Moving Pictures - "The Feline Feeling"

My first attempt at shooting a string of moving pictures came to fruition at the beginning of this year in the form of a movie trailer titled "The Feline Feeling". Directed and Produced by the amazing duo of Elvia Lahman and Hannah Metz who are co-owners of the lovely vintage clothing store in Pasadena called The Loved One, this trailer is a vehicle to showcase their new line of vintage inspired lingerie.

When I was asked to be the Director of Photography for this project, I threw my hat into the ring, picked up my trusty Nikon D800 and channeled my inner Russ Meyer, Doris Wishman and Roger Corman. Shooting started at The Monty Bar in downtown Los Angeles, and was a perfect start to an amazing weekend. Yes, this was shot in two days!

I thought I would select some of my favorite stills from the film and share them with you. Working with the crew and actors was a wonderful experience. As a still photographer, I am a solitary creature creating, directing and lighting mostly on my own. Creating this film, I became part of a team building a vision together. It was a creative experience I hope to do again in the future.

Go-go-go see a spectacle of decadence,

Julie Pavlowski Green
March 1, 2014

Nothing says rock and roll more than a close up of a DJ cuing a 45 record. This set the tone for the movie, as music was such a prominent character in the trailer. Brian Waters, Lance Porter, Brad Culkins and Eric Big Arm all contributed to making sure that the music in this flick was unforgettable.

We started out on Friday night at The Monty Bar in downtown LA. It was fun shooting all the ladies dancing in fabulous outfits. I had only met Hannah before, so it was a great way to meet all the actors and start the weekend out on the right foot...

Louisa, played by Hannah Metz, was simply divine. She is a natural in front of the camera and made my job of filming her a dream. She looks like a cross between Catherine Denuve and Brigitte Bardot and is lovely inside and out.

I was thrilled to get to shoot the old and run down movie theater in South Pasadena. The Rialto is seriously on its last leg and to include it in a movie was a tribute to the old cinema house that may be torn down soon. It also helped to set the stage for Louisa's arrival by bus.

Sweeny Todd's Barber Shop was a perfect location for the "cat burglary". Todd Lahman has impeccable taste which can be seen in the details found in his shop. He and his lovely wife Elvia wrote the script for the trailer. Todd also was the voiceover in the film. The beautiful natural light streaming through the windows counterbalanced the overhead florescence, which I felt was a counterpoint to the contrast between the barbers and the burglars.

Possibly my favorite still from the movie, this image suspended time for me. This could have easily been seen in a "Twilight Zone" episode. From the car to her impatient look, this cat burglar (played by the delightful Emily Alben) once again made shooting this trailer a joy.

I loved working with Erin Cherry. Her timeless look was a perfect match for this period piece. From wearing the new line of lingerie to looking like a silent movie siren as a cat burglar, Ms. Cherry fit the bill!

This was the first moment when Louisa walks into the dressing room and is from her point of view. It was filmed at the lovely Fremont Center Theatre in South Pasadena. This 1920's location was where the author and playwright Ray Bradbury used to present his work via his Pandemonium Theatre Company.

The line of lingerie, which features items like "Sin In The Suburbs" panties and "She Should Have Stayed in Bed" bralette, were a perfect foil for the ladies "audition" on stage.

But it was the "Kittie Panties" that stole the show. The elastic "whiskers" are so cute and original! Who wouldn't want to buy a them after watching the trailer?

In another memorable sequence from the minds of The Loved One, came Louisa's entanglement with a string of Daisies. You could watch this sequence over and over again and come out with a different story every time. It's mysterious link to the rest of the film made me even more thrilled to shoot it.

My first attempt at a close up was fun and challenging at the same time. The scene is where Louisa first sees René. Focusing a hand held 35mm lens took some practice but Hannah was a true professional and did the take until we got it right.

Tension mounted as René (played by Elvia Lahman) and her wig wearing pussy cat Lucille, (played by Lucy) created a dramatic moment between her and Louisa. Lighting the vacuous theatre space was not as much of a challenge as I thought and we were able to capture René in a soft glowing light.

One of the biggest surprises in the film came at the apex of the script. We were rehearsing the cat fight in the dressing room when Dirty Ashley, played by the amazing Ashley Miller, began to give it her all and started to pull at the only tear away dress we had. The fight was on and we couldn't look back!

You couldn't have hired a better team of actors that reacted to the cat fight with such enthusiasm! We were all so caught up in the moment of surprise, which I think helped to intensify the scene itself. We weren't expecting it to happen and everyone's reaction was caught on film, er.. I mean pixels or whatever you call it these days!

I was caught off guard, since it was only supposed to be a run through, and actually picked my camera up which was attached to a tripod and continued shooting them while they were on the ground. This couldn't have looked more real than if they actually got into a real cat fight themselves!

We filmed the last scene at an actual rag house in downtown LA. American Apparel graciously allowed us to film in their sewing department. The editing throughout the film by Hailee Kendrick was amazing but the end edit stood out the most for me. The off center edit which zooms into Louisa captured for me, the essence of 60's B-movies that were experimenting with different angles and ways of presenting the image.