Peter Steinzeig
Executive Producer
http://trollpictures.tv
Q#1) What project or accomplishment has been most significant for your company this year and why? Please include some info on the directors from your company on the project.
The Snorri Bros. (yes, the originals) just wrapped a shoot for LEGO out of Isobar Boston. It was an opportunity to team up with Brickyard VFX whose owners are also involved with Tröll. While Tröll has the freedom to work with any VFX company, the streamlined, efficient manner of working with Brickyard is great.
Also, something we are very excited and proud of is bringing on Natalie Johns, Director. Her work has a purpose, not something we can always say. Currently, in addition to commercial projects, Johns is in development on a documentary with John Legend’s #FREEAMERICA initiative. I encourage everyone to get to know her.
Johns is an award-winning, Emmy nominated filmmaker whose compelling and socially conscious work spans live entertainment, documentary, and branded content. She is a fresh face in the commercial world, and is a diverse talent with strengths across so many categories.
Q#2) What are the biggest challenges facing the production/post industry today and how has your company evolved to meet those challenges?
One big issue or challenge for me is finding uniqueness and diversity. How can a company differentiate itself during the most competitive time in the history of this business? There can be 300 reel submissions for one project.
So it’s not just about bringing in directorial talent but bringing in talent that is unique and diverse. People will hopefully say that Tröll has a viewpoint that Brands and Clients can appreciate.
And the elephant in the room….We all know budgets are tight. So, our plan is to keep the Tröll roster small and really be able to focus on the directors’ careers and the jobs that we are producing. I think this approach will always allow us to exceed Client expectations. Tröll is set up to respond to what the Agencies need, have perceptible solutions and a turn key, under one roof option.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More