Upload
others
View
0
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Production Information
Whether it’s a casual status update, a shared family photo or a short video to a group of
friends, modern communication has made our on- and offline lives virtually indistinguishable.
And while the majority of the hourly stream of digital media we receive and distribute is
welcome and exciting content, some of it is deeply, deeply disturbing.
And some of it can be deadly.
Ushering in a new era of horror, Unfriended follows what happens when a seemingly
innocent online prank starts a sequence of events that spirals out of control. A first-person
exploration of the terror that can emerge when our connected experiences transform into our
deadliest fears, the film unfolds over a teenager’s computer screen as she and her friends are
stalked by an unseen figure who seeks vengeance for a shaming video that led a vicious bully to
kill herself a year earlier. On the anniversary of her death, the very same friends who thought
there would be no consequences to their actions will find out just how deadly wrong they are.
It’s an average school night as Blaire (SHELLEY HENNIG of Ouija) and her boyfriend,
Mitch (MOSES STORM of Hulu’s The 4 to 9ers: The Day Crew), start a somewhat intimate
video chat. Suddenly, they’re interrupted by their friends, Jess (RENEE OLSTEAD of TV’s The
Secret Life of the American Teenager), Adam (WILL PELTZ of Men, Women & Children), Ken
(JACOB WYSOCKI of Pitch Perfect) and Val (COURTNEY HALVERSON of HBO’s True
Detective), who are ready to launch into a group chat session. Before long, the group is joined
by a user known only as “Billie227.” They think it’s just a glitch and go about their
conversation…until Billie begins typing. What comes next devolves into their worst nightmare.
As Blaire begins receiving messages on Facebook and e-mails from someone or
something claiming to be Laura Barns (HEATHER SOSSAMAN of TV’s NCIS: Los Angeles)—
the girl who killed herself exactly one year ago—she frantically tries to figure out who has
intruded into their group chat. Meanwhile, Billie’s games force the friends to confront their
deepest, darkest secrets and lies. If they find out who posted the shaming video of Laura that led
Unfriended_Production Information 2
to her death—even if that means these friends suffer in the process—they will appease their
tormentor and survive the night.
Stories once thought to be hidden are exposed and relationships are tested to the ultimate
degree as the group is tormented by an evil spirit who will not let them free…until it gets the
ultimate revenge.
The thriller was developed and conceived by visionary filmmaker TIMUR
BEKMAMBETOV (Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter). Directed by LEO
GABRIADZE (Lucky Trouble), Unfriended is written by NELSON GREAVES (TV’s Sleepy
Hollow) and produced by Bekmambetov and Greaves.
They are joined by a key behind-the-scenes crew that includes co-producer ADAM
SIDMAN (TV’s Auction Hunters), who also serves as director of photography, production
designer HEIDI KOLETO (Daddy), editors PARKER LARAMIE (Lowlands) and ANDREW
WESMAN (Down by the Promised Land) and costume designer VERONIKA BELENIKINA.
The film’s co-executive producers are ALAN KHAMOUI (The Monstrosity) and COUPER
SAMUELSON (Ouija).
JASON BLUM (Ouija and Paranormal Activity, The Purge and Insidious series) serves
as executive producer of the film for Blumhouse Productions.
The release of Unfriended marks the fifth feature-film collaboration between Universal
and blockbuster producer Blum’s Blumhouse Productions. From the terrifying films of this
partnership—including the speculative thrillers of The Purge series, 2014’s breakout Ouija and
this year’s hit The Boy Next Door—Blum continues to push the boundaries of the thriller,
suspense and horror genres. Through it all, he manages to deliver to audiences the types of
pulse-pounding films they have grown to associate with his banner.
As executive producer of Unfriended, Blum continues this mission to cultivate voices of
new filmmakers and provide maximum theatrical exposure to their work, while infusing the
material with the signature style he’s brought to such new classics as the films of his Paranormal
Activity and Insidious series.
Unfriended_Production Information 3
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Creating a New Genre:
Unfriended Begins
A new genre in the world of horror has a fascinating origin...
Producer Timur Bekmambetov’s penchant for innovative, intelligent and sophisticated
filmmaking elevates the horror genre to an unexpected level with Unfriended. A filmmaker who
splits his time between the U.S. and Russia, running companies in both countries, Bekmambetov
is almost always on his computer, which is how the idea for Unfriended came to life. For 15
years, the thought kept coming up: “Somebody’s got to make a movie about the part of our lives
we spend digitally connected.”
Bekmambetov elaborates: “Over the years, I’ve shared this idea with many filmmakers,
trying to find someone to help me make this movie. I was shared this idea, hoping it would
spark something inside them. It was hard to convince anyone to take a break from traditional
filmmaking and take a risk like this. I knew that the only way to achieve this movie would be to
stop thinking and just do.”
Jason Blum, the film’s executive producer whose company, Blumhouse, is presenting the
film, said about the idea: “What is so fun and scary about Unfriended is that the filmmakers
came up with a new way of making a movie that actually elevates and serves the story.”
One night, writer/producer Nelson Greaves and co-executive producer Alan Khamoui,
another executive from Bekmambetov’s production company, Bazelevs, were sitting around the
office spitballing ideas for new projects with their boss, and the idea for Unfriended came back
around. Greaves shares: “We said: ‘What if this was a horror movie?’ At that point, the idea
clicked with me. Found-footage films are frightening because of the constraints and limits.
What’s more limiting than being trapped on your computer as you’re attacked and terrorized?”
Greaves, who was an assistant at the time, needed a reason to still be employed at the
company after his supervisor had left, so he jumped into the dark and fleshed out a story that
could thrive in this world and still be grounded and relatable. After he wrote the script, he
handed it off to Bekmambetov. A colleague of Bekmambetov’s, director Leo Gabriadze, just
Unfriended_Production Information 4
happened to be in Los Angeles at the time filming a commercial, and the Russian producer knew
he’d take to the material.
Greaves recalls: “Timur physically handed the script to Leo and told him to read it. Leo
went next door and, for the longest two-and-a-half hours of my life, he read the script while I sat
there nervous. Good news is that he loved it.”
After getting the thumbs-up from Gabriadze, Greaves reached out to a former classmate
and roommate, Adam Sidman, who was working in unscripted television production. As soon as
Greaves walked him through the story line, Sidman came aboard and wore every production hat
possible—production coordinator, locations manager, hiring the crew, director of photography,
creative producing, you name it—and Sidman, Greaves and Gabriadze shot a test of the script.
Soon after, Bekmambetov gave it his seal of approval and green-lit production.
Still, one challenge that presented itself right away was geography. Bekmambetov was in
Russia for most of the production and, coincidentally, the majority of his involvement had to
take place over Skype. He met the actors, visited the set and even spent hours editing with the
team, all over Skype. Bringing it fullcircle, when the movie finally premiered at the Fantasia and
SXSW film festivals, Bekmambetov also greeted audiences via this medium.
The production of Unfriended was no small feat for a group that started with three
people. Gabriadze shares: “We had a very small team. In the beginning, it was only Timur,
Nelson and me. We were all on the same page of bringing the story to the big screen. It was
quite a challenge, but we all strongly believed in the vision. The team grew but still stayed small
and engaged. Timur helped and supported us, from day one. Nelson is a man of great energy
and devotion—a gifted writer and a producer. He was the driving force of our production.”
Bekmambetov returns the kind words: “Nelson and Leo made a great team for the movie.
Leo has the wisdom and experience, and Nelson is young and hasn’t yet learned what’s
‘impossible.’ They worked together with Adam, who served as the responsible adult, allowing
Leo and Nelson to dream big and try new things.”
One area in which Bekmambetov challenged the team was to discover this new language
of filmmaking through trial and error. He reflects: “Normally, when I make movies, I can draw
on references from a long history of moviemaking. For this, we were completely on our own.
We had to invent. We had to try and fail and try again. We had to have discipline to stay within
the limitations we had set for ourselves, and trust that people would connect with it.”
Unfriended_Production Information 5
Throughout the process, Bekmambetov continued working with the team to keep the
concept in check. Greaves provides: “Whenever we would have a moment of doubt, Timur
reminded us to be brave, be bold and just go for it.”
In presenting Unfriended, Blum was excited to push the envelope once again with
moviegoers. He notes: “The best horror films speak to audiences’ primal fears, and Unfriended
goes deep into the exploration of those fears in an extremely innovative manner of filmmaking.
Here, a group of teens who think they’re immortal begin to realize the consequences of actions
they were so flippant about only one year earlier. When they are tested, will they stand together
or will their group be torn apart by the very decisions that once brought them so close?”
Want to Play a Game?
Casting Unfriended
The principal cast of Unfriended consists of six characters who become trapped in a game
of cat and mouse, as Billie torments them with secrets they thought would never be uncovered
and pushes them into horrifying actions. Working on tight time constraints, casting director
JOHN MCALARY brought talented actors in for auditions, but, as the performers would soon
learn, they weren’t average auditions.
In the beginning, the team had actors read in the room with them, but it soon became
quite clear that they needed to audition in front of a computer. So, the casting process took place
just that way, in two different rooms, via video chat, and the cast was chosen based upon those
auditions. Once they assembled their top choices, Gabriadze and his key crew conducted a mix
and match of sorts, in which they took different groups of six people and had them do a scene
together. In this, each was asked to find their character’s personality and place in the group.
Indeed, it was crucial that each actor was comfortable with improv and quick changes. After
that, the final group of six was chosen.
In auditioning actresses for the role of Blaire, the team knew the moment they saw
Shelley Hennig that she was their Blaire. For Hennig, the chance to engage in improv was a
primary draw for her. She shares: “The audition was totally unconventional, compared to other
projects I’ve auditioned for. I was in an office, Skyping with an actor in a separate room, while
John [McAlary], Nelson and Leo watched us from their monitor. They let us be free to
Unfriended_Production Information 6
improvise, which made it much easier to connect and build chemistry with the actors I was
auditioning with. That process instantly hooked me, and went on to be how we actually shot the
entire film.”
Hennig, who is well-known for her role as Malia Tate on TV’s Teen Wolf, walks us
through a quick description of Blaire: “She’s that girl in high school who makes it a priority to
do the right thing, and keep life pretty simple. She’s usually satisfied to spend her time hanging
out with her crew on Skype, and being totally in love with her high-school sweetheart, Mitch.”
Of his leading lady, Gabriadze commends: “When we met Shelley, we all agreed she
would make the perfect Blaire, as she is an extremely talented and hardworking actress. We also
arranged a couple auditions to see how other actors got along together. Dynamics among them
were very important for us, as they all are close friends in the movie. From that, we felt that
Shelley and Moses would make a perfect couple on screen.”
As they never actually make physical contact throughout the film, it was important that
Blaire and Mitch have palpable chemistry. After seeing several actors for the role of Mitch, the
core team found him in Moses Storm. The performer, who will star in and is writing his
directorial debut, #ModernMillennial, shares his experience: “What drew me to the project was
how innovative the concept of the film was. I’d never seen anything like it using this format. It
seemed like a challenge, almost impossible to do, and the concept is what sparked my interest.
During the casting process, I was in a long-distance relationship where our only contact was
through Skype, so that definitely aided in the audition process and drew me to this as a unique
way to tell a story.”
Renee Olstead, known for her co-starring role on the critically acclaimed coming-of-age
series The Secret Life of the American Teenager, landed the role of the lovable-but-dim-witted
Jess. Olstead shares what intrigued her the most about being part of the film: “What I love about
this movie is that we flesh out every possible scenario. Initially, something scary happens, and
in every other scary movie, the audience would say: ‘Well, why don’t they just shut off their
computer?’ That’s something we show right off the bat, exactly what happens when someone
tries to leave the conversation. The filmmakers did their homework and created something that’s
authentically scary.”
For the role of tech-savvy Ken, who is arguably the biggest joker in the group, the team
selected actor/comedian Jacob Wysocki. Much to the friends’ terror, Ken finds out firsthand
Unfriended_Production Information 7
what happens when you disobey Billie. On what attracted him to the project, Wysocki gives:
“The concept was something that had never been attempted. In the audition process, they said
there was room for improv—and I come from a background in that—so it was tantalizing to be
part of something that was pitched as a play that never cuts.”
The actor shares that he drew inspiration from one of film’s most recognizable hacker
characters. He divulges: “My inspiration for the character of Ken was Samuel L. Jackson’s Ray
Arnold in Jurassic Park.”
Actor Will Peltz, who recently starred in Men, Women & Children, was selected for the
role of the crass, hard-partying Adam. Peltz, too, felt the relevance of the film and was intrigued
with the manner in which the script put a twist on a contemporary topic. The actor shares his
experience: “Auditioning over Skype is something I’ve never done before. Using Skype in that
way helped inform my character because it gave me a real-life experience that I could draw on
during production. Almost everything we shot was done at our own little stations, except for a
few select scenes.”
For the role of Val, the production chose actress Courtney Halverson, who will next be
seen on HBO’s groundbreaking series True Detective. Halverson shares: “Val is that friend you
have in your circle that you don’t necessarily like hanging out with, but you have such a history
together that it’s hard to get rid of her. She’s bossy, opinionated and can be a bit abrasive.”
Much like the others, Halverson was excited about the new take on the horror genre. She
shares: “When I came back in for a callback, we were each placed in separate rooms, given
laptops and asked to improv a scene. I loved being able to play around in the audition process
because it can get a bit stale having to deliver the same lines. This felt very fresh and new.”
Rounding out the cast in the role of Laura Barns, a fellow classmate who committed
suicide after she was ridiculed over an embarrassing video of her passed out at a party, is Heather
Sossaman (TV’s Days of Our Lives).
Unfriended_Production Information 8
Mastering Improv:
Pushing Their Limits
With the six cast members locked-in and ready to go, the Unfriended director and
producers realized that the script, as written, wasn’t taking on the life that they needed and
translating on screen. Therefore, they decided to push it further toward what they wanted it to
be: a bunch of friends chatting on Skype and being terrorized by some otherworldly entity in the
form of a cyberbully. To do that, they needed to tap deeper into the cast’s improvisation skills.
Before principal photography began, the cast rehearsed at Bekmambetov’s Bazelevs
production offices, sitting in a circle and going through the script. As it became the norm with
this production, the cast, Greaves and Gabriadze began noting where they could truly improvise.
Peltz shares: “The shape of everything changed so much during the process of rehearsals,
as well as during filming. Being able to create these moments on-the-fly became an exciting
journey. It’s cool to see this era that we live in come to life in a dark, twisted way.”
The way the film was shot, the cast members were completely separate from one another,
each operating from a desktop in a separate room in a house in Santa Clarita, California. Still,
they had to react to each other as though they were in the same space, which meant that each take
was a little different. It was a bit like filming a live play, and each had only one camera pointed
at him or her. As there weren’t clear cuts, some takes went on for almost an hour and a half.
Sidman, who also served as director of photography, created a special network for the crew and
actors to interact and film with their GoPros.
Greaves walks us through his process: “The script is structured like an 85-minute play, so
we did long takes, including a few that were the full length of the movie. We have these actors
who are trapped in separate rooms for this period of time, not speaking to anyone—except into
the GoPro. You get to a place of truth that is so beyond what you could get if we did it in
multiple takes and breaks. At the end of 85 minutes, the cast is seeing these things happen and
they’re so in the moment that these reactions couldn’t have happened otherwise.”
Hennig describes the moment in which she suggested an attempt at filming the entire
movie in one sitting: “Once we began shooting, I was becoming confused as to why we weren’t
running the script from start to finish, since all of our rooms were well-lit for it. I ultimately
suggested it to Nelson and Leo, and they loved the idea. I wasn’t sure what I’d gotten myself
Unfriended_Production Information 9
and the rest of the cast into, but it wound up being one of the most satisfying experiences of my
career. I have to give major credit to rest of the cast—I don’t think it would have worked if
everyone involved weren’t great improvisers, including Leo and Nelson, who played ‘Laura’ for
us, on earpieces, as we shot in real-time.”
In addition to the lengthy takes, another innovative aspect of the filmmaking process was
that each cast member had an ear piece in his or her ear, for Greaves and Gabriadze to
communicate line changes or offer suggestions for certain reactions as the scenes unfolded.
Halverson discusses this process: “During filming, each of us had headphones in, with
Nelson and Leo giving live notes and instructions for different ways to play the scenes. I would
get little sentences in my headphones like ‘Try to pick a fight with Jess,’ or ‘Act like you can’t
stand being online with the rest of them,’ and I had to try to implement them live.”
Every time Gabriadze and his team would change their minds on a scene or certain
dialogue, it wasn’t because they were uncertain of themselves; it was because they were inspired
by a particular actor’s movement or reaction to something that had just occurred. Storm
elaborates: “The filmmakers kept us in the dark about a lot of elements of the movie because it
was somewhat improv-based, so we were all finding out the information at the same time the
audience is.”
The only contact that the cast had with the outside production was via the actual desktop
and the earpiece. A result was that they would sometimes forget they were on a movie set,
which allowed them to embrace the organic nature of the project. Halverson explains: “You’re
alone in a room filming all day, but it was kind of cool because you start to believe you’re this
character and this is your room, but you also have people in your ear telling you things in real
time, so concentration was key.”
Even though each cast member was secluded in a different room, whenever they took
breaks, they would reconvene and discuss what to do differently. Even during filming, any time
there’d be a small break, the cast would stay plugged in on their computers, which allowed them
to get to know each other. Peltz shares: “We’d show up to set every day and have breakfast
together and then we all went to our separate rooms, talking to each other over the computer.
That’s where we really got to connect, because we’d be spending nearly 10 hours a day in front
of the computer. Then, we’d all come back together in reality over lunch. Then it was back up
to the computers.”
Unfriended_Production Information 10
Throughout the filming, the cast understood and embraced that cooperation, from all
aspects of production, was key. Wysocki gives: “The best part was the collaboration. Nelson
and Leo listened to our thoughts and ideas, and it was a supportive environment. They were
down with bold choices.”
Trapped Inside:
Editing, Locations and Design
The production assembled a stellar below-the-line team to bring this vision to life.
Production designer Heidi Koleto crafted varying looks for each room, while director of
photography Sidman was tasked with making sure each camera captured intricate moments for
editors Parker Laramie and Andrew Wesman to assemble.
Editing
The filming of Unfriended is unconventional in that each cast member was his or her own
camera operator. Each was individually recorded by the GoPro attached to his or her computer.
The key to bringing the vision of Unfriended to the screen was in the editing hands of Laramie
and Wesman.
This began with Laramie’s unrivaled skills working with AVID, a digital nonlinear
editing system. Greaves shares: “This is a very unusual movie in that you can look at it as one
giant animation. We gave up trying to do it ourselves and brought Parker on board. He designed
the most complicated AVID timeline that we have ever seen; it blew everyone away. He
designed a functionality for making this movie that is so intensely intuitive. It could’ve never
happened without that. It’s a strange movie in that, because of the layering, you make the
majority of it in postproduction.”
With the unique filming style, video footage was used in a way that few other
productions could. Any video glitching or nonsynching sounds would be a disaster anywhere
else, but with the subject matter of Unfriended, the filmmakers were able to use all “mistakes” to
their advantage.
Laramie shares how he joined the project: “They had a rough cut before I came on, which
was basically a six-screen split of just the webcams. The naked performances were so raw and
Unfriended_Production Information 11
casual; I could tell Leo and the cast really got it. They understood what this needed to be. It
reminded me of the first act of Alien, the way everybody talked to each other with such
familiarity and ease.”
The editors weeded through six video layers from the GoPros, with Blaire’s desktop as an
additional layer. The audience sees the film primarily through Blaire’s perspective, so it was
important that everything be timed perfectly. Laramie and Wesman ended up mixing and
matching from different takes to ensure the tension was maintained.
Wesman provides why the work was so incredibly meticulous: “The film is essentially
one big 90-minute visual-effects shot, which is difficult because no nonlinear editing software is
designed for that task. On the other hand, it was liberating how much control I had in
postproduction to craft new moments from on-the-spot computer-screen captures, which allowed
us to think up additional moments or plot elements and have them quickly visualized.”
With all the challenges presented in bringing the film to life, there were also many good
surprises with the manner in which the film was shot. Wesman, for one, was surprised by how
much character a computer mouse can actually have. He shares: “The ‘performance’ of the
mouse could determine one’s entire reaction to a scene, in the most subtle of ways. Things like
how long the mouse hovered over a certain word or the speed with which the mouse moved from
one button to the next can tell an intimate story in a way that is totally unique to this medium.
“A good story features an active character constantly making decisions,” he continues,
“and this film lets the viewer become a voyeur into Blaire’s decision-making process. Every
time she types a word or deletes it, you not only read what she types, but also the subtext of what
she deleted, which fascinated me. Initially, it was challenging to create a sense of dread and
horror on a computer screen, but I soon realized that the experience of using a computer is so
relatable and so personal that it connects readily with our everyday fears of exposure or the
unknown.”
Describing his process of working with Greaves, Bekmambetov and Gabriadze, Laramie
shares: “These three are patient, tenacious and talented. The vision they had for such an off-the-
wall film still baffles me. From day one, they were all so inviting and earnest. They have such a
profound and passionate relationship with the creative process. Nelson has a great eye for the
bizarre and off-kilter, and yet never forgets everything you need to get from A to B. Leo treats
everything so delicately. A film with this much detail would never have gotten done without it.
Unfriended_Production Information 12
Timur is on a different wavelength. He was always seeing things we couldn’t, which unlocked
the movie for us.”
Locations and Design
For a film taking place in various rooms in the homes of six teenagers, utilizing one
location was the most reasonable way to shoot the movie.
The house, located in Santa Clarita, California, is an actual residence. During their
search, Greaves and Gabriadze knew they had to have a place that could accommodate the crew,
as well as have separate rooms for each cast member. To create the illusion that each room was
in a different location in the teens’ fictitious town, these rooms needed to be designed differently.
As the production’s man of many talents, Sidman worked with production designer Koleto to
take the lead on locations and find the perfect house.
Koleto explains her process of designing for the feature: “I focused on dressing the walls,
since that was the bulk of scenery in the shots with the GoPros. I approached the design by
breaking down each of the characters and creating a personality for their rooms. I also worked
with Adam and Leo to get a feel of how they saw each character. Once you figure out what a
character likes, it’s easy to start to picture what they would fill their room with or how messy or
neat they would be.”
As were all aspects of production, this process was not without its complexities. Filming
in only one location, the issues were aplenty. Greaves explains: “The challenges were cabling
and sound…and us. We had to have video village somewhere. So, for most of the shoot, we
were actually in the living room with Will Peltz, hanging big sheets of duvetyn and hiding
behind them. But, what was nice about being in one location was the ease of production. We
would never have gotten the level of truthful performances had that not been the case, because
moving around from location to location gets actors out of character and the headspace we
needed.”
Still, the challenges only strengthened the cast and crew. Gabriadze shares: “Filming in
one location made us all feel as a family and helped the cast to open up and act freely without
burdens. We were lucky to get to know each other closely and bring deep emotions into the
movie, as well as have the ability for the cast to incorporate improv.”
Unfriended_Production Information 13
Koleto also worked to hide the basic architectural elements of the house to ensure that
each room looked like a different location. Additionally, the production designer and another
team member had to provide all of the lighting in the room through practical lighting. Because
the 360-degree shots would show the entire room, stage lighting couldn’t be used.
The house, which became home base for Hennig, Storm, Olstead, Peltz and Halverson,
had five rooms to accommodate each person. But Wysocki wasn’t as fortunate.
He divulges: “Everyone else was in the air-conditioned, gorgeous house. My room was
in a shed in the backyard, which we called ‘the sweat box.’ In addition, there was a nest of birds
that was living in the shed that I could not disturb because there were baby birds in it. So, I
definitely got the short end of the stick.”
Greaves pauses, then laughs: “I’m glad he has forgiven us.”
****
Universal Pictures and Blumhouse present a Bazelevs production: Unfriended, starring
Shelley Hennig, Moses Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, Courtney Halverson,
Heather Sossaman. The film’s casting is by John McAlary, CSA, and it is edited by Parker
Laramie, Andrew Wesman. Unfriended’s director of photography is Adam Sidman. The film’s
co-producer is Adam Sidman and the co-executive producers are Alan Khamoui & Couper
Samuelson. The executive producer is Jason Blum. The thriller is produced by Timur
Bekmambetov& Nelson Greaves. Written by Nelson Greaves, the film is directed by Leo
Gabriadze. © 2014 Universal Studios. www.unfriendedmovie.com
ABOUT THE CAST
SHELLEY HENNIG (Blaire), a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, was most recently
seen in Ouija, opposite Olivia Cooke.
After being crowned Miss Teen USA in 2004, Hennig was awarded a full scholarship to
The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, where she fell in love with acting. She worked
relentlessly for two years to hone her natural talent. Two months prior to graduation, Hennig
was vacationing in Los Angeles when she received a last-minute audition and landed the role of
the feisty character Stephanie Johnson on NBC’s long-running hit daytime series Days of Our
Unfriended_Production Information 14
Lives. For her role in the series, she earned two Daytime Emmy Award nominations for
Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series.
After departing Days of Our Lives in 2011, Hennig entered into her first pilot season.
Within a matter of weeks, she landed a leading role on the CW drama The Secret Circle, from
executive producer Kevin Williamson (Scream, TV’s Dawson’s Creek), on which she starred
opposite Britt Robertson and Thomas Dekker as Diana Meade, the head of the coven. That same
year, Hennig secured a recurring role on the MTV comedy Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous,
opposite comedian and creator Bo Burnham. In the multi-episode arc, she portrayed Christy
Ackerman, the eccentric, camera-loving, high school “it girl.” In this role, Hennig was able to
showcase her comedic ability.
Since wrapping The Secret Circle, Hennig has guest starred on the critically acclaimed
FX drama Justified, as Jackie Nevada, Timothy Olyphant’s love interest; the CBS sitcom Friend
Me, from executive producers Eric and Kim Tannenbaum (TV’s Two and a Half Men), alongside
Nicholas Braun and Christopher Mintz-Plasse; and CBS’ highly successful drama Blue Bloods,
which stars Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg and Bridget Moynahan.
In 2013, Hennig filmed the indie feature Scout, opposite Nikki Reed, Danny Glover and
Jane Seymour. She finished the year off strong, landing a recurring role as “werecoyote” Malia
Tate on MTV’s hit series Teen Wolf, which soon led to a series regular role. Hennig recently
completed filming the coming-of-age indie feature Still Life, opposite Carter Jenkins and Matt
Shively.
Hennig currently resides in Los Angeles.
MOSES STORM (Mitch) is a talented writer and performer who can be seen starring on
the Hulu series The 4 to 9ers: The Day Crew. Storm was recently seen on NBC’s About a Boy
and in a digital campaign for StubHub. He will next be seen as the host of the new MTV pilot
Throwback Thursday, produced by Maverick TV and All3Media.
Storm is a gifted stand-up, host and sketch comedian, and currently co-hosts and
produces a bi-monthly live show at Nerdist Showroom at Meltdown Comics called This Show Is
Your Show with Matt and Moses. Guest performers on the show have included John Mulaney,
Thomas Middleditch, T.J. Miller and Neal Brennan. Additionally, Storm is an acclaimed
storyteller, having recently won The Moth’s GrandSLAM in Los Angeles.
Unfriended_Production Information 15
In addition to his live shows, Storm gained a large social media following from his viral
video “Terminaly Chill Birthday” and social media posts detailing how he tried to throw his own
birthday party at the Chili’s Too at LAX. His newest social experiment, “#ModernMillenial,”
which began as a Kickstarter campaign that became fully funded, had him living full-time at an
art installation in downtown Los Angeles in September 2014. Storm’s adventure was
documented on his Tumblr page and was featured in LA Weekly. A trailer for
“#ModernMillenial” can be viewed on Storm’s YouTube page.
RENEE OLSTEAD (Jess) has amassed more than nine seasons of television
appearances as a cast member of ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager, as
well as the hit CBS sitcom Still Standing, opposite Mark Addy and Jamie Gertz. At age 12,
Olstead signed to Warner Bros. Records, releasing two critically acclaimed albums produced by
16-time Grammy Award winner David Foster. Her incredible vocal prowess, stage presence,
versatility and songwriting skill make her a complete entertainer.
Olstead has appeared on Today, Late Show With David Letterman and performed on The
Oprah Winfrey Show. She performed at the “Live 8” concert in Berlin, along with other
performers, including Paul McCartney, Madonna and Sting. She was nominated for Best
Original Song in a Motion Picture at the 2006 Golden Globe Awards and a Grammy Award for
Best Arrangement for “Summertime,” from her self-titled debut. She has also performed live
with recording-industry legends, such as Billy Joel, Elton John, Brian Wilson and Celine Dion.
Olstead’s feature film work includes 13 Going on 30, opposite Jennifer Garner; The
Insider; End of Days; and The Midnight Game. Olstead recently shot a pilot for ABC Family
titled Work Mom, on which she stars as Heather, a recently promoted woman who hires her
unemployed mother. For music, she continues to tour internationally and makes regular live
vocal appearances.
Olstead’s talent is complemented by her poise, maturity, sense of humor and
extraordinary professionalism. She is eager to share her unique talents with ever-expanding
audiences.
Olstead resides in Los Angeles.
Unfriended_Production Information 16
WILL PELTZ (Adam) will next be seen in the independent feature The Outskirts,
opposite Victoria Justice, due out this summer. Peltz was most recently seen alongside Adam
Sandler and Jennifer Garner in Jason Reitman’s Men, Women & Children, and in Paranoia, with
Liam Hemsworth, Gary Oldman and Amber Heard.
Peltz’s previous films include As Cool as I am, opposite Claire Danes and James
Marsden, and Lionsgate’s Abduction, with Taylor Lautner.
A native of Lomita, California, JACOB WYSOCKI (Ken) landed his first professional
acting job with a recurring role on the ABC Family series Huge. Wysocki followed this up with
a critically acclaimed turn in the 2011 Sundance Film Festival standout Terri, in which he starred
in the title role opposite John C. Reilly. For his role in the film, Wysocki received a Gotham
Award nomination for Breakthrough Actor and was highlighted by The Huffington Post as one of
2011’s Fresh Faces in Movies.
Wysocki next starred in Matthew Lillard’s directorial debut Fat Kid Rules the World,
which had its world premiere at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival, where it won an Audience
Award. He was seen in the hit Universal Pictures a cappella comedy Pitch Perfect and the short
film NSFW, which premiered at the 2013 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. This year,
he will be seen in the Hulu series Resident Advisors.
Wysocki regularly performs with the ComedySportz improv troupe at the National
Comedy Theatre in Hollywood and is a member of the viral video sketch group Bath Boys
Comedy. He also performs on the UCB’s Team Landlord.
Wysocki can be found on the Web at bathboyscomedy.blogspot.com and on Twitter
(@JacobWysocki).
Southern California-native COURTNEY HALVERSON (Val) began acting as a young
teenager. After completing several independent films, Halverson graduated high school at age
15 and continued to pursue a career in film, as well as television.
Halverson is perhaps best known for her many performances in indie films. She starred
in the feature-film Godspeed, an intense, often-difficult-to-watch thriller filmed entirely in the
Alaskan wilderness. The film showcased Halverson’s gritty performance as a teenage girl
trapped in horrifying circumstances and earned the actress much praise. Following Godspeed,
Unfriended_Production Information 17
she appeared in The Hammer, the inspirational true story of Matt Hamill who was the first deaf
wrestler to win a NCAA Wrestling Championship.
Following these performances, Halverson received an invitation to participate in the
prestigious Directors Lab at the Sundance Institute in Park City, Utah. There, she worked
closely with a talented group of mentors, including Ed Harris (Apollo 13), director Elgin James
(Little Birds), Alfre Woodard (American Violet), cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (The
Patriot), Kirk Baltz (Reservoir Dogs) and director Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight).
In addition to her work in film, Halverson has had a successful career in television. She
appeared in recurring roles on HBO’s Big Love, MTV’s Death Valley and veteran soap
opera General Hospital, as well as guest performances on Ghost Whisperer and The Secret Life
of the American Teenager. Halverson also starred in the Hallmark Channel movie Love Finds a
Home. Based on a popular book series set in the late-1800s, the film’s cast included Michael
Trevino (The Vampire Diaries) and Patty Duke (The Miracle Worker).
After working with master horror director Drew Daywalt on the series Death Valley,
Halverson was cast as the lead in his thriller Leprechaun’s Revenge, alongside Billy Zane and
William Devane. The film was shot entirely on location in Louisiana and allowed Halverson to
explore the world of horror films. Her performance was well reviewed, and the film gained a
cult following after airing on Syfy.
Halverson’s current projects include the film 1915, which tells a story of the Armenian
Genocide, and a recurring role on season two of True Detective, for which she is currently
filming alongside Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams.
HEATHER SOSSAMAN (Laura Barns) was born and raised in Long Beach, California.
Alongside her two sisters, Sossaman began acting at a young age. She immediately landed small
roles on such shows as Beverly Hills, 90210, for which she was handpicked by executive
producer Aaron Spelling when she was just 10 years old. A versatile artist, Sossaman taught
herself to play guitar at a young age, and at age 18, she was featured on MTV for her singing and
songwriting skills. Shortly after, Sossaman attended a mass audition of more than 3,500
performers to join the first-ever Disneyland cast in Paris, France. She was selected as one of
only three girls to spend a year training and performing in Paris.
Unfriended_Production Information 18
After visiting more than 16 countries while abroad, Sossaman returned home to focus on
an acting career in Los Angeles. Since then, she has landed guest-starring and recurring roles on
NBC’s Days of Our Lives; NCIS: Los Angeles; Breaking In with Christian Slater; and Hawaii
Five-0, as goddaughter to James Caan’s character. She has also appeared on three CSI series as a
major guest star. Sossaman’s television roles have ranged from strong, comedic roles to intense,
dramatic roles.
Sossaman has played notable lead roles in film over the last few years. In 2014, she was
seen in 10.0 Earthquake, alongside Lost’s Henry Ian Cusick. In January, she was seen in
Desecrated, opposite Haylie Duff, Michael Ironside and Gonzalo Menendez. Unfriended marks
Sossaman’s first wide theatrical release.
Sossaman is a talented and skilled young artist, steadily making a mark with her range in
acting, singing and performing.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
LEVAN (LEO) GABRIADZE (Directed by) is a Russian-based movie and commercial
director. Since 1995, Gabriadze has worked at Timur Bekmambetov’s production company,
Bazelevs Productions, and has made more than 100 commercials. In 2011, he directed his first
feature, Lucky Trouble. Unfriended is his second full-length film.
NELSON GREAVES (Writer/Produced by) is an American screenwriter and producer,
who was born and raised in Fresno, California. Greaves received a BA in English from Harvard
University before moving to Los Angeles in 2010. He currently writes for FOX’s Sleepy
Hollow. Previously, Greaves worked for Timur Bekmambetov, writing and producing various
projects. Unfriended is his first feature film.
TIMUR BEKMAMBETOV (Produced by) was born in the city of Guryev, in the
former Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. At the age of 19, Bekmambetov moved to Tashkent,
in the former Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, where in 1987 he graduated from the A.N.
Ostrovsky Theatrical and Artistic Institute with a degree in theater and cinema set designing.
Unfriended_Production Information 19
Between 1992 and 1997, Bekmambetov was one of the directors of Bank Imperial’s
popular “World History” commercials. In 1994, he founded Bazelevs Company, an advertising
and film production, distribution and marketing company.
Bekmambetov’s first feature, 1994’s Peshavarsky Vals (Escape From Afghanistan), was
a violent and realistic look at the war between Russia and Afghanistan. The film was dubbed in
English and released direct to video by Roger Corman in 2002. Bekmambetov next produced
and directed an eight-part miniseries for television titled Our ’90s. Bekmambetov then returned
to directing features with the Corman-produced The Arena (2001). The film was a remake of the
1974 film of the same name. In 2002, Bekmambetov directed and co-produced (with Bakhyt
Kilibayev) the film GAZ—Russian Cars.
In 2004, Bekmambetov wrote and directed Night Watch, a popular Russian fantasy film
based on the book by Sergey Lukyanenko. The film was extremely successful in Russia, and at
the time became its highest-grossing release ever. Making $16.7 million in Russia alone, it
outearned The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which opened there earlier that year.
The sequel to Night Watch, Day Watch (2006), was likewise written and directed by
Bekmambetov. The two films attracted the attention of Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Bekmambetov followed up Day Watch with the smash hit The Irony of Fate 2 (2007).
This sequel to the famous Soviet film remains one of the most successful films in Russian
history. His Hollywood directorial debut was Universal Pictures’ Wanted (2008), an action
blockbuster about a secret society of assassins, which was based on a comic-book miniseries of
the same name written by Mark Millar and starred Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and James
McAvoy.
In 2012, 20th Century Fox released Bekmambetov’s most recent U.S. film, Abraham
Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which starred Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper and Anthony
Mackie. Bekmambetov has also produced a number of films in the U.S. and Russia, including 9,
Black Lightning, Apollo 18 and The Darkest Hour. His Russian film company, Bazelevs, is one
of the leaders in the domestic market. In 2013, Bazelevs produced the third installment of its
New Year franchise Yolki, which became the top-grossing comedy in Russia, as well as the
comedy Kiss Them All!, which not only became Russia’s most profitable film of 2013, but also
received nine nominations at the Russian Film Academy Awards.
Unfriended_Production Information 20
Bekmambetov is currently working with MGM on a remake of Ben Hur, which begins
filming in July, and is developing his own project, Dragon, in Russia. He has more than 15
Russian- and English-language projects in development.
Primetime Emmy Award-winning producer JASON BLUM (Executive Producer) is the
founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, a multimedia production company that has
pioneered a new model of studio filmmaking by producing high-quality micro-budget films for
wide release. Blumhouse produced the highly-profitable Paranormal Activity, The Purge,
Insidious and Sinister franchises, which have grossed more than $1.2 billion worldwide on
combined budgets under $40 million. Blumhouse’s model began with the original Paranormal
Activity, which was made for $15,000 and grossed close to $200 million worldwide, making it
the most profitable film in Hollywood history. Most recently, Blumhouse produced The Boy
Next Door, which starred Jennifer Lopez, and The Lazarus Effect.
Blumhouse’s first-look deal with Universal Pictures includes the upcoming micro-budget
wide releases of the next chapters in the Insidious and Sinister franchises, for Focus Features,
and the original films Jem and the Holograms and The Visit, for Universal Pictures.
Blum was recently nominated for an Academy Award® for producing Best Picture
nominee Whiplash.
BH Tilt is a new label from the company dedicated to generating movies from
Blumhouse and other filmmakers that will be released across multiple platforms, taking
advantage of new distribution strategies.
For television, Blum won a Primetime Emmy Award for producing HBO’s The Normal
Heart. Blumhouse produced the television series Ascension (Syfy), Eye Candy (MTV)
and South of Hell (WE tv). Blumhouse’s development slate includes Gillian Flynn’s Sharp
Objects, with eOne, and an unscripted show with Mike Darnell. In addition to The Normal
Heart, Blumhouse previously executive produced Stranded, for Syfy, and The River, for ABC.
Blumhouse has produced a variety of live events, including The Blumhouse of Horrors, a
haunted-house experience in the heart of downtown Los Angeles; The Purge: Fear the Night,
inspired by the backstory to the feature film; and The Purge: Breakout, an immersive escape
game experience.
Unfriended_Production Information 21
Before Blumhouse, Blum served as co-head of the acquisitions and co-productions
department at Miramax Films in New York. At Miramax, he was instrumental in acquiring more
than 50 films, including The Others, Smoke Signals, A Walk on the Moon and The House of Yes.
Blum has produced more than 75 films and television series throughout his career. His
credits also include The Reader, which garnered Kate Winslet an Academy Award®; Hysterical
Blindness, which earned Uma Thurman a Golden Globe Award; and Hamlet, which starred
Ethan Hawke, Bill Murray, Sam Shepard and Kyle MacLachlan.
Blum began his career as the producing director of the Malaparte Theater Company,
which was founded by Hawke. He currently serves on the board of directors of the New Group
Theater in New York City.
ADAM SIDMAN (Director of Photography/Co-Producer) is a film and television
producer based in Los Angeles. Sidman serves as president of U.S. production for Timur
Bekmambetov’s company, Bazelevs Productions, where he oversees a wide range of projects in
various formats and genres.
Additionally, Sidman has produced top-rated television programs for Discovery, National
Geographic, TNT, Spike and Animal Planet. He has also helped develop several show pitches
that became successful series, including A&E’s hit show Duck Dynasty.
In 2005, Sidman filed a U.S. patent for a handheld gyroscope-based camera stabilization
device. This revolutionary rig allows a camera operator complete maneuverable motion control
over a camera while offering solid stabilization utilizing MEMS gyro sensors and servomotors.
He has successfully been granted two patents for his invention (U.S. patents 7,642,741 and
8,179,078).
Sidman shoots on a variety of video and film formats and has a strong background in
lighting and postproduction.
Sidman is originally from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and received his undergraduate
degree from Harvard University.
Unfriended_Production Information 22
HEIDI KOLETO (Production Designer) grew up in Montana and Colorado fostering a
natural love for ice skating. Koleto went on to attend film school in Los Angeles, focusing her
studies on art direction and production design.
Koleto has worked on numerous music videos and commercials, in addition to
independent films, such as the upcoming Welcome to Happiness, and television movies,
including Starving in Suburbia. She is currently enjoying a stint at Nickelodeon as an art
director for the network’s Web-based content.
Koleto is a Star Wars enthusiast who currently hangs her Stormtrooper helmet alongside
her blaster rifle in Hollywood.
VERONIKA BELENIKINA (Costume Designer) graduated from Moscow State
University. Since 2011, Belenikina has worked at Timur Bekmambetov’s Bazelevs Productions
as a director’s assistant. Additionally, she has worked as a producer at the Gabriadze Theatre for
three years.
PARKER LARAMIE (Edited by) was born in Los Angeles. After earning his BA in
cinema studies at the University of Toronto, Laramie moved back to Los Angeles to pursue
editing. Over the last four years, he has cut music videos, commercials, trailers, shorts, features
and documentaries.
Laramie is currently finishing a feature documentary about the daughter of an
NFL running back diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, chronicling the history of
head trauma in football and the NFL.
ANDREW WESMAN (Edited by) is a writer, director, editor and cinematographer.
Wesman received his BA from Harvard University and his MFA from UCLA. His films have
screened to audiences all around the globe, including the Cannes Film Festival.
—unfriended—