WITH over 250 scenes (800 “takes”), OTOSOTU (pronounced “Oh-Toe-So-Two” for “On The Other Side Of The Universe,” a science futuring film about the nature of the human soul) now “in the can” (ie, finished and digitally recorded in 4K on the SDXC UHS-1 card from our Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2500 studio camera), we’ve technically finished filming (or production) and are on to post-production.

To most, the typically 12-months of post-production is a mystery. At JET Progress — ht...

WITH the screenplay by WILLIAM MALTESE finally approved, JET Progress studios has begun preparing for production with the development of a second studio to film off-world scenes, and a new boom-based sound system for better clarity and noise suppression. Script read-throughs are anticipated to begin within the next 10 days.

“OTOSOTU presents several new challenges to us at JET Progress,” says Daniel S. Janik, director and lead actor. “We’re a micro-budget, small film production compa...

WELL, first off again, who’s Sakura Kai? Sakura Kai is a character in the JET Progress production of WINNOWING — https://winnowing.yolasite.com, a new film, currently in post-production, scheduled for release in early 2024. Sakura Kai is an actor auditioning for “The Really Big One,” a movie that will singlehandedly make her career. But this is no typical audition. Sakura Kai must read, live, not one, but six audition scripts alongside movie character Robert Andrews. Only by reading a...

WHEN JET Progress agreed to produce William Maltese's screenplay, WINNOWING, I was pleased to be offered not one, but TWO Lead roles, those of Jeff Candleston, Draqual Media's Casting Director, and Richard Andrews, auditioning actor. I'd never played two roles, much less two lead roles, in a movie. Still, one of my personal favorite actors, Peter Sellers, was known for such, so I immediately felt a sense of excitement in the challenge, and, now that WINNOWING is almost finished filming, accom...

PROGRESS on the filming of the JET Progress production of the film WINNOWING continues this weekend with the concurrent release of an official press release — https://www.prlog.org/12960168 — and the release of the first official poster — https://i.postimg.cc/T1z7BbvJ/Poster1.png.

Filming of the remainder of the indoor studio scenes is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday 14 April 2023, with a backup day on Sunday, 15 April 2023 if necessary. After completion of the indoor studio scenes, f...

FOR those following the filming of the JET Progress — https://jet-progress.yolasite.com — production of the film WINNOWING — https://winnowing.yolasite.com — co-produced by Daniel S. Janik, Setsuko Tsuchiya and William Maltese, and directed by Daniel S. Janik, this fourth day of filming will focus on characters Richard Andrews (played by Daniel S. Janik) and Sakura Kai (played by Setsuko Tsuchiya, of STATIC — https://ksmediagroupinc.com/the-static-movie — fame. In WINNOWING, Richa...

HAVING had my moment on the big screen as lead actor in the multi-award-winning movie STATIC, I was gifted by author, screenwriter, author-and-actor colleague and friend, William Maltese, with an intriguing movie script, WINNOWING, written specifically for myself, Daniel S. Janik, and actress and life partner, Setsuko Tsuchiya. Thank you, William! In it Setsuko and I play not one but TWO lead roles in this story about an actor and actress auditioning for the “big” one, before two, hardene...

TODAY is the day after Hurricane Darby bounced off of Big Island, headed south and died. Not that I’m disappointed. Hurricane’s aren’t my thing. It did affect my acting, however, as filming stopped while Darby danced by. And I just noticed what looks like a new hurricane building off Baja California, the birthplace of so many Hawaiian hurricanes. Quick! Time to film everything possible before another hurricane passes by, hopefully without incident.

Setsuko Tsuchiya and I are continuing...

HAVING recently finished my and Setsuko Tsuchiya’s parts in the Kurt Ken Kaminaka Production of THE PERFECT ILLUSION, and enjoyed our first social party in over two years (okay, it was a movie set, but, hey, it was real FUN to socialize in a bubble), it was time yesterday to visit the hospital, where Ren Gaya is dreaming wildly while in a deep coma. Or was that imagining himself wildly dreaming in a deep coma. Or is he in a coma at all? Don’t ask me, I’m just the doctor.

I play Dr. Ste...

WHAT’S not to write about it, given such an occasion! Actually it was a “Gala Party” scene in the upcoming Kurt Ken Kaminaka Production of “The Perfect Illusion.” And it was, indeed, a Gala Party, replete with aerialist, magician, stilt walker, band and some of the wildest party-goers I’ve ever seen. AND, it’s the first party Setsuko and I have had the pleasure of attending after over two years in deference to COVID. Even if it was a film scene.

There aren’t words for how muc...