From Stage to Screen…
Chris and Sada each began their careers with undergraduate degrees in theatre. They met while working for a live event lighting production company in Portland, Oregon. Since then, they have each explored their own career paths, and now they find the skills they acquired separately make them an excellent team.
Film Lighting Programmer and Data System Technician
Member of IATSE Local 728 since 2015 and Local 488 since 2006
Born in Perth, Western Australia, Chris ‘Chalky’ Chalk developed a love for production lighting in high school. Starting from his first live theatre show at age 15, a production of ‘Cabaret’, Chris was hooked! He continued to study theatrical lighting in his formal education, completing an Advanced Diploma of Performing Arts (Lighting) from the W.A. Academy of Performing Art in 2000, which included an internship at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, OR. During this time and for several years after, Chris worked with production lighting in a variety of ways, developing skills as a programmer for live theatrical, concert, and corporate events, and as a systems and repair technician.
In 2003 Chris moved to the USA to take a position as a lighting technician at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He had the good luck in 2005 to stumble across a film shooting in Ashland, made some inquiries and found himself with an opportunity to explore the world of film lighting. He has been enthusiastically developing his career in film lighting ever since. He joined IATSE Local 488 in 2006 and worked in the PNW until joining Local 728 in 2015. Over the years he has worked on many series, feature, and commercial productions, notably including WandaVision (2021), Perry Mason (2020), and Twin Peaks (2017).
Chris’s background in theatrical lighting has given him a unique perspective on systems design and programming techniques, which he has utilized to inspire some creative solutions on set.
Check out his IMDB!
Whatever the Moment Requires
Sada is a multifaceted individual, with a broad range of experiences as her background, and a passion for creativity and collaboration that drives her forward.
Having completed her Bachelor of Arts at Pacific University in 2008, with a major in Technical Theatre (Lighting) and a minor in Dance Studies (Choreography), she went on to work in the live event lighting industry in Portland, OR. Following her degree, she spent several years working at a production lighting company where she was able to hone her entertainment drafting skills and production management skills.
Always interested in learning and fascinated by the ability of movement to heal the human body, she took a short detour, went back to school, and in 2020 completed the degrees of Doctor of Chiropractic and and Master of Sciences (Sport’s Medicine).
In order to balance her varied interests in life she now manages the needs of Chalk Cine Ctrl, Inc and teaches healthy yoga based movement practices. Sada has a diverse set of responsibilities at Chalk Cine Ctrl, Inc. She is the CEO, CFO, sales representative, purchasing agent, social media and website manager, strategic planner, and during filming for Chalky’s shorts she also switches to be the co-director, DP, camera operator, and script supervisor, and in post she edits all the stills and videos. Some times she also naps with the dog.