Electronica 2…the DARKER side of Hollywood?

Electronica is an Award Winning Short Film trilogy from Bolivian born Writer-Director
Anthony Rivero Stabley.
This time we interview part of the cast of Electronica 2.

Najarra Townsend::
Recently won a Best Actress Award at the Santa Cruz Film Festival for the film “Tru Loved”. She also had a Starring role in the Award Winning Cannes Film Festival Feature – “Me and You and Everyone We Know”. She played Eve Chance in Electronica & Electronica 2.

Q1. It seems people always want to talks about the Academy Awards, the big box office films and such, but there’s a whole other world out there isn’t there?
Yes! There’s a whole world of film out there that doesn’t have the budget for main stream advertising, So you either discover these films by going to film festivals or looking for them yourselves. Even Sundance has gone more mainstream. Every film seems to have star names and bigger budgets.

There’s a lot of pressure, competition, party invites and maybe a crowd that’s not so healthy. What’s your take on this Darker Side of Hollywood?

That’s a world that can be very intoxicating and in Hollywood is so easy to get in to, especially at a young age. Going to clubs and feeling like your part of the “It” crowd can feel like your on top of the world but it’s not real, it’s all an illusion. You get sucked in and then your stuck, It’s incredibly hard to get out of.

Q2. Tell me about Eve Chance. She seems like such a crafty, conniving character. What can you say about Eve Chance and people like her? Have you ever met anyone like this?

Eve is the “It” girl at the party. She knows everybody. But who is she really? We never find out why she’s so popular. She’s very mysterious, Very manipulative. Eve represents the fake side of Hollywood. She’s all show, she’s the facade.

I’m sure i’ve met people like this but i’ve never gotten close enough to the person to find out. I stay away from this crowd. So easy to get sucked in, why even go near it.

Q3. What’s it been like to work with Anthony Rivero Stabley? How much improvising did you do? What would you say is the theme of Electronica?

Working with Anthony is great! He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it out of you. It’s always a fun relaxed set. As for improvising, for Electronica 2 we just had one rehearsal, talked about the scenes and the character, and ran with it. Amy and I would improvise and Anthony filmed it. Then he would rewrite the scenes with some of our ideas in mind.

Electronica from my point of view is about the innocence you have when you first enter the business and how you quickly learn that it’s rough and a lot of it is just show. It’s the dark side of Hollywood, The partying and drugs and wrong crowd you can get mixed up in. Everyone trying to be somebody.

Amy Rose Drucker::
Playing Emily Dunn, a wannabe actress with a gift for photographing this glossy, conflicted world.

Q1. How would you compare Electronica 2 to the first installment?

The first installment was a highly visual, musically charged short where dialog was limited to the essentials. The second installment evolved in to a more character driven piece that still contained strong aesthetics. I love them both.

What did this project mean to you thematically?
Thematically this project is about any person struggling with their identity in what’s real and what’s not. It is about finding out who we really are as artists - Emily has to go through dark periods to find out what is important.

Q2. I understood over 3,500 people submitted for E2. What does that say to you about the pressure of acting in Los Angeles and what it does to people?

I think it is great that there were so many submissions for Electronica 2. People were really enthusiastic about the script. Actors are hungry for quality projects and there is a lot of competition. When we come into this business we know the chances are slim on getting cast. Often actors get so caught up in the process of submissions and auditions that they forget why they are acting in the first place. Electronica 2 has many characters like this that say they are actors but really they are just caught up in a scene - where they are pretending to be something they are not.

Q3. What are your reflections on Electronica and where it’s going? What’s next for Emily Dunn?

In Electronica 1 - Emily Dunn was naive and idealistic. She came to Hollywood as a wannabe actress and thought everyone wanted to take her picture. In Electronica 2 she becomes more skeptical, hardened and doesn’t know who to trust. Emily gives up the dream of acting and begins to develop herself as a photographer - at the same time she struggles with drugs and her identity. As for what’s next for Emily… I think she has to hit rock bottom before she can truly find who she is.

Travis Quentin Young::
Winner - Best Actor Award – Winnipeg International Film Festival for “The Replacement Child”. Plays Buck – a part time model, part time actor.

Q1. Hollywood is filled with some amazing people. It also has its share of users, bullshit artists. You must have come across a little darkness in your journey through Los Angeles. What can you say about the world of Electronica?

The world of Electronica for me has a surreal almost dream like or intoxicated feel through and through (la la land). This feel symbolizes the dreams and nightmares of Hollywood (where “dreams are made”). Electronica paints a realistic depiction of the darkness of certain characters/people while keeping the audience in the head of this aspiring photographer who can be in a world with tons of people, places, and things but feel completely alone and lost.

Q2. What kind of guy is Buck? In Hollywood, they say that often we build people, just so we can tear them down. Is that true of Electronica 2? Anything surprise you about the shoot, script?

My choice for Buck was that his philosophy of life was “life’s an adventure, don’t knock it till you try it.” He’s happy go lucky and not the sharpest pencil in the box. But to him ignorance is bliss. I think he’s honest but in the end Amy’s character is spinning and her perception of everyone seems to be changing so Buck comes off a little strong in his last moments (from her perspective). I feel in future shows of Electronica Buck will come back in her life and become an important character for her story as she evolves. (hint hint)

“we build to tear down….” I think this is only true in Electronica 2 from the Leads prospective . I don’t think these characters are deliberately trying to build her up to tear her down, they are just the “wrong crowd” maybe for her. We all learn from our mistakes out here though and sometimes you don’t know you are hanging with the wrong people until it stops working for you and/or you wake up.

Nothing really surprised me about this project because it just flowed from the beginning….but I guess that did surprise me because my experience was so great with these guys. Everyone involved was excited and believed in the work and the captain (Anthony). The cast and the crew were the nicest people to work with. Total opposite of the tale told on camera.

Q3. Having seen the first installment and participating in Electronica 2… What would you say Electronica is about?

Electronica is about evolution. It’s about the realities of pursuing your dreams and how you adapt to how the cards are dealt. It’s about living the dream and the nightmare.

Monday, January 19, 2009  |  Share This