Hej, friends!
This has been a very quiet space lately and I have been thinking that maybe I should blog but, nah, not today, and then time did its thing and now here we are.
Anywhoooo. A while ago, almost two months or so, David and I went to the mountains to relax after shooting Annabelle 2. Plus, we celebrated 3 years as married around that time too so we thought it would be a perfect reason to just go away for a few days.
The drive there was supposed to take 2 hours but a huge fire started at the same time we left LA so we were stuck in traffic for a loooong time. It took us 6 hours to get there and we were very tired and hungry when we arrived at the cabin.

We were a bit scared though, because we could see the fire clearly from the balcony. What if we came here and had to evacuate in the middle of the night because the fire spread to us? We sat outside, wrapped in blankets, eating sandwiches, watching the flames, and checking all the news sites hoping we were safe.

In the morning the white smoke covered the mountains like cotton. It seemed like the fire weren't coming towards us but it was still going strong. We had breakfast infront of the view and decided to not do anything substantial all day. It was perfect.

I spent most hours of the day looking at the view. I shared a glass of wine with the evening sun.

And then when the sun was setting it became clear that the fire had not gone away.

This mirror was luring me all weekend. I have SO many photos of that mirror.

We went to the mountains last year too, after shooting Lights Out, and it feels like this is going to turn into a tradition. The fresh air and pine trees make us so happy. I think it's because it reminds us about Sweden a little bit.
Anyways, look at this view. Just look at it. And breathe.

So scary. Yet so beautiful.

New day. David called his family and friends and picked bark off of a tree as he was talking. The things you do when you talk on the phone, right? Some people doodle, some strip a tree from its clothing.

I was taking photos of this strip of road surrounded by trees. I took at least four photos a day of this exact view. With my Nikon, with my phone AND with our polaroid. It's just something with the smooth shape and the colors.

David had been extremely busy for more than a month, so he had a lot to talk about with people back home.

One day we went on a mini adventure. I had read about a heart shaped rock that was supposed to be worth seeing. We didn't really care about the rock but thought it would be nice to see at least one of the local sites, get some fresh air and a walk.

David climbed a tree.

I was in Spooky Root Heaven.

I mean. Look at this!

So cool.

Nice of nature to create a step for us humans wanting to hike without killing ourselves.

And there it was! A heart shaped rock!

A couple was climbing around there and I tried to take sneaky photo of them to show the size of the heart. I didn't do a very good job, but you can at least see the top of the heart in the bottom of the photo.

We also found a beautiful glade that looked like it came straight out of Jurassic Park or something.

Right outside our cabin we had this beauty. Love how the roots seem to hold onto the rock like their life depended on it.

To come "home" to this view was something special. The cabin was situated in the tree tops.

We found a bunch of board games one evening and played backgammon. This is David's thinking pose.

New day again! This was our last whole day in the mountains.

That mirror again.

We had one last thing we wanted to during our stay in the mountains, and that was to have a sort of Anniversary Picnic with a view. When we first came to LA last year we didn't have any money so our favorite thing to do was to drive somewhere with a nice view and eat sandwiches. We call it Dinner with a view and it is lovely.
So, this day we packed some sandwiches and drove to a spot we had seen from the car the day before. We hoped we would be able to get to the view without trespassing or something, and we were in luck! We found a cliff that we climbed and right on the edge, on the very top of the rock, we sat down to have our Dinner with a view.

The view was spectacular!

All around us, breathtaking nature.

We had to sit close to not fall down the very steep mountain wall infront of us.

Dangling my feet.

It was so wonderful. And a bit scary, because we were really high up.

Look at this handsome devil!

One more, because Look At Him!

When the sun had set and it was starting to get dark we climbed down from the rock on the mountain and drove back to our cabin in the trees.

And then it was a new day again and we headed back to LA. But first I had to take a photo of some spooky roots.

I know this was a while ago now, but better late than never right?
My computer died (because I happened to get an entire glass of iced coffee in it...) and then the admin page for my blog went bananas, but now! MAYBE! I can get back to blogging once in a while.

Tjingeling!
/Lotta

Heeeeeej!

So time seems to have gone by?
I have been neglecting this space lately because it's been the most overwhelming time of my life, and sitting down and writing about it just felt WEIRD because I was in the middle of all of it and had to wait it out a little. You know what I mean? (You can ALWAYS find me on instagram though.)
I think this blog will have to be for more sporadic things. The big news or a random thought. These last couple of years I've felt bad for not blogging but I don't really feel that way anymore. So that feels good. This is my home base, that I will always come back to.

ANYWAYS! Here's what's been going on lately!

Lights Out had a sneak first screening at LA Film Festival in June. We really had no idea what to expect but there was a red carpet and a pre party and it was super glamorous. So it was a great rehearsal for the big premiere that was a month and a half away at that time.

We also had a screening at VidCon and it was AWESOME! More than 2000 teenagers screaming their heads off! It was magical, you guys!
I was overdressed, as always.

I went to my first ever Hollywood round table reading for a movie. Because I have a small part in Annabelle 2 that David is directing!
I actually didn't expect to get any part in it because there are not a lot of characters in the movie that would fit me, but there is one- and I got it! SO HAPPY!!!

We also took our usual evening strolls. Here's David up at the reservoir next to a huge Agave.

We kept furnishing and decorating our apartment. We bought a beautiful Jung Koch Quentell Pull down school chart that I've been drooling after for years.

We were invited to a super fancy party in Malibu. It was us and a a whole bunch of fancy people and celebrities. We are not really party animals, but there was AMAZING sushi (for free!), a beautiful ocean view and it was lots of fun people watching.

David started shooting Annabelle 2 on the Warner Bros studio lot and I got to roam around taking photos of cool set buildings.

And then I broke my rib. A week before the premiere. I just have the best luck.

People were so sweet and helpful, and I even got flowers from the Annabelle 2 crew and that made me so happy!

The weekend after was the Lights Out Press Junket. That was a crazy weekend. We did so many interviews, answering the same questions a million times over, and got to sign Lights Out posters (don't know what happened with them after).

Photo of a monitor with David taking a photo of us. So meta.

And then it was the 19th and the premiere for Lights Out.
I got my hair and makeup done by the amazing guiniushair and agostinamakeup. These two are just lovely!
You can see my mother in the background and the photo is taken by my dad. Because, yes! They came all the way from Sweden to share this experience with us!

Look! So glamorous! I thought "my first ever movie premiere- let's go full Old Hollywood Glam!"
The earrings are made by me, because OF COURSE!

LOVE this photo from the red (well, black) carpet!! My dad took it with his phone and I think it's the absolute best photo from the premiere. We're so cute! And look at all the photographers!
I think this was the peak of all the Craziness we've experienced during this entire adventure.

Here's another angle taken by our manager Jeremy (YES! I have representation now too! More on that later).

The dress is vintage and I bought it in Sweden two years ago. I have waited for the perfect occasion to wear it and when it became clear that Lights Out was about to become a movie I decided if there's a premiere I'm going to wear my red dress! It's just the most lovely dress.
The purse is from Cherry Pick Vintage and I actually gasped a little when I found it. It's pretty, weird and fun- all in one! That's what I call a PERFECT purse.

My parents were staying in LA for ten days so after the premiere I took it on myself to show them all the places I love in this strange and amazing city.
We went to Venice Canals.

And we saw the ocean (and I bought hat).

We went to the Bradbury building.

And the Getty museum.

There was a HUGE brush fire going on in the mountains outside LA wisping up sand into the air creating this mystical effect. The sun turned bright red and the entire sky was orange and post apocalyptic.

On my parent's last evening in LA I took them on a long walk up to the reservoir and over the hills.

After checking out the filmset one last time it was time for my parents to go back to Sweden. But first a photo!
It was so lovely having them here during this overwhelming and exciting experience. I am so happy they came here. Now they have seen all the places that mean a lot to me and they know how our place and neighborhood looks and they have shared a little bit of this adventure with us.

And last week our Swedish car got sent to its death. And you might wonder why that is important, but it just felt kind of significant. Bye Soggy, you were loved and we had so many adventures with you. Thank you!

We found a HUGE Lights Out poster to pose infront.

So, now we are on the other side of Lights Out. The movie is going FANTASTIC in theaters everywhere,and it just blows our minds that this even happened. Two years ago we were still in Sweden.

And then last Friday it premiered in Sweden. Getting messages and comments from friends, family and acquaintances has been the most overwhelming part of all of this. And it surprised me so much! I was not prepared for it! I think I thought some of my friends would go see it over the first week and some would not go see it at all because they don't like horror. But you know what? All of them went the first few days! My two best friends who HATE horror movies went the very first night! I was so emotional! And my highschool friends went yesterday and sent me a video of them chanting my name during the credits, waiting for my name to pop up in the list of actors. And when my name appeared they were just screaming! I have been watching that video at least forty times now, crying happy tears. You can see the clip here.

Oh, and about the representation I mentioned earlier! I now have managers and agents! I'm represented by Paradigm and Gotham Group so now this feels even more real for me. This actually led to so much more than just a one time crazy Hollywood experience. I'm believing in myself and I have people behind me, believing in me. This acting dream that I've had my entire life might actually take off!
Omg, I'm gonna start crying again soon if I don't stop.
It's emotional, you guys!

/Lotta

Hej!
On Sunday when David had to go to his office on the Warner Bros studio lot for a couple of hours, I decided to come with him and do some exploring of my own.
I ignored the blistering heat and took a whole bunch of self portraits that I wanted to show you.

White dress and sun hat playing their parts perfectly here.

I actually dressed for the occasion, sort of. I knew the white dress would look amazing as a contrast to the dark places I had in my mind (you'll see soon) but it surprised me how well it worked in this environment too. It has a real southern feel to it, doesn't it?

Oh, I just love the look of a falling apart greenhouse! The light! The colors! Yeah, this is a favorite.

I moved on to the dark alleyways in-between houses. Tried out the light and dark with some twirling in my white dress.

Found a brick wall to dance in front.

And imagined myself in a World War 1 movie drama.

"Hmmm... I wonder who stole Ms Mullin's motorcycle...I'm going to find out!"

Walked into a dark room and saw my own reflection in this mirror with the strange double effect (Looks like a double exposure, kind of. Or a photo taken with long exposure). Needless to say, I jumped a little in fear. Then I took photos of it, 'cause that's how I roll! Photograph what scares you!

Running (away from the Warner Bros tour bus).
They drove by every third minute or something. I stuck out so much in my white dress so I obviously got a lot of curious stares.

Ps: Love the floaty almost liquid looking feel to my dress here.

Then I found an old barn. Let me tell you: it was HOT in there.

Did a little double exposure edit to this one.

I use the app Edit.Lab for that. It's not perfect, but the best double exposure app I've found so far because it doesn't crop the photo to a square, and you can position the photos easier than in other apps. But like I said, it's not perfect. It is a bit buggy and you are quite limited in the blending. But it's still the best of the one's I've tried (Photoblend, InstantBlend and Edit.Lab).
And as usual, I'm using the self timer app Timer Cam and a small tripod from LOHA.

Anyways, that was all I had today. Really love taking these self portraits. It triggers my imagination so much!

/Lotta

Hi!
We just had one of the craziest weekends so far in this fantastic Lights Out adventure we're on. Let's have a look, shall we? If any of you said no, I'm not listening to you; I'm gonna show you anyway!

We were invited to Youtube space in New York to hold a master class there about our journey from youtube to Hollywood. Since David is super busy prepping for Annabelle 2 we couldn't even stay the night, so it was the quickest New York trip ever. We had 8 hours there before we had to go back, but it was the most amazing 8 hours so it was definitely worth it.

We took the plane from LA late Friday evening and arrived in New York on Saturday morning. They had booked us a hotel room so we had somewhere to relax when we got there, but all we had time for was to take a shower and change clothes. Then we walked across the street to Chelsea Market where Youtube has their studios. Popped into a Starbucks first- my coffee headache was getting crazy!

It took awhile to find Youtube Space because the elevator door was hidden in the deepest hallways of Chelsea Market. It felt a little bit like trying to find Platform 9 3/4 in Harry Potter.

They had built a set there inspired by the film set in the Lights Out feature. And then they had invited a few up-and-coming Youtubers to take part in making their own shorts in the Lights Out set. The youtubers will take inspiration from our short and the feature and make something that fit their channel.
Let's just stop here for a second and think about how crazy it is that the short that David and I made in our apartment in Gothenburg has led to this.
Okay. Let's move on.
Before the master class they wanted to show us the set, filming us at the same time to get our reactions.

Our reactions were like this. Happy and amazed.

Very very giggly.

If you've seen the trailer for Lights Out you'll notice how well they've captured the feel of each set. It was so weird to walk around there, because even though the things and the scale aren't the same it really did feel like we were on the Lights Out set. They did an amazing job recreating these rooms!

Fun with black light!

Here we are with Bettina and Bryan from Warner Bros Marketing.

Lurking around the mannequins.

After that it was time to get dolled up. As always we weren't prepared for this so I had already done my makeup, but since we were going to be on camera I could do with a little touching up.

Love this photo. I think it's funny that you can see David looking at the photo he took of me above here. So meta.

And then it was time! Here we are waiting in a little VIP area next to the stage while Bettina from Warner marketing presented us.

So Spooky!

It was so much fun! I love to do these things with David. It feels so good to be able to talk with people who are in the youtube business too because they get it. They understand what it takes and maybe we can give them something that helps them. We started on youtube and that's were our hearts are. This strange and amazing journey wouldn't have been possible without youtube and it's so important for us to be able to keep that part going. Just because we ended up in Hollywood doesn't mean we'll abandon youtube. The shorts we make are just as important to us as the feature films we will be making. The dream (and plan) is to combine the two, because it's not "either or" for us.

And here it seems like someone in the audience said something nice to us.

After that we went back to the Lights Out inspired set again to show it to the youtubers who are going to make their own shorts in there this week. I'll link to all of them when their videos are up, so stay tuned!

I think this is such a nice photo of me. Hair on fire!

David telling a story about when he filmed a scene in the room that looked like this in the feature.

Typical David gesture while being interviewed.

When we were done with everything at youtube space we all went to a restaurant for drinks and food. We had to take a few photos of us in New York as proof, since we were there such a short amount of time.

Here's everybody!

David wore his Lights Out t shirt. I was going to do that too, but it just didn't feel right. And sometimes you have to just go with that feeling!

Proof of kissing in New York!

I also had to take a photo of Chelsea Market. It's quite the crappy tourist photo but I'm including it anyways because: PROOF!

Our driver was already waiting for us when we got back.

The photographer loved my shoes and said he wanted to take a photo of them and naming it "Portrait of actress Lotta Losten" so the last thing we did before stepping into the car and saying bye bye to everybody was snapping this photo. I made my best to pose with my feet, haha.

And then we took the plane back to LA. We got home almost exactly 24 hours after we left.
And that was that crazy New York day!