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Director, Actress, Special Effects Artist, Producer, Manager - Gigi "Fast Elk" Bannister (formerly Porter) has been in the film industry for over 35 years. "Discovered" while working in a diner in Texas, Gigi started her entertainment career as an in-house model in the '70s contracted to Dale Blanc' & Associates. Her diverse background includes actress, makeup artist, special effects artist, agent, manager, writer, director and producer for stage, film, television and live events. In 2012, after working in the industry since the age of 14, Gigi decided to return to school (Riverside City College) in pursuit of a degree with the desire to teach others what she has learned in the real world of film making. While there, she has worked on several student projects and has just completed a student film entitled, The Intruders, which is a reboot of the Twilight Zone: Invaders (1961) with a twist ending unique to her style.
"The Intruders" (a 10 minute B&W short shot with a Panasonic 4K in 1080 format) stars Gigi as a widow in a remote mountain cabin who is faced with Intruders from outer space in the form of a flying saucer and robots. When she bests them the Bannister retreats to the comfort of her home only to awaken in her bedroom to strange sounds! Was it all a terrible dream?!? She realizes it is actually her worst nightmare! The narrator is her husband, Reggie Bannister (Phantasm I-V, Bloody Bloody Bible Camp), and Ken Cress as the voice of the Ship Captain. Director of Photography is Michael Bates (Bloody Bloody Bible Camp) and many, many fellow Riverside City College film students as well as locals to the mountain community where the project was shot.
Better known for her practical special effects and production work, Gigi is comfortable on both sides of the camera. She's appeared in over a dozen films and television shows, is a popular guest at horror conventions, film festivals, workshops and seminars. Gigi is also credited as a producer, production manager, location scout, film liaison her most recent project was with her husband as a Producer on Don Coscarelli and David Hartman's "Phantasm V: Ravager" (2016) and Steve King's "One For the Road" (2011) (Night Shift Anthology). As a character actor, she's appeared as the tormenting Mother Mary in "Bloody Bloody Bible Camp" (2011), the enchanting Bearded Lady in "Carnies" (2009), a hygienic Trailer Gal in "Small Town Saturday Night" (2009) (with Chris Pine, John Hawkes, Reggie Bannister, and Perry Anzilotti), and again in Don Coscarelli's "Bubba Ho-Tep" (2002) (Bruce Campbell, Reggie Bannister and Ozzie Davis), The Sheriff's Wife in "Spring Break Massacre" (2008) (Reggie Bannister), and many more. In another Coscarelli production, of the 14 positions she worked, Gigi was credited as Special Effects Makeup Coordinator for Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998). She has produced and directed on numerous projects including dozens of live events, fund raisers and seminars, six (6) independent feature films, and six (6) shows for television. Gigi has made a unique mark for herself in writing, directing and producing political music videos. Her first, was a Native American music video, "Love That's Gone" (1997), protesting the ongoing Yellowstone National Park buffalo slaughter. Her next was "Land of the Free" (2001) showing the necessity for park land in Long Beach, California. She co-wrote and produced "Baby That's Not Right" (2007) based on husband, Reggie Bannister's, original music.
Her talent for writing was realized early in life. She's a Golden Poet recipient, has completed a children's story, "The Adventurous Mr. Tiggy," and has a Native American Horror script in the works. When she submitted her original short script, "Miracle,"(a Native American film about the birth of a white Buffalo at Christmas) to both the AFI Director's Workshop for Women (making it to final cuts) and Lake Arrowhead Film Festival, she received the following review: "I loved it! I think this can be expanded to at least an hour's worth of film and would, obviously, make a great holiday TV film... The voices ... were genuine and believable... I believe you have the makings of a wonderful classic! Congratulations!" (Lauren Stone) After producing and hosting a chat show for decades ("Nightmarez Café" as Vampi the Vegetarian Vampire"), she now often produces for public service announcements, "Every 15 Minutes" (high school Anti-Drunk Driving Program), Battlefield Effects, and Mass Casualty/Moulage Makeup. She is her husband's personal manager for his music and film careers. Her pet projects include community service, Haunted Houses and Free Film Camps for youths in her mountain community through her non-profit, the Crestline Creative Arts Foundation.
Production Magic Inc PO Box 3287, Crestline CA 92325, productionmagic@msn.com
