Falcyyr TV Series - Now Available on Vimeo!

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Actress Sinari Diliiza rides Douwe as Sandra cues him for the rear.

Actress Sinari Diliiza rides Douwe as Sandra cues him for the rear.

For the past two years I have been involved with a film project called Falcyyr, which is directed by Ahura Diliiza. I play Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, and Douwe is the special steed for the main actress Sinai Diliiza.

My character, Artemis, teaches the Falcyyr how to ride a horse in Episode #6, click here to watch. Both Douwe and Rovandio are used for this scene. It was fun to utilize my teaching skills and the horses behaved very well for the different actresses. 

You will also see the herd of horses from Isaac Royal Farm where the scenes were filmed. Many of the horses are Lipizzan or Andalusian crosses.

You can watch each separate episode of Falcyyr for $1 on Vimeo. You can also rent them all for $8 or download them for $12.

Check out Maine Today's article with Douwe as the featured photo:
Women rule in Maine-made fantasy ‘Falcyyr’

Falcyyr Film Update - See Sandra, Douwe, and Rovandio in the trailer video!

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It has been over a year since we did our last filming days for Falcyyr. This past year (2015) was spent editing the massive amounts of footage that director Ahura Z. Diliiza and his crew took. He has decided to create a tv series instead of a movie so that he can start showing the footage he already has. I have seen pieces of the first episode and the scenes with the horses look fantastic! You can see short snippets of us in this trailer video. I will have more updates soon! Please like the Falcyyr Facebook page to stay updated and show your support. Thanks!

Falcyyr Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/falcyyr/?fref=ts

Article in "the Friesian" Magazine- My Top 7 Training Struggles with my Friesian Horse Douwe

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I wrote this article for "the Friesian" magazine that is created by the Friesian Horse Association of North America (FHANA). They send out a quarterly magazine to their members and this was included in their January/February issue (2015). They were very gracious to let me share the article on my blog. I want to send out a big THANK YOU to the editor Laurie Bell for creating such a beautiful article layout with all the photos. This article is under copyright of FHANA and cannot be shared without their permission. There is a list of resources and links that I mention in the article located at the bottom of the post.

Please visit their website if you want more information about the Friesian Breed and their organization: http://www.fhana.com/

Included in this article:
Dr. Cook Bitless Bridle: http://www.bitlessbridle.com/
Falcyyr Film (Ahura Diliiza): https://www.facebook.com/falcyyr
Custom Tack Created by Lisa Oberman: http://elsuenoespanol.com/store/
Isaac Royal Academy of Equestrian Arts (Carolyn Rose): https://www.facebook.com/pages/Isaac-Royal-Training-Center-of-Classical-Dressage/321529202925
Heidi Herriot Trick Training: http://www.heidiherriott.com/
Lydia Rose Bellydance: https://www.facebook.com/LydiaRoseBellyDance?ref=br_tf
Custom Breeches Worn in Falcyyr made by Aanstadt-Das: https://www.facebook.com/aanstadtdasbreeches
Safe Haven Farm in Durham, ME: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Safe-Haven-Farm/272054486150539

Behind the Scenes on Falcyyr: Working in the Rain!

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As the winter weather approaches it is becoming more difficult to finish the scenes for the film. Ahura Diliiza, the director, needed a scene with my character Artemis and his character Thor. Both of our characters are training the Valkyrie in the film. It was a short scene that we did last Saturday but hard to do because of the weather. It was very cold and rainy. My costume is not exactly meant for cold weather either!!! After an entire day of preparation (makeup/hair starting at 10:30 in the morning) we only fit in about a half hour of filming before it was too dark and rainy outside. Such is the nature of filming!! Here are a few photos taken by Sinari Diliiza.

Keeping warm while they set up the camera for our scene. You can't see the rain but that is why they needed the umbrella. Photo credit: Unicovia Pictures

Thor yelling at the sky!!! Go away Rain!! It was pretty miserable outside. Photo credit: Unicovia Pictures

Progress through the scene, there is one part where I scold Thor and then make my Artemis crazy eyes. :) Photo credit: Unicovia Pictures

First Day Filiming with Horses for FALCYYR

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We finally had our first day of filming at Isaac Royal Farm for the independent film Falcyyr. This was the first time that the director, Ahura Z. Diliiza, his wife Sinari, and the other actors have visited with the horses. The first scene that he wanted to work on was having my character, Artemis, introduce the Falcyyr to the herd of horses. The weather was up and down all day and ended up being SOOOO cold and windy when we headed out to the pasture. Our teeth were chattering and our hands were freezing but the show must go on! :) We had a hard time getting the herd to come to us at first, even though they usually gallop over to anyone that calls them. It was one of those crazy weather days and the horses were a bit spooky and hyper. And it didn't help that we suddenly appeared at the top of the hill in funny costumes! But the horses had a lot of fun galloping around us and showing off for the camera. Eventually, they came right up over the hill and approached us perfectly, lining up so that there was one horse per person. The sun came through the clouds and created a magical setting. It couldn't have been planned more perfectly! The horses obviously knew what would look the best on camera! :) We will be filming scenes with Douwe and Rovandio in the coming weeks and hopefully finish filming before it gets too cold!! My costume isn't meant for freezing temperatures!

Make sure to like Falcyyr on Facebook to see more photos & updates:
https://www.facebook.com/falcyyr

Thank you to Aanstadt-Das for donating my gorgeous breeches for this film. Please visit their website to view their amazing selection of custom deerskin breeches.
http://www.aanstadtdasbreeches.com/

My character, Artemis, introduces the Falcyyr to the herd of horses. This is Shen, a Lipizzan/TB gelding taking the role as the herd leader.

My character, Artemis, introduces the Falcyyr to the herd of horses. This is Shen, a Lipizzan/TB gelding taking the role as the herd leader.

My character calling the horses to us. We were in the beautiful fields of Isaac Royal Farm where I keep my horse Douwe. The views are spectacular!

My character calling the horses to us. We were in the beautiful fields of Isaac Royal Farm where I keep my horse Douwe. The views are spectacular!

The weather was touch and go but the sunrays that came through the clouds were gorgeous!

The weather was touch and go but the sunrays that came through the clouds were gorgeous!

Filming us at the top of the field overlooking the herd of horses below. The clouds were so beautiful!

Filming us at the top of the field overlooking the herd of horses below. The clouds were so beautiful!

In the beginning the director, Ahura Diliiza, had us run to the top of the hill before we called over the horses.

In the beginning the director, Ahura Diliiza, had us run to the top of the hill before we called over the horses.

Filming Update for Falcyyr

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I have been traveling to Standish, ME for filming just about every week so far this summer. Each session we work on a new scene and recently that has included some night scenes. The director, Ahura Diliiza, created a scene where my character (Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt) leads an initiation and celebration for the four main characters. We all had to learn a Gaia chant in a made up language along with dance choreography. Ahura composed the music/chant and it has a great beat to dance to. It took about 3 weeks of practice to perfect it as a group. We had some issues with the weather and a thunderstorm forced us to work inside with a green screen on one occassion. Here are some beautiful photographs during practice and filming courtesy of Unicovia Pictures. We just finished our last night scene for now and will be moving onto the next portion involving the other characters Thor and Athena.

Join the Falcyyr Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/falcyyr

In between takes...we have a little too much fun! There will be plenty of footage for the blooper reel! Photo courtesy of Unicovia Pictures.

In between takes...we have a little too much fun! There will be plenty of footage for the blooper reel! Photo courtesy of Unicovia Pictures.

Kazi fixes my makeup between takes. Every once in awhile I rub my chin and the design smudges....ahhh! Photo courtesy of Unicovia Pictures.

Kazi fixes my makeup between takes. Every once in awhile I rub my chin and the design smudges....ahhh! Photo courtesy of Unicovia Pictures.

Kazi taught us the choreography for the Gaia chant, here she is leading the group. And yes she is wearing one of my tee shirt! :) Photo courtesy of Unicovia Pictures.

Kazi taught us the choreography for the Gaia chant, here she is leading the group. And yes she is wearing one of my tee shirt! :) Photo courtesy of Unicovia Pictures.

Action shot during the Gaia chant dance. Not a flattering pose but at least you can see that we were really moving! :) Photo courtesy of Unicovia Pictures.

Action shot during the Gaia chant dance. Not a flattering pose but at least you can see that we were really moving! :) Photo courtesy of Unicovia Pictures.