This past Thursday fans from all over eagerly tuned in virtual for Comic-Con@Home’s “From Script to Screen: Behind-The-Scenes of Your Favorite Film & TV Shows” panel moderated by Halloween star Danielle Harris. Panelists included screenwriter, director, and editor Tirsa Hackshaw from Jessica Jones, Green Door composer Ian Chen, makeup designer Burton Leblanc from The Handmaid’s Tale, composer Devin Burrows from The Wretched, Camp Cold Brook composer Chad Rehmann, and cinematographer Catherine Lutes from Anne with an E.
Ian Chen began kicked off the panel by diving into his creative process:
“You start examining the theme, the characters, and the story between all genres. For video games, you approach the music from a top-down feature versus for television and film, it is timed to the edits and to what is on screen.”
Devin Burrows also added:
“I’m always experimenting with new sounds but The Wretched is also a throwback to old horror and action movies as well. The location of the woods needed a specific sonic character. They fell in love with the sarangi and we altered it to have a dry sound in the score. The orchestra helped create the unique sonic tapestry of the film.”
Burton LeBlanc also talked about his work on The Handmaid’s Tale:
“The Handmaid’s Tale is all about realism. It is a constant adjustment until they start rolling the cameras. I pull inspiration from older movies which has inspired me in my genre filled roles.”
Catherine Lutes from Anne with an E, also spoke about her work on the show:
“I went with a feeling of instilling a sense of magic and romantical feeling. I wanted to bring a sense of that through Anne’s spaces. I could bring in an emotional push and add new colors to the palette since this season is in summer. I wanted to bring a feeling of modern hand-held movement while discussing modern times in an older setting. I always try to come from the emotional approach of the characters.”
Chad Rehmann then dived into diversity in the entertainment industry by saying:
“This career is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to think of yourself as a small business owner. We have a skill and we need clients. Getting involved somewhere outside the industry allows you to decompress and some of my best connections have been outside of the industry. But until we focus and address socioeconomic issues and systemic issues way before the job interview, we won’t make progress since we need to focus on the issues that start when we are young.”
Tirsa Hackshaw then added:
“I’m passionate about bringing women in film as I am a member of Women in Film. Adding a spotlight to and bringing women on set is so important. Making a movie is like having a small army. You can bring authenticity to the production arena as well. Keep saying yes. Opportunities come and you may discover something new about yourself. All experience is good experience. You can find inspiration in unknown areas.” Catherine Lutes in agreement said, “You have to have a thick skin as a woman in this field. There is not one path to success. There are so many ways in and you have to follow what works best for you. Even with wrong turns, you have to stay true to yourself. Don’t try to fit in somewhere you think may be good or lucrative. People want to hire me for who I am and my perspective. I wouldn’t want to pretend to be someone else anyway.”
You can check out this panel below and all of the other panels during Comic-Con@Home on the Comic-Con YouTube channel.