Miz Mandy Announces a Public Pre-release Viewing Party for Two New Music Videos at Saint Felix Hollywood on Friday September 21

In 2010, pop singer, Miz Mandy, partnered with Los Angeles based music producer, Ryan Franks, to co-write and produce her third pop album, 'Mousetrap'. Released in November of 2011, Ryan describes the album as "a little retro, a little film score, a little sleazy, and a little mean." Miz Mandy says the new album "has a real cinematic feel. What better way to showcase the characters, stories and emotion of the album than to produce music videos?"http://www.MizMandy.com

Miz Mandy contracted with writer and director, Amelia Yokel, for the first music video project, 'Rising Sun'. Producing for over ten years with an emphasis on music videos, Amelia says 'Rising Sun' is "one of the more upbeat and carefree songs on the album. It's as though Mandy is speaking to the world and saying, 'We can do this together, don't give up.'" They began collaborating on the video over the summer of 2011.http://www.YokelPower.com

"Amelia is a woman of vision and ambition, and I loved her idea of a pied piper parade for the video," said Miz Mandy. "She was so organized and thorough, I trusted her to run with it." The video concept featured Miz Mandy, dressed as ringleader, gathering people and characters of all kinds to come together. Scenes consist of spreading the word via light signals, paper airplane invitations, posted fliers, and calling all to join by leading a parade throughout the mountains, neighborhoods and city.

They began with a treatment, bike riding practice, and focusing the costume options. "One of my favorite parts of the process was the day that Mandy and I went through the costumes in her closet." Amelia laughs, "It might not be obvious to the innocent observer but Mandy is one of those women who is a unique combination of class and whimsy. Her closet is a testament to the lighter side of her personality and what many people don't know is that the majority of the crazy costumes in the video came from Mandy herself."

Heading the production and direction of the video, Amelia gathered the rest of the crew consisting of: Director of Photography Justin Duval, Steadicam Operator Noah Dille, Camera Assistant Chris McKinley, 2nd Camera Carrie Carnivale, Assistant Director Andrew Sarno, Make-Up Laci Hill, Hair Iris Sanchez, EPK Director/Set Photographer Todd Jones.

Most of the video footage was filmed over two days in January of 2012 at four different locations in greater Los Angeles. "Amelia is such a sweetheart, that she insisted on making homemade personalized breakfast for the crew," Miz Mandy added, "[and] as delicious as her breakfast was, Amelia shined at producing and directing."

'Rising Sun' was shot on a Canon 7d with Zeiss Prime lenses, with custom equipment being built to accomplish the desired shots. Amelia explains, "Our rig was a platform built off the back of a jeep that combined a steadicam rig with climbing gear to keep our camera guy, Noah Dille safe from sliding around."

Director of Photography Justin Duval confirms, "We decided to shoot the steadicam out of the back of my jeep because we wanted to have a smooth, polished look. We were fighting the style of the DSLR revolution, which tends to lend to a jerkier, hand-held look. By integrating the elaborate steadicam rig we were able to preserve a cinematic quality that I could be comfortable with." http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0245050/

Day one of shooting occurred in the Castaic area north of Santa Clarita with a smaller cast and crew at sunrise. Day two was shot in downtown Los Angeles with the full crew and a cast of over fifty. Amelia states, "Not only did we have an excellent team with talent, drive and the skills to do the job well but we also surrounded ourselves with people who wanted to have fun too. Working with professionals who know how to do their job and enjoy themselves is a pleasure."

But Amelia's work was not yet done. She had a few final scenes to shoot for the video's intro, which features the song's producer, Ryan Franks. Amelia continues, "I've also had the pleasure of editing the footage together for the final product." The video was edited and color corrected in the Final Cut 7.0 suite.

She continues, "Working with Mandy has been particularly rewarding. Not only is she extremely talented and beautiful but also she possesses that 'X Factor' that so many other musicians lack… Drive. She has a strong understanding of the creative process and high standards for the final product which I really respect."

"We took our time with the editing process, going back and forth on several aspects to get it just right," said Miz Mandy. "It was great to work with Amelia through this phase as well. Her ultimate goal was to do the job right, no matter how long we took." All in all, the editing, effects, and color correction process took several months to complete.

On Friday September 21st, at Cahuenga and Hollywood Boulevard, Saint Felix Hollywood will accommodate the pre-release party in a private room. Gayot restaurant guide says, "Expect a nightlife-centered evening scene with sexy decor, al fresco alley seating and handcrafted signature cocktails." The event will include a red carpet entrance, the cast and crew of both music videos, which will be shown on a large projection screen and house speaker system. The event is from 9:30 - 11:30pm and is open to the public. 
Please RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/465657580134123/

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