We now come to the end of 2011 like a toboggan careening down a luge and it seems like only yesterday when we were trepidaciously ushering in the year 2000. Remember Y2K? So here we are a dozen years later, on the threshold of 2012, wondering what lies in store. According to the principles of Physics, we manifest the conditions of our lives, so we wish for you to be “Healthy, wealthy and wise,” and lets throw in “Happy” as well.
It’s been quite a year for all of us here at Crystal Pyramid Productions… Here are some of the highlights.
The biggest news of the year was that Crystal Pyramid Productions was honored with an inaugural Heilbron Award from San Diego Rotary Club 33 in collaboration with the San Diego Business Journal. The award was accepted by Evonne Schulze (in purple). We were all very thrilled and honored by this prestigious award. Additionally, Mark Schulze was a finalist in the 2011 “Most Admired CEO” awards and Patty Mooney was a finalist in the “Women Who Mean Business” awards.
Patty Mooney was the Sound Technician on a documentary about HHV (Help Hospitalized Veterans) which is a factory that produces craft kits. These kits – anything from a stamped leather purse to a model aircraft carrier – are given to wounded veterans as a therapeutic way for them to “return to the world.” Sometimes the kits are the only lifeline that the returning soldier has between a broken body and mind to a place where he or she can feel whole again.
The Crystal Pyramid Productions team of Mark Schulze as Director of Photography/ Videographer, Patty Mooney as Still Photographer and Luke Jungers as Sound Technician, videotaped a PSA (Public Service Announcement) for RADD, with the up-and-coming pop duo, Ruby Summer, singing and giving a shout out for RADD’s “Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk” campaign.
The sisters are both so talented and adorable. We wish them great success in their career.
Speaking of careers, Mark Hamill has had quite an extraordinary one. The Crystal Pyramid Productions team of Mark Schulze as Camera Operator/ Director of Photography and Patty Mooney as Producer and Sound Technician, met up with Mark at this year’s San Diego Comic Con and interviewed him about his latest role in the upcoming film, “Sushi Girl.” He plays a complete opposite character to Luke Skywalker and revels in it. We’ve seen the trailer and our appetites are definitely whetted to experience the film, which promises to take up in this century where “Pulp Fiction” and “Reservoir Dogs” left off last century. Mark’s cousin Suren Seron is the guy who produced “Sushi Girl” and we are very proud of his accomplishments.
The “Candy Man”, Tony Todd, also makes an appearance in “Sushi Girl.” What a warm and kind-hearted man (belying the na-a-a-asty characters he is so good at playing.)
Heartthrob Rob Lowe also came to the San Diego Comic Con, arriving in a screeching bus carrying a bunch of people with bags over their heads. Lowe has helmed a new horror flick that pays homage to all the horror directors with whom he has worked. The movie is called “Butterfinger the 13th.” It’s due to arrive in theaters on October 13th, 2012. Schulze and Mooney interviewed Mr. Lowe for Extra!
While videotaping autograph signings for 20th Century Fox booth, Patty Mooney spotted a “Heroes” favorite, Greg Grunberg, who played Matt Parkman in the series. He kindly consented to pose for a photo.
Geoff Stults and Michael Clarke Duncan appeared at the 20th Century Fox booth to sign autographs for their fans. They will be appearing in the “Bones” spin-off called “The Finder.”
During the waning summer weeks, Crystal Pyramid Productions provided a crew (Patty Mooney as Producer and Sound Technician and Mark Schulze as Camera Operator) to follow the San Diego lifeguards for the first Weather Channel reality-documentary.
Our understanding of a lifeguard’s duties was reinforced as we watched these dedicated men and women scour the waves with their eyes, looking for any signs of trouble, and as they participated in dozens of dramatic events. There were lost children returned to their parents (San Diego lifeguards have a 100% success rate in reuniting lost children with their families), stingray stings, sunburns, heat exhaustion, rowdy drunks, and a couple of more serious situations involving a fall off a fake wave (at The Wave House) and a boating accident. Maybe we should count ourselves lucky that local shark sightings made the national news after our crew had wrapped out of the production.
Patty and Mark would like to wish you a remarkable winter season. We hope you enjoy precious time with your family and loved ones.
Looking forward to working with you again in 2012!
One sunny day in California, way back in 1987, a young film-maker called Mark Schulze taped a camera to his motorcycle helmet, wired it up to a microphone, got on his bike and pressed “record”. Two decades later and thousands of people around the world are making films using high-definition cameras to depict their adventures exactly as they see them.
“Sushi Girl” follows Fish (Noah Hathaway) on his first night of freedom after having spent the last six years in jail keeping his mouth shut not only about the robbery he helped commit, but about his co-conspirators as well. The four men he protected celebrate his freedom with a lavish dinner, comprised of an array of sushi served off the naked body of a beautiful young woman (Cortney Palm). The sushi girl appears catatonic, trained to ignore everything in the room even as the dinner venue descends into darkness. Sure enough, the four thieves can’t help but open old wounds in an attempt to find their missing loot. And one thing nobody wants to do is get on Crow’s bad side.
