Not Our Living Room: Now Online!

Alyssa Meadows August 23, 2016

I'm very excited to share with you all that one of the films I worked on a few years ago is now streaming online! Not Our Living Room, a short film directed by Christina Raia of CongestedCat Productions, is as suspenseful as it was fun to work on, and I love how the final film turned out. Not only was the cast and crew fabulous, but I also got to reunite with one of my fellow Penn State Alums, Adam Jepsen, who I photographed back in our college days! His costar is played by the talented Rob Ceriello, another stellar actor I've worked with over the last few years (and who has been a wonderful test model for me!). Not Our Living Room's screened at a variety of festivals, but will also be showing at the Macabre Faire Film Festival in January if you want to see it on a bigger screen!

But for those of you who can't wait until January to see it, Not Our Living Room is now available on vimeo here - check it out!

And in case you missed it, here are some of my favorite behind-the-scenes moments from on set; what an amazing and talented group of people to work with!

Headshots: Tracy Willet

Alyssa Meadows August 31, 2015

My beautiful and supremely talented friend Tracy Willet and I had been trying to get her headshots done for a while, but life just kept interfering with even the best of laid plans. A few months ago however, we finally found a day that worked for both our schedules, and I must say, it was worth the wait!

We not only were blessed with some beautiful weather (unseasonably warm for the beginning of April), but also got to sit down and catch up over a cup of coffee after we finished shooting, so all in all, it was a great shoot.

I always love getting to do environmental headshots, to me they feel more personable and relatable than studio work (though studio work is undeniably beautiful). The natural golden tones of the late morning perfectly accented Tracy's gorgeous features and I am overjoyed at how they turned out. She is a phenomenal actress, and I hope that these photos can in some small way help her get cast, because the world deserves to see her talent!

Marvel's Daredevil!

Alyssa Meadows May 8, 2015

I'm so happy and proud to share with you all one of my most exciting jobs yet; working with Marvel & Netflix to promote the worldwide premiere of Daredevil! I was asked to document the installation of street art going up in Hell's Kitchen in NYC, and it was easily one of the most interesting jobs I've ever had. I've always wondered how the process worked for putting these large graphic elements on the sides of buildings, and loved getting so see how in a matter of minutes, a blank space turned into a giant work of art. It was so much fun to be a part of this project, as the same thing was happening simultaneously in 12 other cities, including London, Berlin, and Mexico City, and I couldn't wait to see what the other pieces of art looked like. I also was thrilled to be working for Marvel and Netflix, clients I only dreamed of having previously, and now having seen the show, I'm so proud I got to be a part of it, even if only in some small way. Here's to getting more jobs like this in the future!

IndieWorks: Best of Fest 2015!

Alyssa Meadows April 27, 2015

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of photographing IndieWork's Best of Fest 2015, and it certainly did not disappoint. A great event that allows indie filmmakers an opportunity to have a more personal interaction with their audience, IndieWorks gives up-and-coming directors a safe and inviting space to share passion projects, personal creations, and indie films with the local community. It's a sure bet that you can find me there every month to see the beautiful films being shown, and I love every minute of it. Not only is it a fabulous professional network to branch into, but it has also afforded me the opportunity to make many wonderful friends which I am forever grateful for.

I was elated when one of my personal favorites from the past year, Q.U.E.E.N., written and directed by Brittany Fennell, won the coveted Golden Whiskers Award this year, and it could not be more deserved. The talented Hye Yun Park took home the Audience Choice Award for her wonderfully funny web series Hey Yun, and there's no question as to why the audience loved it. Here are some of my favorite moments from the night, and be sure to come join us at the next screening on June 10th!

The VelociPastor!

Alyssa Meadows April 15, 2015

If you read my blog with any regularity, it's no secret that I work on film sets often, and that it's one of my favorite places to work. I love my film-family, it's such a large and supportive community that I am unbelievably blessed to be a part of, and so I try to return the favor as often as possible. That's why I'm so excited to share with you news on the newest project some of my best friends are working on, The VelociPastor!

Illustration by Wyeth Yates — Illustration by **Wyeth Yates**

The film is written and (to-be) directed by my fabulous friend Brendan Steere, whose previous feature, Animosity, not only received global distribution, but was also well-received enough to show at many film festivals in the last year, including Fantasia, where it screened alongside Guardians of the Galaxy and Boyhood. It also won Best Picture and Best Actress at the Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival in 2013; As you can clearly see, he definitely knows how to make a good movie.

Originally a spoof trailer of epic comedic proportions, Brendan's finally ready to develop VelociPastor into a full-length feature of dark humor, and I for one could not be more excited about it. If you want to see the concept's origin, you can check it out below.

Not only is it retaining Matt Ziegel from the original short as the lead and VelociPastor, but it also will star Alyssa Kempinski as his college educated and provocative love interest. I've also had the pleasure of working with her several times, most recently on the set of Six Windows! They were also both cast in Animosity, and I'm so excited to see them work together again. Not only are they both immensely talented, but they are both joys to work with on set, which I can personally attest to.

Along with Steere, two of my closest friends, Brandon Taylor and Gabryal Rabinowitz, have joined the teams as respectively Producer and Associate Producer. Not only have I known them for years, but had the pleasure of working with them on many previous projects including Six Windows, The Remembrance, and They Hunger. With a killer crew such as this one, I have no doubts this film will go above and beyond in the realms of creativity and craftsmanship, with a touch of insanity-bordering brilliance.

If you believe in this project like I do (which, in all seriousness, you really should) please check it out on Facebook, Like/Share, and Donate to help make this project a reality!

Behind The Scenes of Six Windows, Round 2!

Alyssa Meadows March 24, 2015

Back in January, many of my good friends and I were hard at work filming the second block of Six Windows, a web series exploring six people's different experiences dealing with the challenges of New York City. Despite a blizzard or two trying to interfere with our last few days of shooting, we successfully wrapped in a little over a week, with a lot of fantastic footage. While the series won't be released until this coming summer, I have a few images from behind the scenes of the project that will hopefully hold you over until it's finished! Directed by my inspiring and deeply talented friend Brandon Taylor, this series is sure to remind you of the growing pains of life, love and loss. Starring such pretty fabulous actors, including Tracy Willet, Shannon Terrel, Gabryal Rabinowitz, Ellyse Burnett, Cornelius McMoyler, Susan Moses, Hamza Zaman, Nicole Im, and many others, I'm positive this series will turn out wonderfully, and I can't wait to see the finished project. So without further ado, here are some of my favorite moments behind the scenes on the set of Six Windows!

"Not Our Living Room:" Promotional Stills

Alyssa Meadows March 20, 2015

This post is long overdue, but I am happy to say I am finally getting it out to you all! Back in August I was finally able to work with the immensely driven and talented director Christina Raia on one of her two upcoming shorts, Not Our Living Room , written by her fabulous partner in crime Kelsey Rauber. I also was lucky to reconnect with fellow Penn State Alum A dam Jepsen, who stars in the short alongside Rob Ceriello, both of whom nailed their parts as brothers dealing with unusual and unexpected circumstances. While I've had the Behind-The-Scenes images out for a while now, the editing process for the promo stills took a little time, so I am happy and proud to finally unveil them to you! To see more of Christina and Kelsey's projects, as well as great indie film events, make sure to check out CongestedCat Productions, the producer of Indieworks (where you can find me almost every month!).

Side Note: A few promo stills have to wait due to some pretty substantial spoilers, but as soon as the short's premiered, I'll be sure to share the ones still under wraps. Hope you all enjoy these as much as I do!

Boy Code: Behind The Scenes!

Alyssa Meadows February 6, 2015

I love getting to work with new people, and this film was certainly no exception. Not only was it my first experience working with talented director Christian LaMorte and his fabulous crew, but it was also the first time I was fortunate enough to work with Elijah Trichon, an up-and-coming actor who plays the lead role in Boy Code. A witty yet critical film that explores the difficulties of growing up in the hyper masculine world of teenage adolescence, this coming-of-age story not only appeals to me artistically, but also culturally. I was thrilled to put my skills to work helping bring this film to fruition, and I can't wait to see the finished project when it premieres at the The Dusty Festival, hosted by the School of Visual Arts in NYC.

Boy Code: Promotional Stills!

Alyssa Meadows January 21, 2015

December was a big film month for me, one of the projects being a short film titled Boy Code, directed by Christian LaMorte and starring Elijah Trichon. A story about the pains of growing up in a hyper-masculinized environment, Boy Code follows a young man through his last days of senior year at an all-boys Christian Academy, and reveals the pitfalls of trying to live up to his peers' expectations. It accurately portrays the pains of adolescence, but also explores the awkward nature of our first romantic encounters.

I wanted to be a part of this film since I first heard it was in development, and am so glad I was able to contribute to a story I found so valuable and necessary. It not only shines a justifiably-harsh light oh the sex-obsessed, macho bubble young men grow up in, but it also brings into question why our culture has these unfortunate and detrimental societal standards in the first place.

I was only able to be on set for one day of shooting, but I can't wait to see the finished product of what I truly believe will be a fantastic short film.

Elijah Trichon as William Coleman in Boy Code; © Alyssa Meadows — Elijah Trichon as William Coleman in *Boy Code*; © Alyssa Meadows

"They Hunger" Proof of Concept Production Stills!

Alyssa Meadows July 25, 2014

I've been waiting to share these images for a little while now, but I just received the green light from Hollow Tree Films, a co-producer of the project, and am so excited to finally unveil a few of the production stills from the Proof of Concept project we shot! Not only did I have the pleasure of working with such talented actors and actresses, but I was also fortunate enough to work with some of my favorite crew, and I am already counting down the days until the next project. Starring Alyssa Kempinski, Lauren A. Kennedy, Russell West, and Gabryal Rabinowitz, I can't wait to see where this project goes and hope to work on more of it soon!