In Nov 2017, David Black chatted to Anastasia Kouloukas, a mysterious woman with a wealth of talent. I am re-blogging this article so that we can see how far she has come. You can compare this interview to her most recent one - https://aushortfilmnetwork.wixsite.com/website/post/david-black-interviews-anastasia-c-kouloukas-for-the-offohm
DB — Hi Anastasia. It’s been awhile since we last caught up and it’s great to see you again. Now,you have a “Bachelor of Cinematography” and are back at uni studying script writing! Yet, all during this time, you’ve managed a wide variety of acting roles, as well as modelling in photoshoots. You’ve certainly been busy, so let’s break this down into two parts. Ok? We’ll start off with your formal education, can you go over what you’ve studied?
AK — Hi David, it has been a while and it is great to catch up with you too. Ah, my formal education, well I’ll start with high school and finish with my latest degree. During VCE, I was studying drama but my school made the unfortunate decision to cut the 3/4 subject and so an alternative had to be found. Mum had found after much searching, a “VET Certificate II & III in Acting” (Screen) which pretty much saved me from High school induced insanity and inspired my love of filmmaking. I was studying Media at the time and we had a VET excursion where we were extras on the TV Episode “No Angel” of ABC’s Upper Middle Bogan.
During my first degree, a “Bachelor of Screen Production”, although I did learn about cinematography, I learnt about the different departments that make up being behind the camera — from the practical elements of filmmaking, sound recording and lighting through to writing, producing, directing and acting, and also about the History of Film and its Evolution also a little bit of Flash Animation and Photoshop.
I can say that I’m proficient in some of those areas, especially sound recording as we had to specialise in an area going into second year, although I’ve since become a little rusty and still need to work on some, such as directing as my pitches were never successful but I made up for that in putting my everything into the other areas, especially sound recording, writing and producing.
I took every opportunity to act in the short films that my classmates and I made, which ranged from 1 minute to 5 minutes, and I also acted in short films that the second and third year students were making as well.
I only officially graduated my degree in Screen Production in April and I am back studying again but this time I am studying a “Bachelor of Arts,” majoring in theatre and minoring in performance with an elective writing subject. Drama is what I actually wanted to study first but financial difficulty made me choose a different path which led me to filmmaking and ultimately gave me more experience and knowledge and also led me to this point in the present and I’m having a Wonderful time.
DB — Now for part 2. Can you give us an overview of the film shoots you have been on, both in front of the camera and as crew?
AK — Well the very first, no second film shoot that comes to mind is my experience being an extra onset of the ABC’s Upper Middle Bogan “No Angel” episode and seeing all the cranes and trucks and people with clipboards and just the sense of purpose and excitement elicited from everyone.
My second experience and more fondly remembered is the Short film “Promises”, Directed by Mark Robinson, and produced by Luci Canziani with Dominic Subbiah as the Director of Cinematography. It was a third year production that I was invited to join as the 2AC or Second Camera Assistant and was in charge of the clapperboard and also occasionally helped with set dressing as it was a small, perhaps 15–30 member crew made up by third, second and first year students and I used that shoot as the standard from then on. It was the most organised, fun, productive and professional shoot that I’ve ever been on and it’s been my favourite since I can remember.
Like I mentioned earlier I worked on other film sets including our short film shoots and they were all excellent as cast and crew, very warm, welcoming and fun while also being productive. However there was a time I was asked by an older student to be his boom operator as he was sound recording on a film shoot and I was intrigued as he considered me his go to person for sound recording or boom operating, when he contacted me, as he considered me “to be the best”. I digress, I honestly thought this was the worst film shoot for time management as it was painfully slow, almost under productive and a total drag.
DB – Correct me if I’m wrong Anastasia, but you’re aiming at the dramatic side of acting? Your showreel goes right off the Richter scale when it comes to the emotional content. You’re often crying and whimpering desperately or screaming full boar like a banshee! What roles are you aiming at?
AK –Well thank you David, I consider that a compliment, I have to say I could consider myself more intense live; I remember a high school audition for the “Wicked Witch of the West” where I made literally everyone jump in their seats. I had another audition where I was doing a scene and a third actor forgot they were meant to be in the scene because I was that entrancing; I suppose that shows my potential to draw the audience in.
DB — Thanks for making the time to chat with me today Anastasia. It’s always a pleasure to interview an enthusiastic and true talent.