Merge (2012)

A young woman personifies mother earth as she explores her natural terrain. People from alternating maturities then reflect on her life. These people also symbolize the generations she has and will coexist with during her life span. Narrations from a robotic child in the future to the first man who walked her land all generate an important message in this film.

The Workflow

Our mission was simple: expose the beauty around us. ADC loves nature and we like to hope that the feeling is mutual. Anytime we step into a nature bound project, we prepare for double the amount of shooting time. Working with nature can get tricky. We relied heavily on patience and our connection to the earth.  We opted to have an environmental biologist present on set to assist us with the exotic flora and fauna encountered throughout the production. Locations settled within the Southern Californian region. We shot the ocean scenes between the beautiful Sycamore Beach in Malibu, CA and rocky shores of Newport Beach, CA. We also had a lifeguard assigned to our lead role during the ocean scenes to ensure safety for our cast/crew. The ocean was one of our biggest challenges; the waves were filled with surprises. As a matter of fact, we were met by a female humpback whale and her calf early on. It was truly a magical sight and a wholesome experience for us all.   The film has received much acclaim over the years due to the worldly content and exceptional cinematography. It has been translated in French and will be dubbed in Spanish, Farsi, Madarin, Japanese, Russian, Hindi, and German by the end of 2015. Merge was the sole student film to be screened at the Digital Media Artists of Los Angeles event. Industry professionals who attended the event commented on how visually polished the film was compared to its competition.   THE TEAM: Director/Writer: Abbey Abeynayake Executive Producers: Jaclynn Bowers & Naghmeh Ghafourian Producers: Abbey Abeynayake Amanda Ramos Ezekiel Cooley Original Music By: The Cinematic Orchestra - "Arrival of the Birds & Transformation" Director of Cinematography/Unit 1: Neil Abeynayake Cinematography (Unit 2):  Brocton Jobin Crane/Jib Operator: Ezekiel Cooley Editor: Abbey Abeynayake Color Grading/Vfx: Mystique Pacific Casting: Gypsy Media Studios 1st Unit Assistant Director: Naghmeh Ghafourian 2nd Unit Assistant Director: Amanda Ramos Sound/ADR: Abstract Digital Cinema Location Managers: Alexeyeva Smith & Eziekel Cooley Drivers: Saul Gonzalez & Alexeyeva Smith Page Text Editor: Christina Hernandez THE CAST: Mother Earth: Guadalupe Morales Child Narration: Amara Visgilio Young Woman Narration: Lori Sage Young Man Narration: Nathan Schneekluth Elderly Man Narration: Joseph Alexander Medina Extras: Eduardo Frias Goldbourn Sebastian Gregory Brannon Juan Diego Rodney Velasquez DISCLAIMER! ---- Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. All photographs are copyrighted with the US Copyrights Office and available licensing in following formats. Please contact ABSTRACT DIGITAL CINEMA (Media Licensing Dept.) for fees, terms, and Photograph Use License Agreement. Unauthorized copying, publication, and/or replication prohibited. Copyright © 2011 ~ 2014 Abstract Digital Cinema/Amanda Abeynayake. All rights reserved.