Natalie Avital

Natalie Avital

So, you grew up in LA and now you're carving out a career there - how has being an LA girl influenced your journey?

I'm always surrounded by stunningly talented, unique and driven people. If you think about it, creative people from all over the country (and the rest of the world) flock to Los Angeles because of the potential opportunities here. It's a really "alive" environment in that way- I hear a lot that people get here and feel lonely, that this town is hard to land in. I have never felt that way- for me, it's the opposite- the amount of people in LA that want to have a creative experience and jump in to make things happen, is astounding. I suppose it's easier to feel lost in the shuffle if folks let their emotions or their worth wrap up in whether the big budget film and television world is embracing them, but honestly, for people who are inspired to pave their own way, the connections, the resources, and the truly amazing cohorts you will find here are endless. Like anywhere, it's about carving out a community of people who are moved by the things that move you or have something to teach you-- but the sheer number of artists concentrated in this one area makes it possible for so many independent projects to happen. And everybody knows somebody who has a camera, who wants to design, who is looking to film something they wrote... if you're willing to let things be labors of love and dig in and do the work, the potential to make your own art happen is huge. And LA is great in that it's an artist town. People expect you to talk about projects you're working on, it's a dialogue that more often than not, receiving ears will understand.

What are some of the things you do to stay connected to your Artistic community?
Ooohhh lots... I try to say yes to everything... I'm always working on or in someone's short film, going out to support friend's plays, writing something, participating in a class- a group of us who've come to know each other through class and now through friend's of class friends have a standing bi-monthly meeting where we meet up and either read a play or a script and discuss it afterwards. The readings are great, but the discussions about the material along with the group talks we often have before we read are really the Gold. We'll talk about everything from our goals to the state of the Industry and how it's effecting us, how we can stay creative, etc... it's very cool, and it brings actors at different levels of experience and success together with writers, directors, etc... to have heartfelt dialogue with each other.

What are you working on currently?
For the past few months, I, along with some fantastic friends and collaborators, have been organizing the production of the upcoming feature film, "Dreams of Dying". It's been an education and a half!

What's the film about?
It's pretty exciting. It's about a girl, Alex, who's grown up broken and clinically paranoid as a result of a history of family abuse. She and her younger sister have both suffered in their own ways, and as adults have both pursued careers as artists (go figure;-) ) Her sister Brett is a singer/songwriter and Alex has become an actress, known most notably for her roles in horror films.
At the top of "Dreams of Dying", Alex, who has been living in London to get some distance from both her traumatic childhood and an obsessive stalker, decides to return to LA to make a Vampire film. Alex has a history of nightmares that are, oftentimes, ominous visions of the future to be. As she begins working on the movie and is, by chance, reunited with Brett, her paranoia and her dreams intensify as the demons of her past become entwined with the world of the film she is making... That's all I'll say for now...

Sounds like a psychological character piece meets a more conventional horror film.
It is! Alex's world is quite dark and stark and has a very Indie feel to it-- then with the Vampire film within the film we get to have tons of fun and play up the Camp, and the blood and the gore, and the silliness that marks a lot of the best low budget horror films-- We wanted something that hardcore horror fans could get excited about and at the same time, have Alex's plight be emotional enough that people who enjoyed the kitchen sink dramas that I love, would still find it compelling. I think we've got something really cool.

Who wrote it?
Nick McCallum, a wonderful actor, wrote and is going to be directing the film. I am one of the Producers along with Jason Gurvitz, Lauren Spagnoletti, Genevieve Ruitort, Tina Shults Logan, Bobby Field, Austin Cline, Julian Iannini, Adam Hobeiche and David Chang.

That's a lot of people!
Yep, but at the grassroots level it can take a village- and we have a very excited and enthusiastic one!

How does one find out more about the project or get involved?
Right now we are in the fundraising stages of the project- We are seeking investors at many levels. We have a fundraising site through IndieGoGo. com If folks felt like donating $5 or $500 we'd be extremely, and equally, appreciative!

Also, we have a mini teaser posted with some footage we shot recently, so if you make it to the site you'll get a 70 second preview of what we're going for... and we have a facebook group page for "Dreams of Dying" as well, so if you'd like Production updates, join us and we'll be keeping everyone informed as we go!
If anyone was interested in finding out more about financing at a more substantial level, I can also be contacted at producernat@gmail.com

Here's the link: http://www.indiegogo.com/Dreams-of-Dying?a=25598&i=shlk
People can also go to IndieGoGo. com and search "Dreams of Dying". We have some fun donation incentives as well!

That all sounds great, Natalie, best of luck with everything!
Thank you and thanks so much for the Interview!!