Director/Producer/Writer/Actor Jon Lee Brody has created a series of compelling fan promos for The CW’s upcoming 2018 DC TV premieres. We have an exclusive interview with him where he breaks down his creative process and inspirations.
The CW’s DC TV premieres are right around the corner. If you’re a rabid fan like us here at Fantinuum, then you’ve probably consumed every teaser and rumor out there for each of these shows—Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, Black Lightning, and Batwoman. But what happens when you run out of “official” things to consume? We’re fortunate to be living in an age where content creators are everywhere. And it just so happens that one of these is a DC fanatic like us—Jon Lee Brody.
Jon has been a lifelong DC fan and has more DC knowledge than the Watchtower’s database. Lucky for us, he’s also a director, producer, writer, and actor in Hollywood—which means his fan videos are a cut above the rest. If you’ve forgotten, he recently released a series of DC TV-based promos for The CW which blew viewers and studio insiders away with their production value. Above all else, it did what all promos are supposed to do—drum up excitement. Here they are again …
The Flash Promo | “Music Man”
Arrow Promo | “Nice Catch”
Supergirl Promo | “A Friend”
The Flash Promo | “The Note”
Batwoman Promo | “Are You Ready”
To celebrate the premiere of The CW’s new season of DC TV, we have an exclusive interview with the Main Man himself—Jon Lee Brody—where he delves into his creative process and the various talent working in front of and behind the camera!
Fantinuum: Can you give us a bit of your background and a brief history of your production house?
Jon Lee Brody: I founded Iron Will a few years ago. I started it as a way to make content the way I wanted. It was at a time when access to camera gear was becoming easier. It started with a short film that got me a lot of notice and then grew from there. I then was able to implement a built-in post production model by partnering with Blacklist Digital (owned by my friend Tims Johnson) and pulling in other talented people in that world. Since Iron Will started, it’s grown into a full service production house that can take a project from conceptualization all the way to final delivery. And I look forward to what else we can do!
F: What guidelines, if any, were you working off of when you created these promos?
JLB: The most important thing to me was to make sure the tone would match that of the Arrowverse counterparts. But at the same time I wanted to make sure it had my thumbprint on it. This can go for any project. A lot of times the all-important question of “whats the tone” isn’t answered in prep. I always make sure to address that before I go any further. And then from there, my take on this was to go from a civilian perspective. Citizens of Star City, Central City, National City, Metropolis, etc. are just as affected by the actions of Supers and Metas so I wanted to play on that. And then it turned into what you saw.
F: Tell us about the overall production experience. What were the inspirations for the sets, the challenges, and how were the effects created?
JLB: Once I had the ideas in mind, the next part was getting my crew together and casting actors. Rio Magdaleno was my actor in the two Flash spots and the Supergirl spot, and Hannah Drake was my actress for the Arrow spot. Both are friends of mine and extremely talented.
With The Flash “Music Man” and Supergirl “A Friend” spots, the inspirations were drawn from 1978’s Superman: The Movie.
There’s a part in the film where Superman is stopping a burglar on the side of a skyscraper and there’s a shot of a man in his office while it’s happening behind him and he looks back and thinks and wonders if he really saw what he saw and he just goes “nah.” I always thought that was so funny and the “Music Man” spot seemed like a good spot to do it.
And with the Supergirl spot, in Superman, Lois first asks Superman who he is and he says “a friend,” and then later Lois gets a note from “A FRIEND” which makes her smile and then leads to her and Superman falling in love.
I wanted to shoot these all as “oners” too. Meaning, I didn’t want there to be too much coverage. I wanted it to feel like it was all unfolding for the viewers. So that may have been the biggest challenge, coordinating camera moves with the actors’ actions. But I also wanted to make sure the moment still felt authentic to my actors and not just have them try to nail a mark or time things right. It helps immensely that my camera op (“Movi” Mikey Gorczynski) and I always get on the same page when I’m explaining my vision. His superpower is legit being a total badass camera op/cinematographer. And also Rio and Hannah are such good actors that they can adapt to anything.
All of these were filmed at my studio. And the VFX were done in-house through my company and core team. Grover L. Richardson has been my Head of VFX for about 6 years now. We always have a good planning session before a single frame of footage is filmed. That way, I really know what I have to get and no time is wasted. Because of this workflow, all of these promos were finished with a one to two-day turnaround. It was important to me that these looked professional, but also that I could prove to myself I could crank these out very fast. Because in television, everything is needed yesterday.
One thing I love so much about the Arrowverse is they always find a way to make a nod to their predecessors. Whether it be casting an actor from past shows or making subtle references to past shows and films, they always find a way. I definitely wanted to incorporate that when I was making these.
F: We all know music and sound is the root and soul of most experiences. Can you tell us about the background music you used in the promos? Especially the one involving “Music Man.”
JLB: Well, for “Music Man,” I knew I wanted to use a fun music track. But this goes back to tone. It had to be a song that sounds like it would be played on an episode of The Flash. Lucky for me, my buddy and all-around badass musician Curtis Peoples had recently released his single “Castaways.” I felt like the song matched the tone of The Flash. I asked him if I could use the song for the promo and he said yes. The song itself is awesome and it’s a sweet bonus that it’s my friend’s song.
With the other Flash and Supergirl spots, I was sure to use Blake Neely’s brilliant score. That just puts it all together. If you listen closely to the Supergirl spot, I strategically used some sound design to tell a deeper story. When the promo starts, you can hear the sound of birds. Then, as Rio walks closer to his car, you hear the sound of a plane. And then, after he reads the note, we hear the music and up in the sky—it’s Supergirl! I call it a sound design Easter egg.
And with Arrow, this was a time for me to make it a little moody and give it almost a horror vibe. So I was really using some horror sound design and suspense build up. And then cap it off with the Blake Neely music.
F: Has The CW seen these yet? If so, what were their reactions?
JLB: Some of the creatives from directors to showrunners to actors have seen them and they had very nice things to say about them. The responses to them have been very kind and that’s something I really appreciate.
I did have a producer of one of the shows give me crap for not making one for Legends of Tomorrow [Laughs]. I really wanted to and had this elaborate idea. But without the proper VFX assets, I wouldn’t have been able to do justice to the Waverider. But I definitely will at some point! And I’d actually like to make a whole miniseries just about Gideon. Because she’s such a vital part of the show, yet people wouldn’t realize that until she was gone. Plus, Amy Louise Pemberton (voice of Gideon) is just amazing, so there’s that too!
F: Which of these promos are you the most proud of?
JLB: You know what. I love them all. I have an awesome core group of talented people I can call up and they’ll come in and totally just kill it. But something I am proud of is the fact that Rio and Hannah are two actors whom I feel are the real deal and I just want others to see it too.
They were actually able to be seen by people in the industry because of the power of the internet. And now people are taking notice of how awesome they are. And that’s something I’m hella proud of.
Hero! https://t.co/aXWPHQsojw
— DavidRapaportCasting (@RapaportCasting) September 26, 2018
Awesome!
— Beth Schwartz (@SchwartzApprovd) September 25, 2018
F: Any future projects in the DC arena?
JLB: You never know! But I did executive produce a film called Office Uprising that is available on Sony Crackle. And three of the main stars are Brenton Thwaites (Dick Grayson / Robin in the upcoming DC Universe Titans), Zachary Levi (Shazam!) and Alan Ritchson (Aquaman in Smallville, and Hawk in the upcoming DC Universe Titans) so I find that pretty cool. DC is always a part of my life and I’m always linked to it in some way shape or form.
F: What other projects will we be seeing from Iron Will?
JLB: I got a few fun things planned. I have a channel that I created with my good friend and producing partner Freddie Prinze, Jr., and another dear friend of mine, Clare Grant. It’s called GEGGHEAD. “GEGG” stands for Good Evening and Good Game. It’s really a forum of all things nerdtastic. The channel has grown quite a bit and we’ve got some fun announcements coming.
Freddie and I have a couple of other projects happening as well. And some other personal projects in the pipeline for me also. There’s always something going on with me [Laughs]. So keep your eyes and ears open. Some fun stuff coming!
More Interviews: Ralph Lister: Interview with the Voice of Hellsing‘s Walter Dornez
Make sure to catch The CW’s DC TV premieres starting October 2018. The following is the official schedule for their season premieres:
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
8:00 p.m. EST: The Flash
9:00 p.m. EST: Black Lightning
Sunday, October 14, 2018
8:00 p.m. EST: Supergirl
Monday, October 15, 2018
8:00 p.m. EST: Arrow
Monday, October 22, 2018
9:00 p.m. EST: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
Jon Lee Brody is an actor, director, writer, and producer based in Los Angeles. His acting resume includes various blockbuster films—The Dark Knight (2008), Eagle Eye (2008), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), and Furious 7 (2015). Jon has also appeared in numerous hit television shows which include CSI: NY, Leverage, Modern Family, and Hollow Walls.
As a producer, director and writer, Jon created the online series Nerd Talk, and is developing Police Cops. He has produced Savage Dog (2017), Affairs of State (2018), and Office Uprising (2018). His other upcoming projects include Lucid (2018), Before Dawn Breaks (2018), Project Kandor (2017), and Co-Ed (TBD).
To learn more about him and his production company, you can visit his IMDB page and his website—www.TeamIronWill.com. You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter, @JonLeeBrody and Instagram, @JonLeeBrody, and subscribe to his channel, GEGGHEAD—a forum focused on nerd and geek culture which he runs with Freddie Prinze, Jr.
Rio Magdaleno is an Actor, Performer, Comedian and Improviser who was born in Los Angeles, CA and raised in Orange County, CA. He graduated from Garden Grove High School and studied theater at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, CA. Rio has been a performer all his life. From Choral performances, to talent shows, to full on theatrical productions, he definitely isn’t a stranger to the fine arts.
His acting credits include Rise of the Zombies (2012), G2: Heroes (Guardians of the Confluence 2) (2015), We’re Alive: Lockdown, Get Spy, and Moody Monologues: Friends, Romans, Countrymen (2017).
To learn more about him, you can visit his IMDB page. You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter, @Rio_Magdaleno, and Instagram, @Rio_Estevean.
Hannah Drake was born in Annapolis, Maryland and from there moved to Lexington, Kentucky, and Stow, Ohio, finally ending up at college in Muncie, Indiana. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts, specifically Acting, from Ball State University, and currently living out the next chapter of her story in Los Angeles, California.
Hannah’s resume includes both commercial and theatrical credits. For commercials and ads, she’s worked with SmartyPants, 5-Hour Energy, Virgin Mobile, Wrangler Jeans, JC Penney, Weinerschnitzel, and Hotwire.com. Her theatrical credits include OCS: The Office of Contingency of Strategies, Chess, The Butterfly Girl, and #OfficialLABabes.
To learn more about her, you can visit her website at www.HannahEDrake.com. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, @Drake_HannahE, and Instagram, @HannahEDrake.
Curtis Peoples is a pop artist and singer/songwriter with a defined understanding of how to create dynamic yet radio friendly music that fans of both rock and pop can enjoy equally.
Curtis’ self titled first album was produced by Marshall Altman (Matt Nathanson, Kate Voegele, Marc Broussard) and featured songs co-written by Curtis and writers such as Ryan Tedder, Tyler Hilton, and Vic Fuentes. The album was released through Galtline label in partnership with The Control Group and Warner Music Group.
Curtis released his second album “The Fight”, which was produced by Steven Solomon (James Arthur “Say You Won’t Let Go”) and busbee (Pink, Marren Morris, Florida Georgia Line, Jon Bellion) and featured songs co-written by busbee , Nathan Chapman, Marshall Altman , Vic Fuentes and Steven Solomon. To promote the album he was featured and performed on NBC’s “Last Call With Carson Daly”. Curtis received 4 LA Music Critic Nominations for his album “The Fight”, of which the song “Afraid” from the album won 2 of. “Afraid” was also featured on MTV’s “Finding Carter”.
Curtis also has found success as a songwriter for other artists. He co-wrote the Gold Certified single “King For A Day” for Fearless Records act Pierce The Veil. The album debuted at number 10 on the Billboard charts in the summer of 2012. He worked on Third Eye Blind’s new album “Dopamine”that was released summer of 2015 and debuted #13 on Billboard. He also co-wrote the Pierce The Veil singles “Circles” (top 40 at Alternative Rock Radio) and “The Divine Zero” from their new album Misadventures which debuted #4 on the Billboard Charts May of 2016. “The Divine Zero” and “Circles” were nominated in back to back years for Best Song at the Alternative Press Awards and the album Misadventures won Album of The Year. Curtis contributed to Third Eye Blind’s EP “We Are Drugs” released October 2016. He most recently co-wrote the singles “Atlantic” and “Forever Yours” from Fearless Records’ band Grayscale released April 2017. He continues to work with new and established artists in a variety of genres, including recent releases by TRACES, Megan Davies, I The Mighty, Movements, Picturesque, among others.
Curtis’ new EP “Five-Nine” released fall 2017.
To learn more about him, you can visit his website at www.CurtisPeoples.com. You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter, @CurtisPeoples, and Instagram, @CurtisPeoples.
These are just super ! I love them! The inclusion of Neely’s Supergirl theme in the Supergirl one made me so happy — I’m hoping they bring that theme back in S4 after phasing it out when Supergirl was in a dark place in S3! I’m totally with Jon about how amazing a job DC does paying homage to its history! I love all the Easter eggs and legacy castings!
Thanks for reading! Yes, we’re in total agreement! I very much miss Supergirl’s original heroic intro theme. It fires me up, especially with Melissa Benoist’s voiceover.