G ravitas Docufilms Presents
A Film About the Art of Dubbing
76 minutes 2017 USA HD Stereo
Distribution + Press Inquiries: David Kennedy Saboteur Media 799 Washington Street New York, NY 10014 212-897-3922 [email protected]
www.BeingGeorgeClooney.com
1 LOGLINE What is it like being the voice of a famous Hollywood face? Being George Clooney takes you on a journey into the world of audio dubbing Hollywood films for the international market.
SYNOPSIS Being George Clooney is a feature length documentary that delves into the creative, often humorous world of audio dubbing a Hollywood motion picture for the international market. The story unfolds through interviews with film directors and producers, with dubbing crews, and with talented voice actors from around the world, including seven actors who dub the voice of George Clooney. Just who are these voices behind that famous face? Francesco Pannofino, Detlef Bierstedt and Samuel Labarthe are actors in their own right. Marco Antonio Costa is an ER doctor in a major hospital. Tamer Karadagli and Shaktee Singh star in successful television shows in their own countries. Being George Clooney explores both the personal lives of these voice artists and their lives as George Clooney's “alter ego”. As Hollywood depends more and more on international box office proceeds, voiceover dubbing has become part of a multi-billion dollar business. Dubbing studios around the world face the daunting task of translating hundreds of movies into dozens of languages. Film producers have to consider markets in Italy and India as well as the United States…or lose substantial revenues. Being George Clooney explores the business and the process of audio dubbing, from its curious origins in Mussolini’s Italy to technological developments changing the face of the industry today. Being George Clooney is the first film to go behind the scenes to dubbing studios in Los Angeles, Berlin, Rome and Mumbai. The film shows us the problems, the processes and the personalities that translate an American hit into an international blockbuster, and asks the question-what is it like Being George Clooney.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT Paul Mariano
Like most people, I love the movies. I love how they can transport and transform us… how they excite and entertain us. But, I am also fascinated by the “behind- the-scenes” action. How do they make the magic? When I read an article about the French voice of a famous American actor, I was intrigued. I wanted to know more about the concept and the world of voice actors…those people that provide the sound for these famous Hollywood faces. Who are these people that work in the dark and provide the voices of “our stars”? How did they get started doing this work? Are they well compensated? Do they enjoy being heard….but never seen? And so, I set out to meet these famous voices…and learn about the world of audio dubbing.
2 THE FILMMAKERS
PAUL MARIANO Director
Paul was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from the oldest high school in the country, Boston Latin School. After completing his studies at Hastings College of the Law, he practiced as a criminal defense attorney for 27 years. Upon retirement, he co- founded Gravitas Docufilms. His directorial debut, Also Ran, won the award for Best Political Documentary at the 2006 Atlanta Docufest. His film, Faces of Genocide began the International Citizens’ Tribunal on Sudan, held in New York City on November 13, 2006. His last film, These Amazing Shadows, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2011 and won awards for Best Documentary at a number of festivals, as well as a Cine Golden Eagle Award. Shadows screened at festivals around the world and theaters across the country, and aired on PBS Independent Lens in December 2011 and 2012.
KURT NORTON Producer
Kurt Norton has produced, written and directed numerous shorts. He brought These Amazing Shadows to the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, his second documentary feature in collaboration with co-director, Paul Mariano. He is currently working on a romantic comedy feature entitled, The Mammoth Falls. He is also a licensed private investigator specializing in death penalty cases. His mother, Audree Norton, was the first Deaf actor on American network television with her featured appearance on the CBS show, Mannix, in 1968.
RIVKAH BETH MEDOW Producer
Rivkah Beth Medow has directed and produced award-winning documentary films for the past 12 years. Her projects have been seen by millions on PBS, Food Network and in film festivals worldwide. She is a mentor and guest lecturer at California College of the Arts and serves on the board of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, a signature film and arts funder. Her film Sons of a Gun (Director/Producer) premiered at South By Southwest 2009. Other credits include: Being George Clooney (Producer, 2016), The Nine (Producer, 2016), We’ve Got the Power (Co-Producer, 2013), The Next Frontier: Engineering the Golden Age of Green, (Associate Producer, 2010), Empty Oceans, Empty Nets (Associate Producer, 2005), and Farming the Seas (Associate Producer, 2005, Habitat Media).
3 FRAZER BRADSHAW Director of Photography
Frazer has shot hundreds of film projects including features, commercials, documentaries and music videos. His work has screened at Cannes, Sundance, Toronto and New York film festivals. His directorial debut, Everything Strange and New, was hailed by critics and won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival and the CineVision Award at the Munich Film Festival. He shot a portion of and appears (along with his daughter Hattie) in Focus Feature's film Babies.
PETER GOLUB Music Designer/Composer
Peter co-composed, with James Newton Howard, the music for The Great Debaters, directed by Denzel Washington and starring Mr. Washington and Forest Whitaker. He scored Frozen River, directed by Courtney Hunt; winner of the Jury Award for Best Film at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and nominated for two Academy Awards. He has composed music for the documentaries Wordplay, These Amazing Shadows and I.O.U.S.A., which were shown at the Sundance Film Festival. He has also composed the scores for numerous Broadway productions, ballets and concert works.
4 CAST
Detlef Bierstedt Germany
Trained as a stage actor, Detlef Bierstedt also appears regularly on German television, in radio plays, audio books, documentaries and commercials. He is best known for dubbing American actors George Clooney, Bill Pullman, John C. Reilly and Jonathan Frakes. Bierstedt was the orignal designated voice of George Clooney. However, director Steven Soderbergh cast a different actor to voice Clooney in the Ocean’s Eleven series, causing an uproar in German film- going circles.
Francesco Pannofino Italy
Francesco Pannofino is an accomplished actor, voice actor and dubbing director. He lends his voice to a wide array of American actors including George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Kurt Russell, Antonio Banderas, Mickey Rourke, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Wesley Snipes and many others. He is devoted to his wife, fellow actress and voice actress Emanuela Rossi.
Martin Umbach Germany
”The other voice“ of George Clooney in Germany, Martin Umbach always wanted to be an actor. He has added voice actor and audio book narrator to his resume. Umbach is the voice that director Steven Soderbergh cast for George Clooney in the Ocean's Eleven series. Umbach also has a successful parallel career as an author, with a 13-volume astrological crime novel series titled Game of Stars.
5 Tamer Karadağli Turkey
Tamer Karadağlı is one of Turkey’s best known and most beloved actors. He stars in the popular sit-com "Çocuklar Duymasin" (Children Shall Not Hear) and has had leading roles in several television and theater projects. He is the designated voice of George Clooney, Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood among others. Although Turkish by birth, Tamer grew up in New Jersey and Texas.
Shaktee Singh India
Shaktee Singh is a renowned Indian television and voice actor who specializes in dubbing both Hollywood and Bollywood films. Singh prides himself on being able to adjust his voice for any accent, pitch and timbre. He is the designated voice of George Clooney, Anthony Hopkins, and Mel Gibson. And though the face of James Bond may change over the years, the Indian voice stays the same thanks to Singh.
Samuel Labarthe France
A celebrated theater, cinema and television actor, Samuel Labarthe has starred in several films including The Conquest (2011), Le Divorce (2003) and The Accompanist (1992). He is the designated voice of George Clooney in France. And while he has never personally met George, he would love to appear in a film with him.
6 Marco Antônio Costa Brazil
Marco Antônio Costa began working as a voice actor and radio announcer in 1986 to pay for medical school. He has since gone on to become a widely popular radio personality as well as the designated voice of George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Tim Robbins, Val Kilmer and Hugh Grant. He even won an Oscar for the Best Voice Dubbing of a Protagonist as Jack Sparrow in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. All of which he does in addition to his day job as an ER surgeon.
THE DIRECTOR’S PREVIOUS FILM: THESE AMAZING SHADOWS
Paul’s last film (which he co-wrote and co-directed with Kurt Norton) premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. It went on to screen at festivals around the world and across the country, winning awards for Best Documentary and a Cine Golden Eagle Award. It aired on PBS Independent Lens in 2011 and 2012.
"Inspiring...Elegantly assembled." David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter "Remarkable documentary." Ed Scheid, BoxOffice Magazine "A valentine to film." Ty Burr, Boston Globe "Film-montages to end all film-montages." John Lopez, Vanity Fair "A fascinating ride. A must see." Clint O'Connor, The Cleveland Plain Dealer
ABOUT GRAVITAS DOCUFILMS
Gravitas, LLC was formed in 2004 to produce films that address social justice issues. Gravitas partners Paul Mariano and Kurt Norton started producing short form documentaries (“mitigation videos”) about the lives of defendants in death penalty cases. These mitigation videos have been successful in persuading district attorneys to stop their pursuit of the death penalty in many cases. They moved on to make documentaries on such subjects as genocide, the California gubernatorial recall election, the National Film Registry and the power of the movies and now the international world of audio dubbing Hollywood films. Projects in pre-production include a documentary entitled, Not Your Mother’s Washboard, an entertaining and fascinating look into the world of musical washboards and a narrative feature film, The Mammoth Falls, a romantic comedy about two rival families in San Francisco.
7 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
Production Company: Gravitas Docufilms
Documentary Website: www.beinggeorgeclooney.com Company Website: www.gravitasdocufilms.com IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3562572/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeingClooneyDoc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beinggeorgeclooney
Camera: Red Epic and Blackmagic Cinema
Being George Clooney shooting locations: • Rome, Italy, • Berlin, Germany, • Paris, France • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil • Istanbul, Turkey • Mumbai, India • Los Angeles and Burbank, California.
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