The Filmmakers: James D. Deck

JAMES D. DECK (Director/Co-Screenwriter), although making his directorial debut with "Ravager," has really been preparing to direct all his life. As a student at the University of Missouri he knew it; he just wasn't sure about how to get the job. So he proceeded to learn everything he could about the art of filmmaking.

Upon his graduation, Deck moved to California where he continued his filmmaking studies at UCLA and Los Angeles City College, when moved to San Francisco for the opportunity to work as an assistant director -- a move he describes as the greatest lesson of all: "As an A.D., you see all the mistakes."

Deck later went on to serve as First Assistant Director on numerous films, including McGinnis' "Caroline at Midnight" and "Last Gasp," which Isaacs produced and McGinnis directed under the toughest circumstances in Romania. Therefore, it was only natural for Deck to serve as first AD on 360 entertainment's debut production, "Within the Rock."

Isaacs and McGinnis were impressed with Deck's work on the picture. They were also aware that he had written a number of scripts on his own, a fact that led them to bring him the screenplay for a project they wanted to film as their second independent feature, "Ravager."

Deck was instantly drawn to the characters in Donald James Loperfido's original screenplay. "If characters work, everything else falls into place," he asserts. Still, he felt a rewrite was demanded, one that would bring the outer-space adventure back to earth -- give it added power, dimension and plausibility.

The producers were so impressed with the manner in which Deck had reshaped the script that they invited him to make his feature film debut directing it.

Of course, he agreed. As Deck said recently, "The chance to direct a film, especially one that reflects my own thinking, is the realization of a recurring dream I've been having all my life."

The Filmmakers: Adam Kane

ADAM KANE (Director of Photography) thought he would follow in his father's footsteps as a composer -- until he enrolled in NYU film school. Fascinated with the visual aspects of storytelling, he abandoned all musical aspirations and became totally immersed in cinematography.

Since those days, Kane, 29, has never looked back: He has completed no less than ten independent feature films since finishing his graduate studies at The American Film Institute in Los Angeles, including "Bitter Harvest," "Hail, Caesar," "Million to Juan," "Last Gasp" and "Within the Rock," the latter two, of course, for producer Stanley Isaacs.

Isaacs' choice of the youthful cinematographer as Director of Photography on "Ravager" is a testament to the work her performed on the filmmaker's previous films. "Adam's young, yet he's willing to listen," Isaacs explains. "He's also immensely creative -- a guy whose sensitivity and input enhances the overall 'look' of a picture to an amazing degree. I think he's going to have an enormous career."

Kane, who is admittedly a fan of suspense dramas, modestly attributes the outcome of a picture -- any picture -- to its story, the characters in it, and the situation in which they find themselves enmeshed. "Without those elements, you can light and shoot 'til doomsday and you still won't have a good picture."

The Filmmakers: John E. Nordstrom II

JOHN E. NORDSTROM II (Music), after a meteorically successful five-year career in network television and major name commercials, makes his theatrical film debut as a composer on 360 entertainment's "Ravager."

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Nordstrom graduated from the University of Southern California in 1991 with a BA degree in Recording Arts. It was a USC professor who recommended Nordstrom to compose the episodic music score for PBS's prestigious series "Storytime." The result was that the young graduate composed the music for 70 episodes of the highly acclaimed show. Fresh out of college, he was on his way.

A meeting with a Fox Broadcasting executive resulted in Nordstrom scoring two 30-second national commercials for the NFL, as well as the final four episodes of Spelling Entertainment's series "Models Inc." and the theme for Spelling's series "Robin's Hoods."

Since then, he has composed music for virtually all of Fox Broadcasting's network IDs; the weekly theme for the "Fox Thursday Night Movie," and the score for the studio's "Melrose Place" special. He also scored an episode of 20th Century Fox's hit series "The Simpsons," and the theme for the studio's "Behind the Scenes" shows. In 1996, he landed his first television movie assignment, composing the music for ABC's "Too Soon For Jeff."

His record industry projects include co-writing, performing (Nordstrom plays guitar, bass, drums and keyboard) and engineering the song "Midnight Sun" for Polygram recording artist Sovory. He also produced and engineered the debut album for the recently-formed Seattle-based rock group Surreal. To help launch the group's debut, he filmed and edited two videos.

In addition to the NFL commercials, Nordstrom has scored commercials for AT&T, McDonalds, Jenny Craig and the national spots for the NFL QB Club video game.

For "Ravager," Nordstrom is composing what he describes as a "dark, ethnic, tribal sound, yet one which retains a contemporary orchestral theme." To accomplish this, he will employ a dozen vocalists to provide chants and wails -- as well as a Middle Eastern reed instrument known as a Du-Duk to enhance the suspense drama's overall atmosphere.

Nordstrom lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Jennifer, and their daughter, Riley.