What would you do to bring someone back? How far would you go? Phasma Ex Machina explores the grey area between life and death and how science may be the bridge between the two. A young man named Cody, tasked with raising his younger brother James after the death of their parents, plunges himself into the murky science of the supernatural. Ignoring his responsibilities as a caretaker, Cody invents a machine he intends to be a conduit to the other side. In his pursuit to build the device he befriends an affable electrical engineer named Tom who has his own tale of love and loss. Cody eventually reaches an unintended level of success that not only threatens his safety, but also the well-being of James and Tom. He quickly learns that the supernatural isn’t all that super and human nature can even be worse.

Pronounced Phasma Eks Mah-kuh-nuh, it's latin for "Ghost from the Machine."

 Matt Osterman, Writer/Director
Matt has written and directed numerous short films, produced a documentary executive produced by Jon Stewart, written a handful of feature scripts, and worked on countless other independent films. His movies have played at festivals all over the country and has been lucky enough to work with Emmy and Academy Award winners. He’s had projects broadcast on SpikeTV and printed in National Geographic Magazine. Phasma Ex Machina will be his feature film directorial debut.

 

 

Jennifer Kramer, Producer
Jennifer comes from a documentary film background and has produced corporate, commercial and independent films. Her work ranges from documenting the Inupiat Eskimo in remote regions of Alaska for the National Park Service to producing an independent narrative film aired on Bravo. She is also a Photojournalist and her recent show, Hurricane Katrina: Through the Eyes of a Relief Worker, has been exhibited at local galleries, colleges and universities.

 

 

 

Jon Thomas – Co-Producer/Title Designer
Jon Thomas has worked as a designer and filmmaker for the past ten years. He is Founder and Creative Director of Studio Collective, Inc a motion graphic and new media design company. While employed at Big Fim Design! NYC, Jon worked on notable projects such as Robert Altman’s The Company, Prey for Rock N Roll, Analyze That, Max and Grace, and Chicago. Jon’s work on the main title sequence for Joel & Ethan Coen’s Intolerable Cruelty earned him a 2004 Art Director’s Club, Silver Award. He also was a title designer for the HBO mini-series Angels in America which received an Emmy nomination for Title Design.

 

 

Adam Honzl – Director of Photography
Adam, a graduate of the prestigious American Film Institute in Los Angeles, holds an MFA in Cinematography from AFI as well as a BS in Cinema Production from Ithaca College. His AFI Thesis film, “Wilbur” recently won the Showtime Latin Filmmakers’ Contest (for director Dago Rodriguez) and a subsequent grant to make another film for Showtime. He also recently shot a short film with a grant from HBO, which will be making the rounds in high profile festivals around the country. “Wilbur” will also be screening this April in the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival. He currently splits his time between LA and MN.

 

CAST
Cody - Sasha Andreev
James - Max Hauser
Tom - Matthew Feeney
Elizabeth - Katrina Hawley
Becca - Ellen Karsten
Jess - Emily Fradenburgh
Cutter - Ted Hall
CPS Agent Myers - Corey Walton
Mr. Kravitch - Bill Gorman
Mother Kravitch - Carol Vnuk
Mrs. Conlee - Laurie King
Principal - Mari Harris
Police Officer - Daniel Sjerven
Science Teacher - Jim Westcott
Cody & James' Father - Gary David Keast
Cody & James' Mother - Lynette Biunno
Man in Cemetery - Gene Bassett
Little Girl - Michelle Bergh

Executive Producers - Sigrid Tornquist, Christine Zonneveld, Bob Griffin, Mick Spence
Associate Producers - Margaret Shryer, Davis Shryer, Laurie King
Co-Producer - Jon Maichel Thomas
Production Designer - Xris Frank
Set Decorator - Thomas Brighton
Production Manager - Ben van Saten
Supervising Sound Editor - Darin Heinis
Sound Design - Benjamin Allison, Jonathan Mohs
Original Music by - Wojciech Golczewski
Music Editor - Chris Harrington
Director of Photography - Adam Honzl

Casting by - Walden Entertainment: Matthew Feeney
Camera Operator - Adam Honzl
First Assistant Camera - Andrew Melby
Second A.C. & Digital Asset Manager - Kerry Armbruster
Production Sound Mixer - Benjamin Allison
Boom Operator - Jonathan Mohs
Gaffer - Ryan Thompson
Best Boy - Ben Hippely
Grips - Andy Heck, Stephen Kane, Silas Kindy
Editor - Matt Osterman
Still Photographer - Jennifer Kramer
Graphic Designer - Matthew Larson
Post-Production Sound by - Aaron Stokes
Sound Mixer - Darin Heinis
Sound Editing & Recording by - Seamlessound
Sound Editor - Benjamin Allison
Sound Designer - Jonathan Mohs
Foley Artist - David Justin Cook
Production Assistants - Dane Whitehead, Brooke Lemke, Dhruv Hemmady
Wardrobe - Julie Scott
Property Master - Thomas Brighton
Color by - Crash + Sues
Color Timer - Sue Lasko
Smoke Artist - Matt Anderson
Color Producer - Amanda burgland
Titles & VFX Supervision by - Studio Collective
Title Designer - Jon Maichel Thomas
Designer - Alyssa Thomas
Digital Artist - Kevin Wideman
VFX Support by - Hybrid Medical Animation
Digital Artist - John Franz-Wichlacz
Print Design by - They-Design
Designer - Clinton Lugert
Project Manager - Lee VanLith
Sign Prop by - MNFX: Gordon Smuder, Mike Falcone, David Wieberg
Camera Equipment by - Media Craft, Cinequipt
Grip & Lighting Equipment by - Cinequipt
Meals & Catering Provided by - East Lake Liquors, Noodles & Company , Famous Dave's, Christos Greek Restaurant, Jimmy John's, Davanni's, Nutrisoda, Broadway Pizza, The Backstreet Grill
Legal Services Provided by - The Spence Law Firm
Music Supervisor - Mick Spence, Pervasive Publishing
Locations Provided by - Beth Robinson, Christine Maginnis, Beth Wischman, Dotronix, AX-Man Surplus Store, Lakewood Cemetary, Gary, Carissa, and Madison McCartan

Sigrid Tornquist
Bob Griffin
Margaret & Davis Shryer
Jim & Nancy Westcott
Minerva Osterman
Kathy & Norm Mesun
Molly Murphy
Christine Zonneveld
Laurie King
Jean & Loren Kramer-Johnson
Peggy & Steve Osterman
Norm & Mary Peterson
Gary,Carissa,& Madison McCartan
Stan Donnelly

Matt and Maggie Larson
Laura & Thomas Bakk
Lisa & John Robinson
Thom Sandberg
Steven Kramer
Faith and Dan Sullivan
Jacqueline Klehr-Antar
Jason DeAvalon
Andy Siegel
Katie Stone
Nancy McRae
Central WI Electric Cooperative
Chad Trent
Andrew Hunt
Joel Lebewitz
Alyssa Thomas
Andrew Kotila
Glenn Wisser
MN Paranormal Investigators Group
Ken & Pat Scholz
Sarah Osterman
Tom Riggle
Kevin Obsatz
Jason Wallace
Scott Ferril
Steve Speers
IFP Minnesota
Josh & Sarah Maslowski
Michelle & Robert Landis
Chris Harrington & Annie Gemmell
Kerry O’Brien
Travis Olson
Thomas & Elizabeth Boyle
Leonard Kelley Lindquist
Beth Ryan
Michael Sward
Carter Averbeck
Leah Young
Pui Heper
TJ Estabrook
Billie Eisle
Elliot Diviney
Jeff Olson
Mark Phelps
Scott Mullen
Artspace Projects, Inc
Claudia Kaul
Jeri Kaplan
Pamela Donahue
Iris Wade
Paul Irmiter
Darin Hawley
Claire Denzler
Iris Wade
MN Film Board