emotional warfare can be just as damaging as any other kind of warfare and he knows exactly which buttons to push," Clarke continues. "He feels so betrayed by Amanda for putting him in prison, yet she feels so betrayed by him for doing what he did. She's been put in the position of possibly having to kill him or putting him into this coma. She doesn't want to. So this next episode we'll see just how much power Percy does have." Check out the rest of today's news It sounds like exes fighting to us, but Clarke isn't too sure if Amanda and Percy ever had a love affair, not a traditional one anyway. "I don't know if it was ever a physical relationship but it definitely was intellectual and reciprocated in that they got [turned on by] each other's intellect," she says. "You could equate it with [an intellectual romance] for sure. That's what we allude to, but it goes beyond that, higher than that. That's how Xander and I see it." Meanwhile, Nikita (Maggie Q) and her rogue team have become aware of this precarious situation thanks to Madeline (Alberta Watson), one of the Oversight captives and the mother of Sean Pierce (Dillon Casey), and are faced with trying to save the innocent lives in Division. "The rest of the gang are in some ways forced to help Amanda because they're doing the right thing and go against Percy," Clarke says. "You have to pick your battles. So they're definitely involved." Executive producer Craig Silverstein adds, "We kind of get back into that Nikita-Alex dynamic that we had in the first season a little where Nikita needs Alex to do something in Division. Alex still kind of has a pass, so she goes in to work that out." The season has been building to Percy's escape, and Clarke confirms that he will be getting out of prison. Judging by preview photos, he accidentally runs straight into Nikita's gun-toting arms: "Percy's plan is not just to get out. He wants Division back. It's his place," Silverstein explains. "But trying to do both those things, he is going to not quite succeed. Everything's going to change." Percy shouldn't forget about Amanda either. "There are things going on off-screen that you would never expect," Clarke teases. "All kinds of contingency plans and master plans. She definitely has her own plans in the works, something that's been going on for a long time that'll be interesting and shocking for the audience. She's been working with somebody, somebody familiar, in her own master plan. It'll be pretty surprising and it's a very dynamic relationship, let's say that. That will be revealed in a few weeks. All those chess moves that haven't been done yet, they're always happening." Nikita airs on Fridays at 8/7c on The CW. Do you think Percy and Amanda were ever lovers? What do you think her master plan is? Who is her secret ally?