ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL (2019) About The Crew

Nina Proctor (Costume Design), Steve Joyner (Production Design), Dylan Cole (Concept Design Supervisor), Ben Procter (Concept Design Supervisor), Mike Cozens (Animation Supervisor), Eric Saindon (Visual Effects Supervisor), Joe Letteri (Senior Visual Effects Supervisor), Bill Pope, ASC (Director of Photography), Ian Silverstein (Editor), Stephen Rivkin, ACE (Editor), Tom Holkenborg, aka Junkie XL (Composer), Laeta Kalogridis (Screenplay), Jon Landau (Producer), James Cameron (Screenplay, Producer), and Robert Rodriguez (Director)

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ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Robert Rodriguez (Director) is a film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician. He is also the Founder and Chairman of El Rey Network, a 24-hour, English-language lifestyle network.

While a student at the University of Texas at Austin in 1991, Rodriguez wrote the script to his first feature film while sequestered at a drug research facility as a paid subject in a clinical experiment. That paycheck covered the cost of shooting his film. He planned to make the money back by selling the film to the Mexican home video market.

The film, El Mariachi , went on to win the coveted Audience Award at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, and became the lowest budget movie ever released by a major studio. Rodriguez wrote about these experiences in Rebel Without a Crew , a perennial guide for the independent filmmaker.

Rodriguez went on to write, produce, direct and edit a series of successful films including Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, The Faculty, the Spy Kids franchise , Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Frank Miller’s Sin City, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D , Grindhouse, Machete and Sin City 2: A Dame To Kill For.

In 2000, Rodriguez founded Troublemaker Studios, an Austin, Texas based production facility of which he is co-owner and president. The studio includes a world-renowned visual effects house, music and publishing arms and has played a primary role in making Austin a vibrant filmmaking hub.

In 2012, Rodriguez created El Rey Network, a 24-hour English language television network. Curated by Rodriguez and his artistic collective, the network launched in 2014 and is now in 45 million homes. El Rey's action-packed slate includes the lucha libre wrestling series Lucha Underground and the one-on-one interview program hosted by Rodriguez, El Rey Network Presents: The Director's Chair as well as unscripted series Man at Arms . El Rey Network's lineup also showcases a wide range of iconic feature films and TV series including genre, cult classics, action and horror/sci-fi.

James Cameron (Screenplay, Producer) is an acclaimed film-maker and explorer. As director, writer and producer he is responsible for some of the most memorable films of the past three decades: The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies, Titanic , and Avatar .

Avatar is the highest grossing film in history with over $2.7 billion in global box office, beating the previous record holder, Cameron’s own film Titanic , which held that record for 12 years. Cameron's films have also earned numerous nominations and awards, most notably Titanic 's 14 Academy AwardÒ nominations (a record) and 11 OscarsÒ (also a record), including Cameron's own 3 OscarsÒ for Best Picture, Best Direction and Best Editing. Both Titanic and Avatar won the Golden GlobeÒ for Best Director and Best Picture. Avatar was nominated for 9 Academy AwardsÒ and won 3.

Over the last 17 years Cameron developed cutting edge 3D camera systems for movies and documentaries, as well as for broadcast sports and special events. He was at the vanguard of the 3D renaissance that has transformed the movie industry in recent years. He also developed unprecedented deep ocean exploration vehicles, lighting and 3D camera equipment. Most recently, Cameron led his eighth deep ocean expedition to some of the deepest trenches in the world. On March 26, 2012, he set the world’s solo deep diving record of 35,787’ in the Challenger Deep in a vehicle of his own design.

Cameron is a National Geographic Explorer in Residence, and recipient of their most prestigious award, the Hubbard Medal, as well as the Explorer’s Club medal for Explorer of the Year.

Cameron is also passionately involved in sustainability issues, having founded the Avatar Alliance Foundation to take action on climate change, energy policy, deforestation, indigenous rights, ocean conservation and sustainable agriculture. His production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, installed a 1-megawatt solar array on the roofs of their soundstages at Manhattan Beach Studios, to generate all the power for the Avatar sequels. James and Suzy Amis Cameron, both environmental vegans, founded the Plant Power Taskforce to promote awareness of the impact of animal agriculture on the environment and climate.

He is currently in production on Avatar 2, 3 , 4 and 5 .

Academy Award® and two-time Golden Globe®-winning producer Jon Landau (Producer) holds the distinction of having produced the two highest grossing movies of all-time, Avatar and Titanic . The combination of Landau's thorough understanding of the most complex state-of-the-art technologies, his ability to work hand-inhand with the highest caliber of creative talent, and his motivational ability has enabled him to play a significant role in numerous major motion pictures.

Throughout his career, Landau has also been very instrumental in the licensing and marketing of his films across all platforms globally. He has taken a hands on approach to bringing innovation, diversity and showmanship to these areas of the process. Never one to rest on his laurels, Landau is pro-actively working with companies and individuals throughout the entertainment industry to push technologies to new levels that will allow new stories to be told and then presented in more engaging and immersive ways. In addition to Alita: Battle Angel , Landua is producing four Avatar sequels (all of which are being directed by James Cameron).

Laeta Kalogridis (Screenplay) is a screenwriter and producer of television and feature films. She is a graduate of Davidson College in North Carolina; University of Texas at Austin’s Michener Center for Writers; and the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television’s MFA program.

She has been a working writer for over 20 years now and has watched the industry evolve from a place where she was considered an interesting oddity for writing genre (the phrase “you write like a man” was used with surprising and somewhat depressing regularity) to a field where women, people of color and other marginalized voices are starting to be recognized for the depth and breadth of their talent in all areas of filmed entertainment.

She looks forward to seeing, and helping galvanize, even more change in the industry going forward. Change is good.

Her writing credits include Alexander (directed by Oliver Stone), Shutter Island (directed by Martin Scorsese), uncredited rewrites on the first X-Men and the first Tomb Raider , as well as the creation of the Netflix television show Altered Carbon . She also created the tv shows Birds of Prey and Bionic Woman .

Tom Holkenborg, aka Junkie XL (Composer), is a Grammy nominated and multi platinum producer, musician, and composer whose versatility puts him on the cutting edge of contemporary music, as well at the vanguard of exciting new film composers. His film scoring credits include Mad Max Fury Road, Deadpool, Black Mass, Divergent, Brimstone, The Dark Tower, Tomb Raider plus the forthcoming Peter Jackson film Mortal Engines .

Tom is able to draw on his extensive knowledge of classical forms and structures while keeping one finger planted firmly on the pulse of popular music. When this eclectic background is paired with his skill as a multi-instrumentalist (he plays keyboards, guitar, drums, violin, and bass and describes himself as a ‘full contact composer’) and a mastery of studio technology, a portrait emerges of an artist for whom anything is possible.

The foundation for Tom’s career started in his native Holland where he created multiple film scores, and undertook mentorships with celebrated composers Harry Gregson Williams (on Domino and Kingdom of Heaven ) and Klaus Badelt (on Catwoman ). But things really started to fall into place when Tom started collaborating with Oscar®-winning composer Hans Zimmer. Their partnership lasted several years, and most recently included 2016’s blockbuster Batman Vs Superman , which marked the seventh scoring collaboration between Holkenborg and Zimmer. Holkenborg worked with Zimmer on The Amazing Spider Man 2 (2014), Man of Steel (2013), Dark Knight Rises (2012), Madagascar 3 (2012), Megamind (2010), and Inception (2010).

Holkenborg’s music career began in 1993 when he started the industrial rock band Nerv and was also producing hardcore and metal bands like Sepultura and Fear Factory. Drawn by electronic breakbeats he started Junkie XL in 1997 debuting with the album Saturday Teenage Kick. Holkenborg went on to produce 5 more albums under the moniker while playing headline shows all over the world. In 2002 the producer remixer scored a number 1 hit in 24 countries with his rework of “A Little Less Conversation”. Following the success Holkenborg collaborated with celebrated artists like Dave Gahan, Robert Smith, Chuck D, and remixed artists such as Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and many more. In addition Holkenborg created the music for video games like FIFA, Need For Speed, The Sims, and SSX and commercials for global campaigns like Nike, Heineken, Adidas, Cadillac and VISA.

Throughout his career, education and mentorship have been key themes for Tom. He created a Bachelor Program at the renowned ArtEZ Conservatorium, in his home town of Enschede, for music composition, from which more than 200 students have graduated, and continued his commitment to education on digital platforms, producing the free online tutorial series, Studio Time, which has been watched millions of times.

Stephen Rivkin, ACE (Editor) was nominated for an Academy Award®, a BAFTA Award, and an ACE Eddie Award for his work on James Cameron’s mega-blockbuster Avatar. He also co-edited the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy for producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski. The three films were all nominated for ACE Eddie Awards, with a win for the original summer hit Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

He edited four films for director Norman Jewison: The Hurricane , for which Denzel Washington received an Oscar® nomination and a Golden Globe® award, The Statement , Bogus and Only You . He worked as Co-Editor on the popular films Ali , for which Will Smith received Oscar® and Golden Globe® nominations, Nine Months, Outbreak, My Cousin Vinny, Fire in the Sky and Band of the Hand . Other editing credits include Robin Hood: Men in Tights for director Mel Brooks, Stealth, Swordfish, Idle Hands, Excess Baggage, Bat-21 and Hot Dog: The Movie . Rivkin edited and was Associate Producer on the features Youngblood and The Personals .

He is currently working on the Avatar sequels for director James Cameron, serves as President for the American Cinema Editors, and is on the Board of Directors for the Motion Picture Editors Guild.

Ian Silverstein (Editor ) is a film and television editor who most recently worked with director Robert Rodriguez on the soon-to-be released Alita: Battle Angel. He and Rodriguez also collaborated on Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (as co-editor), Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World (as additional editor), and Predators with director Nimród Antal (as associate editor).

Silverstein has numerous television credits having edited multiple episodes of From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series for The El Rey Network and serving as supervising editor on Season 3. He also worked on Turn for AMC and The Lizzie Borden Chronicles for Lifetime. Additionally, he was the associate/online editor on Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign video The Road We’ve Traveled for Davis Guggenheim.

Bill Pope, ASC (Director of Photography) is an American cinematographer, best known for his work on The Matrix trilogy with the Wachowski siblings, Sam Raimi’s films and on Edgar Wright's films.

Pope began his career directing music videos before moving to feature film projects. His first notable work was Raimi's 1990 superhero homage Darkman which starred Liam Neeson in the title role. Pope went on to work with Raimi numerous times, lensing multiple films in the Spider-Man trilogy and the cult movie Army of Darkness in 1992.

In 1999 he worked on one episode of the high school series Freaks and Geeks and the same year he began work on the high-flying international hit The Matrix , later completing the sci-fi film's two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions .

Continuing his penchant for big-budget action movies with the feel of comic books, Pope landed a job as director of photography on 2008's The Spirit , based on the golden-age superhero created by Will Eisner. Since then, Pope has gone on to film Men in Black 3 and The Jungle Book in addition to Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs the World , The World's End and Wright's most recent feature, Baby Driver in 2017. Most recently, he served as DP on Joe Cornish’s The Kid Who Would Be King .

Joe Letteri's (Senior Visual Effects Supervisor) pioneering work on digital visual effects has earned him four Academy Awards® for Best Visual Effects on Avatar , The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and King Kong . He has also received the Academy’s Technical Achievement Award for co-developing the subsurface scattering technique that brought Gollum to life.

Joe joined Weta Digital as Visual Effects Supervisor on The Two Towers and has since led the company to become one of the world’s premiere visual effects studios.

Joe has developed many techniques that have become standards for bringing photographic quality to digital visual effects. He specializes in the creation of realistic creatures, from the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park , to Gollum, King Kong, the Na'vi in Avatar , and Caesar from The Planet of the Apes .

As Senior Visual Effects Supervisor on Avatar , Joe oversaw a programme of research and development over four years that produced shots larger and more complex than ever attempted before. This involved shooting on a virtual stage with a new camera system, along with the development of a full pipeline of tools that effectively launched a new approach to filmmaking called virtual production.

Under Joe’s leadership, Weta Digital has continued to expand and improve these techniques through films like The Adventures of Tintin , The Hobbit trilogy and The Planet of the Apes trilogy. Joe has recently been focused on Luc Besson’s new sci-fi epic, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets , and War for the Planet of the Apes.

Eric Saindon (Visual Effects Supervisor) has been at Weta Digital since 1999. Starting as a creatures/character supervisor, he was pivotal in the creation of Gollum for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers . Eric was a Digital FX Supervisor on King Kong and then became a Visual Effects Supervisor for X-Men: The Last Stand and Avatar. He oversaw the pipeline development

for Avatar and supervised 745 shots. For The Hobbit trilogy, he handled pre-production and on set duties as well as serving as Visual Effects Supervisor for the entire trilogy.

Most recently, Eric served as Visual Effects Supervisor for Disney’s Pete’s Dragon. Eric has been nominated for two Academy Awards® and three BAFTAs, and he has won four Visual Effects Society Awards. He is an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Mike Cozens (Animation Supervisor) strives to realise the director’s storytelling vision of digital characters and creatures. His team uses a wide variety of techniques to create unique, believable creatures.

Mike spent three years as Lead Animator on multiple sequences on James Cameron’s Avatar, then as a Senior Animator on the first two films in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy before moving into the role of Animation Supervisor on The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. In between these films, he was also Animation Supervisor on Ridley Scott’s Prometheus as well as The Wolverine.

Mike grew up in Vancouver. His father went to Art Center in Los Angeles in the 60’s and was a good friend of Marv Newland, a well-known animator. When Mike was a child, his father would take him to animation festivals to see Marv’s films. This was a big inspiration. He went on to study classical animation in 1999 and completed a CG short called Broker in 2000, which played on the festival circuit and was nominated for several awards.

Mike’s more recent credits include Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials and David Lowery’s Pete’s Dragon .

Ben Procter (Concept Design Supervisor) migrated from New York City to work in Hollywood in 2001. Since then he has had the good fortune to work steadily as an illustrator and art director on a large number of prestigious films such as Tron: Legacy , the Transformers films, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and James Cameron’s Avatar . He co-production-designed 2013’s Ender’s Game and is currently co-designing the Avatar sequels with Dylan Cole. Ben lives in Studio City with his wife, son and too many pets.

Dylan Cole (Concept Design Supervisor) is a production designer specializing in creating immersive new worlds for film. Since graduating from UCLA in 2001, he has contributed art to over 60 films. His early career was in visual effects working as a matte painter, creating iconic environments for such films as Return of the King, The Aviator, The Road and The Golden Compass .

Transitioning to preproduction work, Dylan worked on Avatar as a concept art director, for which he won a Directors Guild of America Award for Excellence in Production Design. After doing concept art for such films as Alice in Wonderland, Tron Legacy and Oz: The Great and Powerful , Dylan became co-production designer for Maleficent, which earned him a Hollywood Film Award for production design.

Currently, Dylan is co-production designer on the four Avatar sequels. While working on Avatar , Dylan recently had the opportunity to lead the design of the environments for Alita: Battle Angel .

Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Steve Joyner (Production Design) was active in high school and college technical theatre. He attended the College of Architecture at Arizona State for a year before switching to Electrical Engineering. While working a summer job in a Phoenix computer store he was hired to work on the 1997 feature Campus Man (coincidentally produced by Jon Landau). There he met members of the film community and was soon doing commercials.

He moved to Los Angeles in 1992 and rode the wave of production as a Prop Master on Showtime and HBO movies. He met Robert Rodriguez in 1995 and worked with him on From Dusk Till Dawn. In 2005 Robert and Quentin Tarantino gave him the opportunity to move up to Production Design on their double feature Grindhouse .

Steve counts David Wasco, Tony Cowley and Nigel Clinker among his production design mentors. His notable films with Caylah Eddleblute include Jackie Brown , Kill Bill , the Spy Kids franchise, Sin City , Inglourious Basterds and Predators .He splits his time between Los Angeles and Austin, Texas. Inspired as a kid by the gritty yet sublime aesthetic of Jim Cameron’s The Terminator and Aliens, he was thrilled to be offered the chance to work on ALITA: Battle Angel .

Nina Proctor (Costume Design) is a costume designer who has collaborated with Robert Rodriguez for over a decade, designing on such projects as Sin City, A Dame To Kill For, Spy Kids Game Over, Spy Kids All The Time in The World, Machete and Machete Kills .

Nina’s goal always is that the costumes become an important part of helping directors tell their story and strives for her costumes to be a character building tool for the actors.

Nina loves designing and the process of creating unique pieces thru the use of textiles, textures and color.

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