QUANTUM STORM .357 ISSUE 26 FOR NOVEMBER IS RELEASED!

 QSE .357 ISSUE 26 dtd 11/1/2023

58 Pages

ON THE COVER - Aria Nile, Actress.
Photo by D. R. Quintana.

MAIN ARTICLES

ISCANDAR Set To Launch - The word is out and Star Trek fans are awestruck as ISCANDAR delivers with a short episode. An extensive re-write, changes in casting, & a plethora of set locations; made the right chemistry to produce & release this juggernaut that could change the indie film scene formats in Houston, Texas forever.

 Meet the ISCANDAR Cast - Keeping the cast small, the studio releases bios on the main actors of the series. See behind the scenes photos & checkout some of the darkest locations in the series.

The Q108.1 Internet Radio Show - Now marking it's 10th year in syndication, the internet radio show is being advertised internationally on various streaming hubs. Take a look at how the show is produced by two crafty individuals with an art for natural satire.

SPECIAL NOTE! - The series "inside look" preview has surpassed 18,000 views since it's early release on October 30th. There are ton of questions being received by the studio concerning the actress presented in the video short [Aria Nile], the design of the new star ship for the series which has been identified as a PATHFINDER Class star ship from Star Trek Online [STO], and the new video format which was used to film the episode. Most of the answers to these question can be found in this months issue of the QSE.357 E-Mag which is available through subscription ONLY!  

YOU MUST BE A SUBSCRIBER TO VIEW THE FULL CONTENTS THIS NEW 2023 ISSUE OF THE QUANTUM STORM .357 E-MAGAZINE AND FOLLOW THIS BLOG

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THE QUANTUM STORM .357 E-MAGAZINE ISSUE 12 IS RELEASED!

 

THE LONG WAIT IS ALMOST OVER! THIS ISSUE WILL TAKE YOU ON A JOURNEY THAT HAS TAKEN EIGHT YEARS TO COMPLETE. WITH SEVERAL RECASTS, OVER NINE LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT TEXAS AND AT LEAST FOUR DIFFERENT PLOT LINES IN ONE SEASON, "ISCANDAR" IS JUST ABOUT READY TO LAUNCH.

 

YOU MUST BE A SUBSCRIBER TO VIEW THIS NEW ISSUE OF THE QUANTUM STORM .357 E-MAGAZINE AND FOLLOW THIS BLOG

 We received BIG viewing numbers on the release of this new issue. Thank you all!

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ZARA MAJIDPOUR IS NO STRANGER TO WORKING IN FILMS...

Houston, TX - Over a year ago in May of 2019, was the first time I actually saw a photo of Zara Majidpour cross over the screen on my laptop. She was being featured as an actress in a Houston based Indie film that was under scrutiny for having a first time film director claim to head a film project and future series that was going to be picked up by NETFLIX for a cool $30 Million. 

Of course, that project never really took off and by August of that same year, I contacted Majidpour and asked her if she was interested in working on action films. Don't think that she just jumped on my project ideas "just like that!" - no, she asked the right questions, proved that she was a certified SAG actor, and wanted to see some of my past work to prove that I was serious about my offer. It took only a few weeks for her to look over my work and do a background check; something that I always recommend actors to do when they are approached about working on any film project. When she did agree to work with our studio, she first wanted a one on one meeting, the outlines for a few of the scripts that might be dropped onto her later, a guarantee of pay and IMDB credit, and after that, we were off planning her acting career with our new studio.

Several scripts were dropped on her lap and she was more than interested in two projects that I had put on hold for over two years; BIONICA and the ANGELIKA5 Movie. Both projects had intense action scene requirements and great parts for anyone who had extensive training in hand to hand combat and small arms weaponry. Her liking of those scripted projects immediately became an obsession and she was calling, texting, and emailing me over start dates and training requirements. Majidpour made it clear that she was in 100% and that she was more than ready; she was physically fit, mentally sound, and had the determination to be committed until we produced the project to the exact details of each script. But her deal to work with the studio had a side project that needed a lead, so she agreed to take the leading role in MINOTAUR, as Admiral Tera Escher, that was initially listed as an "all volunteer" project. She began her studies as a senior Naval Officer to begin her transition into becoming a bonafide Sci-Fi leader.

A few months later, we were making a trip together to San Antonio, Texas, so she could meet the team on the set of HAVOC 114. She was totally excited and really wanted to make an impression on not only the cast and crew, but the executive producer who was also going to be on the set. In short order, she made her impression and was ready to call it a night, not knowing that a lot of strange things had happened during the early hours while she was in her hotel room sleeping those same hours away for a morning shoot. 

Unbeknown to this action oriented actress, the movie production she came to see on set was starting to fall apart and some things were already being set in motion to cast her as the leading actress in the film that was already in production. We had now switched production efforts to a start on MINOTAUR and I was feeling pretty impressed with Majidpour's performance on set as the blue haired leader of that particular Sci-Fi project. There was a confidence on the set on MINOTAUR that wasn't being felt during the early second day of production on HAVOC 114, and I was wanting that same energy on all of the studio projects we had panned to produce back in January.

During our three hour drive back to Houston, we had plenty of time to talk about what had happened on the set earlier that same morning and where we would be going with our direction on MINOTAUR. Some of the top level strength's that Majidpour had on the set that morning was that she followed direction like a pro, never questioned the actions or the dialog in the script, and she was out to impress no one but the director. I will admit that the long drive back was a turning point [in my mind] considering my options of going back to the directors chair instead of leading the project teams as a producer. By the time we had arrived to Majidpour's home, my mind was set up and I had to make a long call to my executive producer and make some changes to get the production back on track.

Already three days behind schedule on HAVOC 114 and I was embarking on the track of taking the reigns as director. I called Majidpour, telling her my decision to bring her in as lead and catch up with the production schedule. She literally took the script from my hand and began to study it and prepare for her part as the leading actress; she asked the right questions and learned how to use profanity "the American way" as she is Persian and very rarely uses profanity in her own life. At this point, she was beginning to work on two separate and different studio projects, side by side. She did so without any complaint, but she demanded that the cast train with her via zoom and prepare in a professional format; and so it was done.

From that point on, the production efforts to our current studio projects have remained ahead of schedule and delivered for editing with professional prowess. We've begun to see the weak points in a lot of the decisions we made in the casting department, adjusting roles to match the wit and structure to ensure the best quality of production for all of our future viewers. Majidpour can have an intense aura about her on set that tends to intimidate the cast and crew from time to time, but she is one to take her role serious at all levels. She's proven on the MINOTAUR project that she is ready both in character and able to memorize the extensive dialog for the sci-fi series, which required learning techno-jargon at the highest level. In HAVOC 114, she's proven that she can be both a well-centered dramatic and action star; she's definitely had fun pounding and slicing up zombies over the course of the production.

Majidpour's softer and sexier side has flourished in her modeling, when she's made time for photo shoots. Sometimes the shoots are simple, others are extreme and filled with raw energy and excitement. This is part of her high caliber attributes to do things the right way; to perform, promote, present, and when she's done, start it all over again. As I speak [or type], she is mentally and physically preparing herself for the role of Bianca Wolfe for next years release of the ANGELIKA5 Movie, and even more recent than that, she's already penciled in for a role in PIECES OF EIGHT, a series that will begin pre-production efforts in October. Her recent performances demand attention and respect; our cast and crew will tell you that her intensity is very captivating.

If you are able to land this actress in your project[s], you will surely be lucky to have a talented and well spoken actress that takes the craft seriously from beginning to end. She's fun, exciting, and filled with many breathtaking surprises when she's required to do the unthinkable. What I like best about her, is that Majidpour is a solid team player that gets along with everyone, by seeing the value of a project and the imagination to step down and just have fun in front of the camera. In the end, she is a serious person who knows that serious projects require the right temperament for the job. I will give you one warning though, just because she's grinning over something you might say about her performance doesn't mean that she thinks your being cute or funny...she's knows that you're just underestimating her innate ability to kick your ass at a later time!

See Zara Majidpour on our NEW movie trailer for HAVOC 114!

Ride easy, my friends!

Written by D. R. Quintana, producer/director

SCIFI SERIES "ISCANDAR" OFF TO A GREAT START!

Houston, TX - Since production started at the beginning of the year, the ISCANDAR series has started to take a life of it's own, each week the studio sets out to shoot new scenes for the 9 part first season of Aegis Films' new addition to it's studio name. Created and directed by D. R. Quintana, an independent film producer with quite a history of developing and producing extensive SyFy feature films and web series, this long awaited gem of a project has been in several long phases of development with at least four to five recasts in the acting department, and that is just in the last three years.

The hardest part in casting the roles in this series has been the lack of finding actors who can sell portraying military-style officers, keeping in shape, and also being able to deliver the techno-garble of dialog that always accompanies a good SyFy series. Over the course of eighteen months, the studio finally landed just the leading actress for headlining the series; after that, the director will tell you that the supporting actors fell into place in a much-much shorter time.

"For a long time, we wrote scripts and scrapped them," says Quintana. "We spent weeks trying to redefine the series to keep it at an arms length of anything ever seen or heard from in other web series or Sci-Fi shows. All of this was happening at the same time Paramount and CBS were breathing down the necks of other fan productions for Star Trek fan films, limiting them on what could be produced, with time constraints, property usage, and just adding logos, titles, and music for productions created by their own fans. I didn't want any of my original ideas to be wrapped up in some format bullshit that would require to lose all rights to my original work; just so it would wind up in control of a few assholes that are having problems coming up with good entertainment on their own."

So for many years, the ideas, plots, & storylines within ISCANDAR has remained secret to only a few people in the production team. It's only been in the last five months that the studio has released photos of crew uniforms and ship's concept designs for fans to preview on the projects Facebook page. And to the surprise of Star Trek fans who were expecting another fan production, they witnessed a different looking format of production, something more professional and distant from many of the other fan productions in known Star Trek fandom circles.

 

To begin with, the studio had to bargain on the development and design of a new ship with qualities, some technologies, and propulsion systems with a well known CGI gaming programmer in Croatia, by the name of Alex Meshu, to help create the drop ship, ASV ISKANDAR which will make it's debute before the ASV MINOTAUR is ever seen by viewers.

"We wanted an organic feel to the first ship seen by the viewers of the series," says Quintana. "The ship is manned with a small crew, but is highly maneuverable and packs quite a punch in battle. But this series is more about science than it is about space battles and constantly encountering an unknown enemies time and time again. As in real Navy vessels, this smaller ship is meant to be a gentle reminder that something bigger is out there, ready to make it's appearance when things tend to get out of control."

Some interesting incoming emails and notes about the cast has seemed to draw the attention of other SyFy film producers looking to break away from conventional casting for their film productions. The studio has presented female characters thus far who are in fantastic shape, wear their uniforms professionally and also bring a sexiness to the photos released on Facebook and other venues. Off camera, the actresses seem to always be in the best of spirits and there seems to be good camaraderie between the cast and crew; something that the series creator and director demands from his team during production.

"For the series, I wanted the crew to seem like they've been working together for many years," continues Quintana. "Building a good team through some detailed and intensive character development has made way for the cast to understand the parables between their characters on how they have to deal with the duality of being a scientist and a potential deep space warriors."

On and off set communication is the key to the success of any project which requires character actors to portray lone time friendships. The cast of ISCANDAR had done a magnificent job in creating an atmosphere of "military-style respect" between the ranks of of the crew; more-so leading credence to senior officers like, Admiral Tera Escher, prescribing the upmost maturity and military bearing through her entire performance, something that most of the cast and crew make comment on each time Zara Majidpour steps up on the set to shoot her part as the mission commander. The Captain of the series will be played by Dru Rovito, taking the part of Captain Jadrian Quest, a character that will tie-in the timeline between ISCANDAR and the ST-BEYOND series that was launched in April of 2006. It has been said on more than one occasion that the two actresses are very excited to be working together on this series

Quintana added that with the addition of Saira Ramos [as CDR Ka'Jol] into the project has presented some unforeseen grit that wasn't expected during the initial phases of the series screenplay. During the principle shoot of the first episode in Marfa, Texas, the director noticed that her performance far exceeded what was expected from her. Ramos is best known in the studio circles for her work in the Secret of Angelika5 Series that ran for five seasons from 2009-2013 and a recent episode of SPECTRE ZERO. Her part in ISCANDAR has been the perfect fit for a co-star to help launch the series in its debut sometime this fall as the moves to a streaming format.

"We honestly don't know what to expect when season one of the series is launched," added Quintana. "We guarantee solid story telling and some good science in the show. There will be some comedy and a taste of the darker things to come as the series progresses. We can guarantee that there is no "dark government" or an enemy that you can't see. All of the elements to develop a good series will be presented for all to see with a little mischief and mystery to solve along the way."

The studio says that the production to the series, even though it's gone through several stages of progression, produced over the course of seven years, and changed from one set of actors to another, claims that it has all been done on purpose to distance itself from other SyFy productions that have a tendency to mimic Star Trek or Star Wars fan film formats. But the studio admits that it will be up to the fans to decide where ISCANDAR is either just another "chance" film project that will eventually fail or an extension of an older idea that needed a little jump start to make its point.

***This blog entry was developed from studio Liner Notes and Director commentary by Beatrice Holland and Dillon Mason, Q Storm Production Assistant Writers.

2020 BEGINS WITH A STRONG LIST OF PROJECTS FOR THE STUDIO!

Already we've started 2020 with a BANG! as the studio released the first all LATIN based Novella [or soap opera] in Houston, Texas filmed entirely with Latin actors and produced entirely in Spanish and is entitled LA FUERZA; starring Maque Garcia, Omar Scanu, Dulce Garcia, Sonia Reyes, Huberto Villarreal, Selma Flores and many more of Houston's talented Latin actors and actresses. As this series continues to grow with the next passing chapters in a delicate story, we are sure that the Latin fan base will grow to an all new level, something we didn't expect so soon with the first installment of chapters; especially the 3500+ views and over 1750 shares that we've experienced so far since the launch of the series on the midnight of January 1st! 

The entire cast of Fuerza is excited with the reception of views, comments, and reviews the first segment of chapters has received in only the first day of its release. The plot concerns two Latino wives who are fighting for control of the Houston Cartel; which ends up with a deadly altercation between one wife and a hired Mexican hitman who is notorious for using a knife on his prey. The successful marketing to any project belongs to a driven person who believes in the project and aspires to bring in more numbers to view the show; and that honor goes to Sonia Reyes who has brought in a large number of fans from outside of Texas and Mexico to watch the series. You can expect this series to go to DVD/BlueRay in March with a subtitled version being released on Facebook in March.

Quantum Storm Pictures will also be filming ISCANDAR, a Star Trek-ish series set for a release in late October. The cast has been set and are awaiting their filming schedules as there has been a huge re-write in the series. Studio CEO, David Quintana, says that there is also a fourth project that will start filming in September, but he doesn't want to promote that film until the leading cast members are solidified. Iscandar already has a Facebook page that boast a little over 800 followers and there is interest in this SciFi series that stretches outside of the U.S., into Europe and other countries with other interested SciFi groups screaming for a chance to review the series.

Quintana says that the films are being produced for fun and that all of the projects are based on "volunteer/commitment"  contracts by actors who want to work on projects and not worry about the dollar aspect of their work until the projects make money through DVD/BlueRay sales. More information will be posted on the blog as production efforts begin on each project.

 

 J. Jazz
[Contributing Writer]