MIRRORS
Film Directed & Edited by
Paul A. Notice II
Stage Directed by
Ludovica Villar-Hauser
Written by
Azure D. Osborne-Lee
Starring
Suzanne Darrell
Ashley Noel Jones
Synopsis
Set in the sleepy Mississippi town of Etheridge in the summer of 1960, MIRRORS depicts the lives of three African-American women bound by love and loss and family, and the secrets of their shared past.
When 17-year-old Alma Jean finds her mother dead, she must pack up her life and move in with her mother's ex-lover, a woman she doesn't know. Her new guardian, Bird Wilson, is the town pariah and unused to sharing her home. Will mourning the death of a shared loved one bring Alma Jean and Bird together or push them further apart?
A Letter to the Crew:
This was a result of a collective effort: from George, Alessandro & Seth (the Grips) helping set the lights, purchase materials, and build out the soft overhead light rig; to Dennis (DP) and conjuring excellent lighting solutions and expertise during the shoot. From Katrina (1st AD) keeping us on schedule while being the first in and last out each night, to Mano (Sound Mixer) gifting us with excellent audio and best practices advice. From the Renaissance-like expertise and remarkable dedication of Dominik (Gaffer, Boom Operator, Steadicam Operator), to Kurt (1st AC) pulling focus under pressure.
I had the vision, but ya’ll had the Juice. And I am forever thankful.
Paul N.
Director’s Note
11.09.21 “How do you shoot a movie in FOUR Days?”
So, when I was asked to direct & produce the film adaption of MIRRORS, we were faced with a daunting issue: Instead of the usual 28-35 days needed to shoot this film adaption, we only had four.
So, the question became: “How do we shoot this in FOUR days?” Yep, that’s right FOUR DAYS. I got to thinking, scheming, and dreaming, and eventually, here were my solutions:
1. Test Movie - I didn’t just draft a shot list. And I didn’t just painstakingly write out each and every step for camera blocking in that shot list too. I literally shot a test movie w/ nearly every desired camera movement, lens, focal length, etc.
Then I cut it all together in Pre-Production. This was so that everyone cast & crew could see what exactly we were doing in each scene. It was imperative to do this since we only had our Cinematographer for a couple of rehearsals and that was it.
2. 360-Lighting - I drafted the lighting scheme and budget for a lighting rig that would cast beautiful shadows w/ soft overhead light. Then, I leaned on the expertise of my gaffer Dominik Czaczyk to tweak and add suggestions in making it work.
3. Black Space - We hung 20ft black velour curtains from the scaffolding, then set about virtually removing everything that wasn’t covered in rich Black, sun-soaking duvetyn. I was driving some of the crew nuts, but that attention to detail is what paid off in the end.
The most post-production work I ended up doing on this piece was Audio Remastering & fixing the artifacts found in the Black Space from the first day we really used the 360-lighting.
You’ll be surprised how much you’ll have to hide in an entire room. However, this allowed us to make more cuts between different takes and edit for continuity errors.
However, Creating the Black Space (both visually and metaphorically) became a far more complex element in this film than just that. It involved planning, experimenting, adapting, and execution. From drafting the schematics for the soft overhead lighting rig to covering EVERYTHING in the background with a soft non-reflective material.
The Black Space at the very beginning was a crucial part of this reimagining.
I had to take certain care with the details, even when they seemed almost inconsequential during principal photography- proved well worth it during post.
It allows the audience to focus their attention on what truly matters in the scene. This aesthetic also allowed for seamless transitions between scenes, which brought us deeper into our protagonist's perspective.
- Paul N.
Always Question. Always Explore.
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PREMIERES NOVEMBER 10TH @ 6PM EST
Director
Paul A. Notice II (they/them)
Stage Director
Ludovica Villar-Hauser (she/her)
Playwright
Azure D. Osborne-Lee (he/him, they/them)
Cinematographer
Dennis Robert Thomas (he/him)
Editor
Paul A. Notice II (they/them)
Producers
Parity Productions
The Notice Blog
CAST (In Order of Appearance)
Suzanne Darrell (she/her)
Bird Wilson
Ashley Noel Jones (she/her)
Alma Jean Pierson
Joyia D. Bradley (she/her)
Louise Sterling
AnJu Hyppolite (she/her)
Mabel Mosley
Natalie Jacobs (she/her)
Constance Jenkins
Ashley Scott (she/her)
Annabelle “Belle” Pierson
Anthony Goss (he/him)
Ray Johnson
Eliza Simone Bradley (she/her)
Young Alma Jean
Associate Producers
JM Morgan (all pronouns)
Jennifer Kranz (she/her)
PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY
1st Assistant Director
Katrina Reid (she/her, they/them)
Gaffer
Dominik Czaczyk (he/him)
1st Assistant Camera
Kurt Voltmann (he/him)
Steadicam Operator
Dominik Czaczyk (he/him)
Audio Mixer
Mano Guha (he/him)
Boom Operator
Dominik Czaczyk (he/him)
Grips
Alessandro Imperiale (he/him)
George Haley (he/him)
Production Assistants
Erin Bradford (she/her)
Seth Cerrate (he/him)
Alison Vincitore (she/her)
Scenic and Properties Designer
Jamie Nicole Larson (she/her)
Costume Designer
Sabrina Bianca Guillaume (she/her)
Wardrobe Supervisor
Tuesdai Win (she/her)
Production Dramaturg
Arminda Thomas (she/her)
Music Director
Ashley Noel Jones (she/her)
Fight Choreographer/Intimacy Director
Rocío Mendez (she/her, they/them)
Production Stage Manager
Kaelin Elizabeth Fuld (she/her)
Stage Manager
Stephanie Cobb (she/her)
COVID Compliance Officer
Sam Shapiro (she/her)
Production Management
Intuitive Production Management
Technical Director
Sarah Schetter (she/her)
Assistant Technical Director
Cody Lee (they/them)
Lighting Consultant (Film) & Designer (2020 Stage Production)
Miriam Nilofa Crowe (she/her)
Sound Consultant (Film) & Designer (2020 Stage Production)
Twi McCallum (all pronouns)
Associate Sound Consultant (Film) & Designer (2020 Stage Production)
Germán Martinez (he/him)
Stage Manager (2020 Stage Production)
Chiara Johnson (they/them)
Casting Director
Jamibeth Margolis, CSA (she/her)
Marketing/Audience Development
Marcia Pendleton/Walk Tall Girl Productions (she/her)
Title Design (2020 Stage Production)
Maya Graffagna (she/her)
Rehearsals Location
The Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York
Filming Location
Theater for the New City
POST-PRODUCTION
Sound Editor
Paul A. Notice II (they/them)
Foley Artist
Paul A. Notice II (they/them)
Sound Designer
Paul A. Notice II (they/them)
ADR Supervisors
Paul A. Notice II (they/them)
Katrina Reid (she/her, they/them)
Audio Engineer
Paul A. Notice II (they/them)
ADR & Foley Recorded by
The Notice Blog
VFX Editor
Paul A. Notice II (they/them)
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council.