Truth Devour's Blog

The Enchantment of PragueA Fairytale Journey

Prague is one of those enchanting cities that everyone should have on their bucket list to visit. Walking across the statue laden Charles bridge toward the old town square is a delightful path filled with history that charms the imagination. Every angle offers a beautiful point of interest. 

There is nothing that compares to the feeling that ensues when you enter the square for the first time. My heart skipped a beat when I turned the corner and walked into this delightful scene of spectacular Baroque period buildings.

Of all the visual splendors the square has to offer, I gravitated toward the medieval astronomical clock. People swarm around it as the turning of an hour approaches. The signal of the time striking ‘x’ o’clock is kicked off by a skeleton ringing a tiny bell. Then other statues adorning the periphery of the clock begin to move. The church bells saturate the air as they loudly toll. You can feel the energy of the crowd rise toward the end of the display when strangers unite to clap and cheer the completion of the show.

How To Get Around

I’m an avid walker and believe that I get the most out of my travels by allowing myself to get lost through the streets of any town I visit. If you are coming to Prague and don’t have much time, then there are loads of established guided tours. In saying this, I would suggest that you opt to consider taking a tram. Honestly, it is the cheapest, and in my opinion, the most convenient way to get around Prague.

You will always save money by traveling like a local. Tickets for occasional public transport use are time-boxed within a day. E.g., Thirty Minutes, One Hour, Three Hours. There are also tickets sold in lots of a single day to multi-days. It is an inexpensive way to travel. The fare you purchase can be used on trains and buses as well. The website Prague Experience lists the costs and transport options.

The trams are equipped with machines that accept all major credit cards. Alternatively, you can purchase tickets in advance at any news agency. There are ticket machines available at some of the larger tram stops and you have the option available to download the Prague app to buy a fare online.

Don't forget that you need to validate your ticket when you get on the tram. The validation machines that accept the paper pre-purchased tickets are located at the very front and back of the tram. It’s that simple.

The Honest Guides

If you are new to traveling or just interested in doing some research in advance of going to Prague, you can’t go past The Honest Blog and  YouTube channel Honest Guide.  It is created by two locals who are passionate about providing tourists with useful information.

When I arrived in the country, I chose to purchase their book called Honest Guide. They offer plenty of cheap places to eat, the best places to exchange your money for a fair rate and loads more. You can get all this information from what they post on their YouTube site as well. I happen to like books.

It is hard for me to choose a favorite attraction for you to add to a must-see list. If you only have one day, then, the vicinity within and around the old town would be my suggestion. The charm of the architecture and history is embedded all around Prague. Just be prepared to be surrounded by loads of tourists.

If you have some time, be daring, walk around other parts of town without a map for a day and let what you stumble upon delight you. Google can always get you back to your lodgings. Failing that Uber works in Prague.

Prague is a travel-friendly city. It is easy to commute around and can be an economical adventure that doesn’t compromise your experience of this beautiful tourist destination.

Happy Travels!

Written By: Truth Devour

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The Majesty of TreesA Vision with Latent Rewards

It’s a real treat to get to peacefully walk among trees that are up to fifty feet high and nearly eighty years old. Although they are not native to Australia, they have certainly made themselves at home. The delightful plantation of impressive giants are located just outside of the township of Warburton in Victoria, Australia and are a must see if you are in the area.

What we get to enjoy today is a vision brought to life that began in the 1930s. Post the clearing of the Australian native Eucalyptus trees, several crops of Bishop Pines, Douglas Firs and Californian Redwoods were introduced to the area. In addition to this, thirty years later, another batch of trees was planted. The Californian Redwoods, Radiata Pines and Western Red Cedars found their home amongst their well-established predecessor’s.

Midweek is almost certain to be less congested and with a bit of luck, you might get the place all to yourself. The weekends are always busier as the locals and tourists flock to the area. There are several ways to get there. If you are driving plug in this address into your navigation tool: Cement Creek Rd, East Warburton VIC 3799, Australia. If you don’t have a car and would like to see what the alternatives to get to the destination are, you can search online or connect with an app like Rome2Rio 

The Warburton forest is classified as a national park, so you need to be mindful that no dogs are allowed, there are no camping, food-related or toilet facilities. You must take all your rubbish with you. It is an easy hike for almost anyone with a moderate level of fitness to enjoy. Most of the paths can be slippery in wet weather, so make sure you wear the right shoes for the conditions. It is a forest, so there are fallen trees, and on occasion, they may be seen strewn across a path.

It is not uncommon to see people enjoying a picnic in the heart of the forest. There are no BBQ facilities, so you will need to keep that in mind and pack a cold spread to eat. Alternatively, the town of Warburton is a lovely place to explore. It has plenty of options to enjoy a quick bite or even a full sit down meal if you prefer. My suggestion is to go and sit by the stream. It runs parallel to the main street. There are plenty of options. I’m certain you won’t be disappointed that you came to visit.

Written By: Truth Devour

Article References

Visit Warburton 

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Is it just an illusion?Free Will - Freedom of Choice - Individuality

The human brain is a fascinating organ that is mostly still a mystery. The expanse of our solid grey matter continues to tempt droves of interested people to explore its depths to understand, leverage, and exploit its potential.

Trauma Savants

In 2012, I became aware of a person by the name of Derek Amato. He acquired the ability to compose and play the piano after sustaining a severe head injury. This man's life changed when he unveiled a remarkable musical talent that seemingly had always existed, albeit locked away deep within the recesses of his brain.

Other cases reported reveal these hidden savant-like talents emerging post a person's head trauma. Although it is deemed to be rare in occurrence, the point here is that it can and does happen. It is fascinating to note recipients of these new talents don't seem to have previously held an obsessive interest in the area to which their skill presents.

The Sleeping Prophet - Edgar Cayce

There was a man who was known as the sleeping prophet in the late 1800s who was called Edgar Cayce. In a transient state, he was able to execute medical diagnosis of people, make predictions and had on occasion referenced past lives. Of all the psychics I have researched, his story seems to, in my opinion, hold some validity. Given my penchant for writing fiction, I tend to explore the world from the parameter of anything that we conceive or are yet to imagine, holds possibility. I don't discount the probability that we have experienced life in various forms. Nor do I close myself off to the idea of clairvoyance, which leads me to my desire to pitch you my next thought.

What if the trauma sustained by an individual's head injury creates a bridge in the cerebral cortex that reconnects to an aspect of a person's past lifetimes. Before you mock this idea remember how little we know. Scientific research, and even simpler than this, asking questions and being willing to find ways to identify the answers, is a healthy way to advance toward the discovery of new possibilities. 

"Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere."- Albert Einstein

As we gain more insight into how our bodies work, the importance of the minutiae is apparent. Scientists are working to understand how the gut biome impacts day to day decisions and which parasites have the greatest influence on our behavior. Then there are the apparent plethora of external factors such as environment, culture, belief systems, that add a spectrum of conscious and unconscious overlays. All of these factors challenge the concept of free will, freedom of choice, and individuality. It arguably consists of far more than just our minds.

The Libet Experiment

BBC Radio 4  - The Libet Experiment: Is Free Will Just an Illusion?

This two-minute video gives you a brief and very clever explanation of the Libet experiment on the existence of free will.

What I enjoyed about the Libet experiment was the stimulus of conversation post his findings. The results of his curiosity drove people to question the very existence of Free Will. In essence, the experiment depends on the subjective interpretation of a person's experience. The dependence on subjectivity is the most significant flaw in the research. It makes the results devoid of any actual validity. Other than to say that Libet has more faith in people's ability to be in a conscious state of awareness than perhaps I do. The test contains compromise by the subject's perceived recording of the time they felt the signal to move. It is suggestive and therefore taints the analysis. A cleaner way to approach this would be to have the subjects listen to a series of commands and for them to decide how they wish to react to any given request.

In addition to the above, I would throw in the word 'yawn,' to record the response. This known subliminal trigger, which is deemed involuntary, could then be assessed in contrast to the other choices and behaviors. Hence, relying on the ECG as the sole tool for assessment.

Self Reflection

Q. Do I believe in Free Will?
A. Yes. Yes, I do.

Q. Do I believe in Freedom of Choice?
A. Yes. There are varying degrees of freedom and their associated choices within those.

Q. Do I believe that Individuality exists?
A. Yes, but it is primarily stifled within most people. We allow ourselves to on the congestion of influences. Imposed 'norms' and societal parameters of acceptable behavior encourage the adoption of conformity.

Article Written By: Truth Devour

Copyright © 2022 Truth Devour Blog. All rights reserved

The post A Question Of Free Will appeared first on Truth Devour Blog.

Free Will - Freedom of Choice - IndividualityIs it just an illusion?

The human brain is a fascinating organ that is largely still a mystery. The expanse of our unyielding grey matter continues to tempt droves of inquisitive people to explore its depths in order to understand, leverage and exploit its potential.

In 2012, I became aware of the musical talents that were unleashed on a person by the name of Derek Amato who acquired the ability to compose and play the piano after sustaining a rather serious head injury. This man’s life changed when he unveiled a remarkable musical talent that seemingly had always existed, albeit locked away deep within the recesses of his brain.

There are other cases that have been reported where these hidden savant like talents have emerged post a person’s head trauma. Although, it is deemed to be rare in occurrence, the point here is that it can and does happen. What fascinates me the most is that it appears that the recipients of these new talents don’t seem to have previously held an obsessive interest in the area to which their talent is presented.

There was a man who was known as the sleeping prophet in the late 1800’s who was called Edgar Cayce. In a transient state he was able to execute medical diagnosis’s of people, make predictions and had on occasion referenced past lives. Of all the psychics I have researched, his story seems to in my opinion, hold some validity. Given my penchant for writing fiction, I tend to explore the world from the parameter of anything that we conceive or are yet to conceive, holds possibility. I don’t discount the probability that we have experienced life in various forms, nor do I close myself off to the idea of clairvoyance. Which leads me to my desire to pich to you my next thought.

What if the trauma sustained by an individuals head injury creates a bridge in the cerebral vortex that reconnects to an aspect of a persons past lifetimes and that the only reason we rarely detect the occurrence of this hypothesized new synapses, is because we only identify the possibility of its existence in individuals who had displayed an exceptional talent acquired post the trauma. It is easy to overlook a change in a persons disposition and personality if the adjustment is negligible.

Does it sound too far fetched?

People who are having organ transplants are being studied as it appears that the recipients can alter in personality and indeed appear to gain the dominant traits of the donor. How is that possible? It’s only an organ right?

“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.” – Albert Einstein

The complexities of the minutiae are slowly being peeled back to show that  our concept of free will, freedom of choice and individuality are comprised of far more than just our mind. We are driven by all aspects of influence that stems from the cells within our bodies, right through to the bacteria and parasites that we host. Then there are the obvious plethora of external factors of environment, culture, belief systems, that add a spectrum of conscious and unconscious overlays.

Scientific research, and even simpler than this, asking questions and being willing to find ways to identify the answers is a healthy way to advance toward the discovery of new possibilities. This two minute video gives you a brief and very clever explanation of the Libet experiment on the existence of free will.

BBC Radio 4  – The Libet Experiment: Is Free Will Just an Illusion?

What I really enjoyed about the experiment was the stimulus of conversation post his findings. The results of his curiosity drove people to question the very existence of Free Will. In essence, the experiment depends on the subjective interpretation of the person’s experience.  This to me is the greatest flaw in the experiment and makes the results devoid of any true validity, other than to say that Libet clearly has more faith in peoples ability to be in a conscious state of awareness, than perhaps I do. His need to rely on his subjects to tell him their perceived recording of the time they felt the signal to move is in itself suggestive and therefore compromised the test.  A cleaner way to have approached this might have been to have the subjects listen to a series of commands and for them to be given the freedom to decide how they wish to react to any given request. As an added measure, throw in the word ‘yawn,’ so that it could be captured. This known subliminal trigger, which is deemed involuntary could then be assessed in contrast to the other choices and behaviors. Hence, relying on the ECG as the sole tool for assessment. (Just a side thought).

There was a video I saw recently where a person pondered the question, are we the same person from moment to moment and how does free will play into this. The example he used was something that I believe most if not all of us can relate to on some level. A person sets the alarm with the intention of waking up early to go for a run. They go to sleep. In the morning the alarm goes off and the person switches off the alarm and chooses to remain in bed. In the discussion on the video it was suggested that the person you were at the time you set the alarm is different to the person you were when you turned off the alarm and remained in bed. I didn’t lend myself too much toward the suggestion of different people per se but this line of exploration had me ponder the concept of intent versus behavior and how free will comes into play. Its a fascinating topic where I believe that the answers will never be one’s that are able to be prescriptive, because of the sheer volume of parameters that contribute toward the make up of a persons state of free will.

Do I believe in Free Will?

Yes. Yes I do.

Do I believe in Freedom of Choice?

Yes, within the confines of the parameters that are imposed. There are varying degree’s of freedom and their associated choices within those.

Do I believe that Individuality exists?

Yes, but it is largely stifled within most people. Society chokes us with imposed ‘norms’ and parameters of acceptance that from the outset encourages adoption of conformity.

The post Its A Question Of Free Will appeared first on Truth Devour.

Behind The ScenesTrue Blue Aussie Talent

When I set out on this remarkable journey to write, produce and direct the Wantin sizzle reel, I was a adamant that I wanted to have people aligned to me who were passionate about their craft and wanted an opportunity to be showcased for their abilities.

Anyone who has been associated to the development of a film, at any or all phases of the process can tell you that it is seriously hard yakka. There isn’t an aspect of any department that isn’t integral to the success of the production. Hence, I knew from the outset that it was critical to engage and surround myself with a crew that would not only excel at what they do, but must also be willing to pull together as a team to get the film across the line.

Never stop trying. It’s your dream, so do what it takes to make it happen.

Thanks to the initial assistance of Ignition Pictures I was already well underway with auditioning for a full cast for the reel. Ignition Pictures were kind enough to make time in their busy schedule to help me get across the line with casting call outs and screen tests. This set the pace for me to move forward on my own to begin executing the rehearsals, location scouting, developing the story boards and creating the preliminary shot lists, while in the background I reviewed all the crew applications from my shout out through Australian filming networks and industry services such as StarNow.

“Unity is strength. . . when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.”

–Mattie Stepanek.

Post developing a short list of candidates I steamrolled through the arduous task of calling to make a time to catch up with everyone. This in itself is a very curious process because in reality people don’t tend to like being interviewed. The hope for most creatives is that their show reels speak volumes for their capability so they don’t have to sell themselves verbally.

Instinct plays a part for me when I’m assessing people. Although, my initial plan was to meet absolutely every candidate, I did find after speaking with some applicants on the phone that I was willing to give them a chance. Mary Kate Winebrenner my production assistant was one such person and Hanna Palmer, a steadicam specialist was another. It didn’t take me long to establish that the people who were applying for the roles oozed passion for film making and were doing all that they can to maintain regular work within the industry. Its precisely what I was looking for.

A couple of days into the process I met with Konrad McCarthy for a coffee. Within minutes of our exchange I knew I had found the person I wanted to appoint as my director of photography. There is a brooding confidence in his introverted demeanor that held me steadfast to the belief that he would be the right person for the job. He quickly demonstrated that he is a straight shooter who doesn’t entertain drama and is completely focussed on understanding the vision so that he can translate it to film.

Gerard Mack was another of the applicants I was lucky enough to have met with and enlisted the services of for the sizzle reel. When I caught up with him at his private recording studio I was blown away by his knowledge of all thing pertaining to sound and more so by the length of time he has been in the industry.

Within less than ten days (thanks to the assistance of the appointed crew recommending other professionals to join the team), I had my full compliment of people in place.The vibe of the group was heightened by the fact that most of them knew each other and were eager to work together again. Opting to shift to interviewing ‘recommended‘ crew proved to become one of the best decisions I could have made.

Thus our unified journey of manifesting the Wantin sizzle reel from concept to creation had commenced …..

CREW ROLE + NAME + EMAIL

Producer / Director Truth Devour (author_truthdevour@hushmail.com)

Assistant Director Jillian Drenen (jilliandrenen97@gmail.com)

Assistant Director Miffy Wild (myf.wild@gmail.com)

Director of Photography Konrad McCarthy (konrad@konradmccarthy.com)

Steady Cam Operator & Gaffer Hannah Palmer (steadipalms@gmail.com)

Best Boy Reza Zaki (reza.zaki@hotmail.com)

Best Boy Tom (tomfz@live.com)

2nd AC / Clapper Nicholson Ren (nicholson.ren@hotmail.com)

Camera Assist / Focus Puller Dominic Mulligan (dom@dominicmulligan.com)

Behind The Scenes (BTS) Taylor Wilson (wilsontaylor18@yahoo.com)

Script Supervisor Lisa Habermann (lisahab888@gmail.com)

Production Sound / Composer Gerard Mack (gmack@pipeline.com.au)

Data Wrangler & Editor Madison Siladi (maddyjayde@gmail.com)

Production Assistant Mary Kate Winebrenner (marykatewinebrenner@gmail.com)

Head of Makeup Daphne Goutler (dgoulter@gmail.com)

Makeup Assistant Rachel Molino (rachelmolino@hotmail.com)

The post Aussie Talent Production Recruitment appeared first on Truth Devour.

Wantin pre-production rehearsals Fun and games ...

The time had come to kick off the rehearsals with the child actors selected for the Enigma Series Trilogy on screen adaptation sizzle reel. (Try saying that really fast three times!)

I wasn’t sure what to expect given that my only interaction with the appointed talent was during the casting auditions. This as you might be able to appreciate is a fast paced, jam packed day that doesn’t really allow for an opportunity to bond. It’s such a stressful environment where everyone is so focussed on the task at hand that it is definitely not conducive to allowing personalities to blossom.

Walking toward the meeting point I felt a sense of wonder about what magic might be in store for me to experience while working with Mariah Cini, Etienne Goessens and Alec Golinger. Children tend to be unpredictable and as much as people seem to find this challenging I gravitate toward the possibilities of what might manifest from their unrestrained tangents.

When I had began the journey of pulling together this production I had spent some time watching YouTube videos on actors auditioning for roles. If you haven’t seen Henry Thomas auditioning for a part in ET you are missing out. Its a must see in my books. There’s also a fabulous back story to the character development that blossomed from the audition series in Forest Gump. Look up Tom Hanks Forest Gump auditions to be amazed at the transformation of the character.

These audition examples are a lovely reminder that we may enter in with an idea of how things should look, feel and run but in essence if we remove the tendency to be rigid and prescriptive, then we allow for the possibility to leave with an even better version that adds depth to the character.

Knowing that I would be alternating between rehearsing various scenes, I had intentionally chosen a location that had a playground. Alec was the first to start bouncing around with excitement at the possibility of having some free time to play and was quickly trying to establish how long it would be before he was let loose on the swings.

When I mentioned to Etienne there might be a chance as part of a particular scene on the shoot day that he would be propped up in a tree, his eyes lit up. A wealth of knowledge spilt from him about the burls on trunks, what they were and how people cut them out to make fruit bowls. It was not only impressive that he even knew what a burl was but amusing to boot.

In the background sweet Mariah was settling down near the designated rehearsal area patiently waiting to start. There is something divine about this little lady that I can’t quite put my finger on yet. I’d met her by chance while I was doing the rounds as a stills photographer on the short film circuit. Although in the book Wantin (and the feature script) the character (young Talia) is six years old, I felt I needed to make an exception. Mariah to me in many ways is akin to young Talia.

You know that you have something special developing when the rehearsals begin to unfold the depth of a scene in a natural manner with a cast that have met for the very first time. Watching Tamiah Bantum work the scenes with Mariah and Alec while she executed her part as the nanny confirmed that all the hard work expended to find these talented people was well and truly worth it.

The role of the Haitian born nanny Marlee was yet another example where I entered into the casting with an image of what she was to look like. After cycling through a few auditions I began to suspect that I might struggle to fill this role. Then along came this young, beautiful, svelte woman. In the book Marlee is mid thirties, has two front teeth missing with a portly figure. Tamiah was captivating and her performance simply blew me away. In an instant I knew I had to let go of my rigid image of Marlee and award Tamiah the role.

I walked away from the first day of rehearsals feeling completely blessed that all these beautiful artists had entered my life. The dedication of the parents in supporting their children’s passion to act was equally inspiring. Watching the kids post rehearsals become fast friends, laughing, exchanging stories and genuinely enjoying each others company added an extra layer of satisfaction to the whole adventure.

Cherish every moment

– Truth Devour

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The Artistry of Make UpEnigma Series Trilogy - Short Film Adaptation

Post the engagement of Professional Film and TV makeup artists Daphne Goulter and Carly Lennon we organized a day of hair and beauty trials. The objective for the day was to establish whether the time allowance planned for the filming of the adaptation of Wantin would be ample to achieve the defined character styling.

There was an immediate sense of staggering enormity associated with the volume of equipment and supplies that these ladies possess to execute their job. It's tough to fathom the amount of product carted to each location.

I enjoyed watching Daphne and Carly unpack their gear in a manner that demonstrated that it had become a fine-tuned methodical process. The brushes were sprawled out to the front left, and foundation shades stacked neatly behind. One by one, the eye shadow pallets were opened and placed onto the portable table.

“The gratification comes in the doing, not in the results.”~ James Dean ~Wantin Sizzle Reel Make up Trial Day

 

I am not an expert at applying beauty products, but I wanted to give it a go. Initially, I contained the urge to interfere. However, as the day passed, I succumbed to the desire. I straddled Eden (much to his horror) while I applied a few choice brush strokes to his forehead that I would like to think added to his look. On the sideline, Carly patiently observed utterly amused.

Once my inner artist was sated, I let Carly continue her mastery. I took the opportunity to sneak away to update my Star Now profile to reflect my newly acquired skill as a makeup artist.

Actress Sue Radchenko was first up in the chair with Daphne. The assignment was simple, darken her pale complexion to be a dirty olive sun-speckled variation. Then weather her features to add a decade or so while you're at it. Easy peasy.

Daphe was excited by the challenge of transforming Susan into our wise old beloved Romany palm reading gypsy. Something was humbling about observing her emphasize every single wrinkle on Susan's face, neck, and hands. Varying shades of brown were used to accentuate the lines. From a distance, it looked like the outline of a road map was overlaid on Sue's face. Daphne's magic touch of skilled blending came in handy. Patiently she alternated between creating liver spots and other age identifying blemishes. Layer upon steadily applied layer was cleverly added to build toward the desired effect. The results were staggeringly good.

“An actor is at most a poet and at least an entertainer.”~ Marlon Brando ~Liver spots being applied

Make-up tests in preparation for filming. https://t.co/kJAXz2Ue28#actor #scriptchat #smashwords #truthdevour pic.twitter.com/9DfETGRB8e

— Author: Truth Devour (@TruthDevour_) March 12, 2017

“Be so good they can't ignore you”~ Steve Martin ~

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Eden was just getting acquainted with Carly when I switched focus to them. His appointed role is Enzo, who is submissive to Mistress Le Vour. As part of the costume styling, Eden must wear a leather half mask. Carly placed this on him to mark the position and then wasted no time in getting him ready for a bit of creative experimentation and play.

I shared with Carly the starting point for the palate. It was essential to ensure Enzo's makeup complemented the set design while contrasting against his scene counterpart Mistress Le Vour. Aquamarine blues, greens, and pinks were laid out on the table at the ready.

Carly let loose and began creating an outline on Enzo's face. It did not take long for a transformation to emerge. She framed his face, accentuating his jawline. The cast and crew stopped to watch Carly apply white eyeliner to make Eden's green eyes pop.

“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”~ William Shakespeare ~

Actress Ella Crotty, who is playing the lead role of Talia, assumed the position in the chair. Daphne's assignment was to create a balayage effect on her lips. With a paintbrush in hand, she began.

Meanwhile, Carly was standing at the rear of Ella with a picture of an intricate French side braid. I wanted to test out the look for a scene.
Fifteen minutes later, Carly called me over to take a look at her first attempt at the braid. I glanced at the picture and then at Ella, then back at the image before looking at Carly and secretly wondering if she was a magician. The result was picture perfect.

Always learning

As the day was drawing to a close, I recognized the measly thirty minutes allocated per actor for hair and makeup on the adaptation film shoot draft plan was not going to cut it. The safeguard is to replan and bolster the time allocated to each actor. An hour minimum is required and in some cases, an hour and a half for the more sophisticated looks.

All in all, we agreed the time spent was well worth the effort. We now had a greater appreciation for what it was going to take to achieve the looks. It was a valuable confirmation that the character styling and makeup were on point.

Sue transformed into the gypsy. Eden became the submissive gimp. The hero effect of the day got awarded the visual impact of the balayage lips on Ella. It was hypnotizing.

Another day in the life of the Wantin adaptation sizzle reel was complete. A necessary pre-production activity that contributes to validate the plan.

I look forward to our next rendezvous Mistress Le Vour @LeahBaulch #energytribe #Screenplay #truthdevour #movies pic.twitter.com/GABfiGKpyE

— Author: Truth Devour (@TruthDevour_) February 18, 2017

Photography & Article Written By Truth Devour Copyright © 2022 Truth Devour Blog. All rights reserved

The post Wantin Adaptation – Make Up Trial appeared first on Truth Devour Blog.

Enigma Series Trilogy - AdaptationThe Artistry of Make Up

In the wake of Professional Film and TV make up artists Daphne Goulter and Carly Lennon joining the Wantin Sizzle Reel production team we organized a day of hair and beauty trials to see whether the time allowance planned for the shoot days would be ample to achieve the defined character styling.

There was an immediate sense of staggering enormity associated to the amount of equipment and supplies that these ladies are required to possess in order to execute their job. It’s truly hard to fathom the volume of product that’s carted from one location to another.

I enjoyed watching Daphne and Carly unpack their gear in a manner that demonstrated that it had clearly become a fine tuned methodical process. The brushes were sprawled out to the front left, foundation shades stacked neatly behind. One by one the eye shadow pallets were opened and placed onto the portable table.

I may not be an expert in beauty product application but I could certainly feel the growing need to pick up a brush and start randomly applying colors to anyone who dared to stay still for long enough to let me. Initially I contained the urge but as the day passed I succumbed to straddling Eden (much to his horror) while I applied a few choice brush strokes to his forehead that I would like to think added to his look. On the side line Carly patiently observed completely amused.

Feeling sated by my contribution I let Carly continue her mastery while I snuck away to update my Star Now profile with my newly acquired skill as a make up artist.

Actress Sue Radchenko was first up in the chair with Daphne. The assignment was simple, darken her pale complexion to be a dirty olive sun speckled variation. Then weather her features to add a decade or so while you’re at it. Easy peasy.

Excited by the challenge Daphne set her sights on transforming Susan into our wise old beloved Romany palm reading gypsy. There was something humbling about watching her eagerly trace and emphasize every single wrinkle on her face, neck and hands in various shades of brown. From a distance it looked like the outline of a road map was overlaid on Sue’s face. The magic touch of skilled blending was applied, while alternating with creating liver spots and other age identifying blemishes. Layer upon patiently applied layer was carefully added to build toward the desired effect. The results were staggeringly good.

Meanwhile on the other side of the room Eden was just getting acquainted with Carly when I switched focus to them. His appointed role is Enzo who is a submissive to Mistress Le Vour. As part of the costume styling Eden is set to wear a half mask. Carly placed this on him to mark the position and then wasted no time in getting him ready for a bit of creative experimentation and play.

We had a strong sense of the starting point for the design which included incorporating a spectrum of colors that would compliment the set design while contrasting against his scene counter part Mistress Le Vour. Aqua marine blues, greens and pinks were laid out on the table at the ready.

Once Carly let loose and began truly playing with the design of the eye mask across his face a transformation quickly emerged that had us all staring at Eden’s green eyes. Just the simple application of framing with white eyeliner made them pop.

When actress Ella Crotty who is playing the lead role of Talia assumed the position in the chair with Daphne, I had requested that a balayage effect be created on her lips. I then handed Carly a picture of an intricate French side braid that I wanted to test out on Ella’s thick head of hair.

Fifteen minutes later Carly called me over to take a look at her first attempt at the braid. I glanced at the picture and then at Ella, then back at the picture before looking at Carly and secretly wondering if she was a magician. The result was picture perfect.

As the day was drawing to a close I recognized the measly thirty mins per actor for hair and makeup on the shoot days was seriously not going to cut it. The safe guard would be to go back to planning and bolster the time allocated to an hour minimum and in some cases an hour and a half for the more complex looks.

All in all we agreed the time expended was well worth the effort. We not only had a greater appreciation for what it was going to take to achieve the looks, there was also the valuable confirmation that the character styling and make up were on point.

Sue transformed into the gypsy, Eden became the submissive gimp and the champion effect of the day had to be awarded to the look of the balayage lips on Ella that were seriously hypnotizing.

Another day in the life of Wantin Sizzle Reel pre-production activities have successfully drawn to a close.

Blessings – Truth Devour

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In 1991 at the ripe old age of twenty-one Robert DeNiro had me moved to uncontrollable tears when I watched him on the big screen playing the character of a catatonic patient that briefly comes to life when Robin Williams (the doctor) treats him with a drug called L-dopa.

The movie is called Awakening. There is a scene where Robert’s character is becoming less responsive to the drug which leads towards the inevitability of him being trapped like a frozen statue within his own body once more. The anguish on his face as he calls out to Robin to learn from him had me heaving for breath as I sobbed loudly in the presence of strangers.

The significance of the impact has remained with me to this day and serves as an important foundation to some of my underlying life philosophies.

Awaken -

Fast forward to 2016 where I am now once again finding myself being moved by Mr DeNiro. This time it is not for his stellar acting ability in a movie rather the stance he has made to support our right to see compelling movies that encourage people to question things. For those of you who are unaware, Robert DeNiro is one of the founders of the Tribeca Film Festival, which was celebrating its fifteenth year recently. During an interview on the Today show Robert and his co-founder Jane Rosenthal were discussing the then up coming festival. Part way through the discussion a question was raised around the decision that was made to pull a documentary called VAXED. It is a movie that covers the links between Autism and vaccinations, which provides some compelling information that suggests that the connection was known by the CDC and big pharmaceutical companies all along.

VAXED - Autism Links to Vaccines

If you watch the interview you will see Robert is very passionate when he calls out to people to make their own judgment by watching films such as VAXED and TRACE AMOUNTS. To extend ourselves by asking questions rather than passively accepting the status quo. There are clear undercurrents of emotion driving his responses that demonstrated this was coming from a very personal space for him given his own son has Autism. Robert DeNiro’s words, “Lets find out the truth” resonated with me.

Its an interesting gauntlet to find safe passage through the copious amounts of information and what I would call misdirection of data that is available on the web. I found myself traveling a path of topics that covered the links between vaccinations and autism, then somehow crossed over into connections between the suspicious deaths of holistic practitioners who were successfully championing the promotion of non synthesized methods to heal the human body of illness. In particular, most of them were connected to the promotion of utilizing a natural substance called GcMAF to cure chronic illnesses from cancer to HIV to autism. GcMAF (Gc protein macrophage activation factor) is an immune-regulating compound that is naturally found in our bodies.

Conspiracy theories aside, through my research there seems to be a pattern forming that is definitely worth having as a take away to all of this. The premise that natural substances cannot be patented forces the pharmaceutical companies to create synthesized versions of the same compound in order to make money. This has always been bandied around and known, but what I feel us as consumers were failing to realize is that the natural substance that is being modeled is in essence the cure. The synthesized version is the faux emulation of mother natures perfection. What are we waiting for?

The time is well overdue for us as individuals to cease being at the blind mercy of money driven corporate construct. The cogs are churning on a well entrenched consumer preying chemical manufacturing monster that will only stop when we do. I’m all for holding them to account by beginning with ourselves. Globally we need to be far more vigilant in ensuring we all work towards supporting one another in making smarter, healthier lifestyle choices, while also remaining steadfast toward the pursuit of the truth.

Blessings - Truth Devour

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The tables are turning to reflect a new age where the voice and actions of some online hackers coined hacktivists and known also by the reference Anonymous, are slowly changing public perception from fear to revere with support growing daily. It seems their mission statement focusses on achieving a truly new realm of leaderless world order by aiming to keep the actions and communications of all influencers honest.

In 2014, I experienced firsthand what it felt like to have my online presence invaded by cyber bullies and intrusive hackers. It turned my world upside down, forced me to question everything and more rudely to realize how easily people get swayed (myself included) into believing what is posted. Needless to say, this active twelve month continual attack was certainly an eye opener and in the top two worst experiences of my life. It made me wonder why people who are skilled with talented hacking capabilities don’t channel their focus on doing some good in the world. This is when I stumbled upon Anonymous.

The words “We do not forgive and we do not forget, expect us” is what resonated with me as the most evocative part of their mandate. One of the things I have personally found so frustrating about societal injustices that are brought to light is the fact that it is not uncommon to find many people knew about what was happening, and either turned a blind eye or secretly supported the activities for gain. When all is brought to bear very few get any real justice served and to me, this is the ultimate insanity. Movements such as Anonymous are encouraging the self-empowerment of techno savvy laymen to dare to make a positive difference in this space, and quite frankly, it excites me.

Catching cyber sycophants.

Online, numerous articles can be found, which associate a list of ‘good deeds’ to the Anonymous organization. Now in the spirit of the participants being anon it is not easy to definitively say whether all or some of the good deeds listed are in fact the work of the group, but I am certain we could agree that the Anonymous organization is a catalyst that has inspired countless people to ‘act.’ When I read that a campaign was created to target the DarkNet focusing on exposing child pornography and pedophile rings, I smiled. The concerted efforts of some resulted in the shutdown of a long standing image exchange (trafficking) portal and even more importantly publicly exposed a list of service user’s names. These hacktivists championed a space that has been deemed ‘untraceable.’ They used their savvy to become the fearless voice of the defenseless innocent children, forcing the thriving DarkNet pedophile community to recognize that they are not untouchable and will be cyber hunted for their crimes.

Just recently in Australia a convicted child rapist and pedophile by the name of “Mr. Baldy” (real name: Brian Keith Jones) was released from a deemed to be served prison sentence into the unsuspecting community with what was stated by the governing body as strict parole conditions. This sick individual was a predator during my adolescent years. The media supplied the reference Mr. Baldy to his deeds because he had a penchant for shaving the heads of his young male victims and sometimes if memory serves correctly, he adorned them in girl’s dresses, imparting his mark of psychological torment before sexually abusing them. He served eight years in the 1980s for the invasive crimes linked to six boys. Post Brian’s release he reoffended almost immediately, sexually assaulting two more boys. The ‘justice’ system awarded him a 14-year prison term for his re-offence. Aside from it being astounding to me that executioners of such heinous deeds against our youth are given lenient sentences, they are also upon release provided housing. Would it surprise you to learn that the government allocated digs were located six blocks from Ascot Vale Primary School and close by to a popular local skate park? Investigating media reporters tracked the residential location of this sycophant, which resulted in his immediate relocation to protect his identity, as fear rises for him being targeted by angry citizens. Hmm, yep, let’s spend more hard earned tax dollars to protect and hide the person who is a convicted predator who has demonstrated he holds no hesitation to continue to hurt our societies precious children if and when an opportunity presents.

A Canadian teenager by the name of Bradley Willman’s over a decade ago made the papers because his actions led to the eventual imprisonment of a Californian Judge by the name of Ronald Kline’s for possession of child pornography. This kid used his genius to develop a Trojan horse computer mal ware program that imbedded itself onto pedophile’s computers which gave him full access to their systems. He forwarded the information to a pedophile watch group and eventually the details landed in the hands of authorities. Bradley was only a kid at the time, yet he was championing the cause to expose predators, which in my opinion is simply brilliant.

Here’s the slap in the face. The way the law is structured the legality of the use of the Trojan horse was a founding argument that Ronald’s lawyer utilized to challenge the charges. So, in laymen term’s, no-one was arguing that Judge Kline had copious amounts of child pornography on his computer and in his home. The position from the defence was more aligned to, “But your Honor it was accessed without permission so it shouldn’t be allowed to be presented to the courts.” Personally, this leaves me speechless. Ronald, after a six year defensive battle in the legal system finally lost and got a prison sentence applied. What do you suppose a man who was assigned to be the purveyor of justice, and an executioner of fair judgment received for this betrayal of community trust and heinous crime? A total of twenty-seven months in Federal prison with eligibility of parole post serving a mandatory twenty-three months.

“Our law enforcement systems are clearly broken globally.” Truth Devour

Let’s segway back to Anonymous. I know there is a lot of debate going on about pushing to label vigilante behavior as ‘acts of terror.’ What I am questioning and suggest others do too, is why are influential organizations and high profile individuals trying to place a negative label on hacktivists behavior instead of considering the short falls of the people, systems, laws, legislations and such that made cause for intervention of those who were and are brave enough to step up to ‘act’ as representatives for society. This alternate way of seeking fair, just and moral outcomes seem to be slowly leveling out the playing field. It forces an awareness of the truth through unleashing what is hidden from our view, thus encouraging global influencers, whether it be corporate or individuals to carefully consider their actions.

“Peace, love and unity is all within our grasp.” Anonymous

We are living in interesting times.

Blessings,

Truth Devour

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