Renée Bergan - Producer, Director, Editor

Paul Soldner: Playing With Fire is award winning Producer/Director, RENEE BERGAN’s, second feature documentary. She received her degree in film from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1993 and studied cinema in Paris, France in the year 1989. While attending UCSB, Renée received a Corwin Award for her short documentary, Persistent Discretion, a 16mm film about domestic violence. She also received Best Cinematography for her work on a fictional short, Girl in the Window, in 1992. Sadaa E Zan (Voices of Women), a documentary about Afghan women, received the Social Justice Award for Best Documentary at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2003, as well as the Audience Award and Best Director Award in the Documentary category of the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival, held in Los Angeles in the spring of 2004. Other works include: Urban Canvas, a documentary about three contemporary street painters and Fashion Slaves, a documentary about the garment industry.
www.renegadepix.net

Jessica Villines - Co-Producer, Writer

JESSICA VILLINES made her directorial debut with Plaster Caster -- an Award winning documentary about legendary artist and groupie Cynthia Plaster Caster, famous for plaster casting the penises of rock stars, including, most notoriously, Jimi Hendrix. In addition to her work as writer and co-producer on Paul Soldner: Playing with Fire, Jessica is also an award-winning screenwriter. Jessica is currently working as an executive researcher on the Court TV documentary series Trace Evidence: The Case Files of Dr. Henry Lee. She is also in production on her third film.
www.fragmentfilms.com

Luc G. Nicknair - Cinematography

LUC G. NICKNAIR began his career in 1980 at the BBC as a production assistant on such documentary series as Arena, Omnibus, Vikings and The History of Ireland. Luc then moved to Hollywood and worked as a camera assistant on such movies and TV series as Nightmare on Elm Street 2 & 5, LA Story, The Babe, Tap, The History of MGM, The Wonder Years, Rags to Riches, Predator 2, Demolition Man, Last Action Hero, The Addams Family, Ghosts, Daylight, Batman Forever and Executive Decision.

As a cinematographer, Luc’s experience is vast. He has shot close to 100 music videos for such artists as Jesse Powell, Norman Brown, Skeelo, Paperboy, Missy Elliot, The Temptations and Snoop Doggy Dog. He also filmed Tupac Shakur’s last music video for the group Makevelli, the night before he was murdered. His commercial credits as DP include Ducati, Nike and Domino's Pizza. Two narrative features he shot were released this year, the Korean American film Close Call, starring Jeff Fahey, and the film noir adventure film in Costa Rica, Tropix.

As a documentary cinematographer, Luc’s credits include House of the Imperial Assassins, Journey thru Hollywood and most recently Paul Soldner: Playing with Fire.

Hilary Stewart - Sound Recording

HILARY STEWART has been recording sound since 1997. Her work on documentary television and documentary feature film projects has taken her to the far corners of the world--over 25 countries. One of her most recent and notable works was on the award winning human rights documentary, Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion, which is currently in theatres across the US and Canada. Currently she is the location sound supervisor for a cable network series, based in Los Angeles. Hilary owns a Sony F900 and is embracing the future of HD projects!
www.homeplanetproductions.com

Chris Judge - Music Composer

Attracted by the sounds of the classical guitar through the recordings of Andres Segovia and John Williams, CHRIS JUDGE began playing the guitar at the age of eight. He attended the Real Conservatorio Superior de Madrid and graduated from U.C.S.B. with degrees in music and Spanish literature. After college, he studied for several years with jazz guitarist, Ted Greene, and returned to Spain on many occasions to further his knowledge of flamenco guitar styles with, among others, Gerardo Nunez. Chris has recorded three CDs for Sony Classical with the internationally acclaimed, Transylvanian Mountain Boys, under the leadership of Gilles Apap. Paul Soldner: Playing with Fire, is Chris’ first stab at film composing.

Paul Soldner

Paul, had no aspirations to become a ceramic artist, he considered himself a “hobbyist”, and decided in his youth, to pursue a medical career. However, during World War II, Paul's pre-med studies were interrupted with a call to serve in the Army as a medic, an experience that halted his ambitions of becoming a doctor. Like many men of his time who had experienced the horrors of war, upon his return to the United States, Paul wanted to do something different with his life; he decided to pursue an artistic career in the field of photography. He attained a Bachelor's degree in Art at Bluffton College, Illinois, and a Master's from the University of Colorado in Boulder. While in Colorado, Paul was introduced to Katie Horseman, a visiting ceramics instructor from Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland. It was this meeting that proved to be the impetus for his decision to become a potter and to study with Peter Voulkos at the Los Angeles County Art Institute, now known as Otis College of Art and Design.

The decision to study with Peter Voulkos was a most fortuitous opportunity. Because the dept. was brand new, Paul was Voulkos' first student. Together, they built the ceramic facility; wheels and kilns were invented and modified to suit their needs. This began a lifelong interest for Paul in mechanical ingenuity and innovations, which later became the precursor to a successful business venture, Soldner Pottery Equipment. Soon joined by a handful of other students: Billy Al Bengston, Michael Frimkess, John Mason, Mac McClain, Ken Price, Janice Roosevelt, Jerry Rothman, and Henry Takemoto, Voulkos led this group into unmarked territory - a ground-breaking period of ceramic making, where the freedom to create and experiment had no limitations.

In 1956, after graduation, Soldner was asked to stand in for the ceramics instructor at Scripps College in Claremont, California. Thirty-seven years later, Paul had succeeded in emulating his experience at Otis, having created a formidable center for ceramic arts at Scripps College. His "Zen-like” philosophy spilled into his classroom where, following his example, students felt free to explore. He introduced unorthodox methods of firing and post firing, pushed the limits of form and surface design, and, above all, adopted an attitude of acceptance when unexpected results ensued.

Soldner's works have been exhibited in all of the major cities of Europe and the United States, Canada, Latvia, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Australia. He is also the author of numerous articles and a book ("Kilns and Their Construction"), and the founder of the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado. He has given workshops all over the world and has influenced thousands and thousands of students, who have gone on to develop clay careers of their own.
www.paulsoldner.com