Hi everybody, including my lurkers! ;)
As promised/threatened in my “Giving Thanks” post, here’s the latest on what I’ve been up to over the last few months. It’s been a whirlwind ride for sure!
In August I flew overseas for a way long overdue reunion with family and friends in Germany! I saw my brand new niece, celebrated a birthday and a big wedding anniversary shindig. Needless to say…lots of happy tears!
Then in September, I finally got to cross an item of my bucket list: Visit the H.R. Giger Museum and the adjacent Giger bar in Gruyères, Switzerland! Add Gruyères cheese and a tour of the Gruyères Castle and the dream is complete! I’ve been planning and saving for this trip for years and it was worth every second! It almost seems like an amazing dream several months later! So grateful we could make this all happen!
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The feature drama The Samuel Project has been making its film festival rounds and one of the screenings was at the San Diego Film Festival in October. Of course I couldn’t pass up the chance to re-unite with some of the cast and crew! I wrote a bit about the work I did on The Samuel Project in previous posts here and here.
From left to right: Steve Weinberger, Lilinda Camaisa, myself, Ryan Ochoa, Malina Moye, Casey Nicholas Price, director Marc Fusco, Catherine Siggins and Hal Linden.
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Of course, I HAD to fly my horror freak flag during Halloween season! Shenanigans included doing a little acting in Beth Accomando’s annual (and by now notorious) Halloween haunt. This year’s theme was Death Row Execution – Ride the Lightning, and I played a prison ward who straps a demon-obsessed inmate to the electric chair.
Photo credit: Dante Moran
Good times, mwuahahaha… Of course, you can see more pics on my instagram!
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Just a few days later, on November 3rd, I got to be one of the panelists of SAM 2018 (Storytelling Across Media) moderated by that same Beth Accomando (KPBS Cinema Junkie podcaster) and it was a blast! The event as described in the program:
Storytelling in Film – Independent filmmakers Fernando Jay Huerto (Harley, Finest City Showdown), Neal and Jana Hallford (A Case of Evil), Michael Foster (Hush), Jonathan Hammond (Isabel), and Pia Thrasher (The Appointment) will discuss what influences their approach to telling a story and why they choose to work in film. They will also address how personal identity, genre selection, and budget can impact the filmmaking process and the narrative we see on screen.
I was delighted to find a short bio of myself that Beth added to the printed program: “Pia Thrasher is a visual artist with a flair for capturing macabre beauty, and her film acting and directing also reveal a penchant for dark themes.”……. *squeee* I love it, cause it’s so dead on!
I was really nervous at first, but once the discussion started and my focus was on the subject of filmmaking and being in the moment, I relaxed and had a great time with my fun fellow panelists. I hope it was informative and useful for the audience!
I even got my own sign! I’m afraid Beth created a monster by inviting me…cause I COULD TOTALLY GET USED TO THIS! :)
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Of course there was/is some film acting, too! We’re getting closer to wrapping up my role as a detective in ‘Penance‘, a horror/thriller feature film. For a suspenseful ‘breach and clear’ scene, we received some real tactical training by pros and worked really hard for this to make it look as legit as possible. Just another reason I love acting – you never stop learning!
Director approved BTS pics of training (back in the summer), recent shoot and wrap (for that day)
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That’s it for now, all caught up, yay! My focus is now back on my own short film Things We Dig! Till next time – thanks for reading!
Pia Thrasher 