Diary Of A Filmmaker: The Series

DIARY OF A FILMMAKER - Episode# 2001

2010-09-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to Episode# 2001 - "On the Set of the Film NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY" Video Diary 2001

http://vimeo.com/14849927

Second Season Begins!

2010-09-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

The Second Season of my online series DIARY OF A FILMMAKER has finally begun with the first episode (Episode #2001) spot lighting my work on the Blank Stage Production of the short film NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY, which is directed by Brent Brooks.

The film NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY is the story of a serial killer who uses the allure of acting auditions to bring in his victims. Some people are desperate to be a star not realizing that they're nothing more than lambs for the slaughter.

This epsiode is just one of several is the series depicting the video diary of the film but it's the start of the new season of which I hope to have 12 done before the end of the year.

MAN IN THE LAKE - Production Diary Day 7

2010-09-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

DAY 7:

On Day 7 of filming on the Southlan-Films Friday the 13th fan film The Man in the Lake we return to on-location filming at the property of Roland Force to not only film the death of actor Chris Whitley but to also do reshoots of the death of the Sheriff (played by Jim Adams), among other things. The most interesting thing about today’s filming are the reshoots.

Writer/director/editor Ron McLellen had already put together a rough edit of many of the scenes and soon discovered that there were sequences within the scene in which the Sheriff comes upon the domain of Jason Voorhees (of which we all know what happens when someone comes upon Jason’s home). He wanted to make the whole sequence longer and he wanted to elaborate on Jason’s “shack” through the eyes of the Sheriff who is the first person to come upon it. This being the first sequence filmed on the production, McLellen soon realized that the sequence was far too short and needed more suspense before the Sheriff died, so, since we had to return to the location anyway it was decided to do some extensive reshoots to make the sequence really stand out early in the film.

Today is designed to be a very light day. I missed the previous day of filming (Day 6) which was the production’s return to the camp grounds to film the wrap around segment of the film which includes a group of kids who are at Camp Crystal Lake when they start telling the story of Jason Voorhees (the rest of the film which is presented as a story told by the children). I missed all of this day of filming which reunited McLellen with the stars of his previous fan film Return of the Sandman – actors Ashley Ballard, Hunter Ballard, and Callan Wilson.

Once the reshoots with actor Jim Adams are complete the rest of the day is waiting for the sun to go down to film Whitley’s death for the film. In the mean time we waited for the make-up artists of 9 Cop Productions (Ondie Daniel and Ace Talkingwolf) to put Adams in his “death” make-up and prep for the death of Whitley’s character who wanders into Jason’s home and finds the Sheriff’s body just before he dies at the hands of Jason. It’s no secret that he’s going to die but it is the way in which he dies that will have every Jason fan screaming in their seats. McLellen has crafted many death sequences that will not only pay homage to the Friday the 13th franchise but will all leave fans with a big smile on their faces. This is a Friday film and the bloodier the better!

Today is just a very laid back final day of filming on The Man in the Lake. I say this because all principal actors on the film will be wrapped but we still have 2nd Unit scenes to film which don’t require any of the main cast members. This happens to be just a very relaxed day of filming because everyone is excited to be at the end of the production (even though it was only 7 days).

For me, it’s a totally different story as I will be on hand throughout the post-production process on the film and up to its Friday, August 13th premiere both online and on the big screen (as we plan on screening the film for cast & crew and anyone else who want to see the film). Once this film is complete I won’t have any time to rest as McLellen is prepping a sequel to his Halloween fan film Return of the Sandman which is tentatively called Revenge of the Sandman.

For more info on the Southlan-Films production THE MAN IN THE LAKE you can follow the production on Facebook here - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=592735751#!/pages/MAN-IN-THE-LAKE-Official-Fan-Page/278862841916?ref=ts

MAN IN THE LAKE - Production Diary Day 5

2010-09-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

DAY 5:

This is the second day of on-location filming at the camp grounds of which the majority of the Southlan-Films Friday the 13th fan film The Man in the Lake will take place. I was unable to be there for the first day on filming due to my obligations at my 9-to-5 job but this is just as well as the production was rained out for most of the day and only a little was actually filmed (a minor setback that will require an additional day at the camp grounds which we had not originally scheduled).

Today is a tough day as we try and squeeze in a lot of scenes that we didn’t get filmed last night. All the day scenes need to be filmed in addition to many of the night scenes and all of the “kill scenes” of the entire cast (with the exception of the death of actor Chris Whitley which is scheduled at a different location). On tap to do the Special FX make-up for the film is 9 Cop Productions (on set today are chief make-up artists Ondie Daniel and Ace Talkingwolf) which will have their hands filled killing 3 people (when it’s a major achievement just to kill one person per day on the set of a horror film). In addition to the 3 deaths scenes that have to be orchestrated we also need to film the climax of the film which requires is reminiscent to that of the ending of the original Friday the 13th. Although the running time of the film is not expected to be longer than 45 minutes, it is very ambitious as per the request of writer/director Ron McLellen.

The film is trying to make its release date of Friday, August 13 of this year. This seems like an impossible tasks but the production is filled with a talented cast and crew that work very hard to accomplish the impossible task of filming a lot of pages today despite the on-location problems. It does continue to rain today but not enough to cripple the production like the previous day and everyone works hard to finish filming all of the days pages and scenes.

Our make-up department also goes above and beyond the call of duty as they push themselves to complete 3 major kill scenes in the film. We’ve lucked out that there are so many people out there who love and respect the Friday the 13th franchise that they are willing to come out and help on this production for free simply to work on the film for no pay. It’s important to remember that fan films are produced by people who love and respect the film/franchise for whom their production is based. These films are produced simply for the fun of it and for all the fans out there.

My job on this production has primarily been as still photographer and as the “background” producer allowing McLellen the freedom to produce the film that he wants to without and hang-ups or problems. This has been made easier from a cast and crew who are simply doing this film for the fun of it and not for a paycheck (although regardless of the fact that this is a fan film it would be nice to pay the cast and crew).

Everything does in fact go on as planned for today’s production even though we were filming into the wee hours of the next morning. We encountered a few problems in regards to policies at the camp grounds that we filming but despite this the filming was complete and we do, in fact, plan on returning for another day of filming to finish everything else that still needs to be filmed.

For more info on the Southlan-Films production THE MAN IN THE LAKE you can follow the production on Facebook here - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=592735751#!/pages/MAN-IN-THE-LAKE-Official-Fan-Page/278862841916?ref=ts

MAN IN THE LAKE - Production Diary DAY 3

2010-05-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

DAY 3: Monday, May 24, 2010

By the time we get to the third day of filming on the Southlan-Films production of the Friday the 13th fan film The Man in the Lake, writer/director Ron McLellen has already put together a preliminary edit of all the scenes thus far filmed. This is not unusual considering the amazing turnaround time we had when we filmed the Halloween fan film Return of the Sandman last year. It was interesting to be able to view these scenes prior to going out and filming scenes that linked to the scenes thus far filmed.

Today is planned to be a light day as we are going out to Roland Force’s property once again to film the scenes where the Sheriff (played by Jim Adams) encounters Ralph (Dave R. Watkins) on the side of the road and Jason Voorhees (this time played by Kyle Thrasher) drags Ralph into the woods and kills him. The scenes where the Sheriff chases after Voorhees and is himself killed were filmed on Day 1 but now we will be filming everything that leads up to his death. We are also scheduled to go back to the Pop Stop (from Day 2) and film the exterior filler scenes of Ralph riding away on his bicycle (which we didn’t have on the original day of filming). By the end of today we should have two whole sequences of the film done.

Adding Thrasher to the film is a big coup for the production. After having played the iconic Michael Myers in McLellen’s Return of the Sandman, Thrasher is even more adequately cast as Voorhees. There is a slight difference in body type between Thrasher and Nathan Standridge (who is also playing Voorhees). Standridge is taller but Thrasher has the bigger and more muscular body frame giving him the Voorhees look of Parts 6 & 7 of the original series. Despite two actors playing the role I doubt that the regular audience members will even be able to tell that the role was played by two separate people. For Thrasher, this role is also preparation for his return as Myers in the proposed sequel to Return of the Sandman tentatively called Revenge of the Sandman which will film later this year before McLellen takes a break from his fan film trilogy of terror.

The location of filming on the Force property should be familiar to fans of the Southlan-Films production Bad Land as we filmed on the same spots used in that film. It was a great bit of homage that made filming that much more fun. It was an extremely hot day and we were plagued by the presence of ants and various other insects but that didn’t stop us from having a good time killing Watkins’ character Ralph, in fact, killing him was more exciting than killing the Sheriff (shoot me, I like to see people die in a horror film).

Although today was a short shoot it was a very eventful one as should be on the set of a horror film. Now that some of the easier scenes are done we will be able to more on to the real “meat & potatoes” of the film, which is killing everyone else!

MAN IN THE LAKE - Production Diary DAY 2

2010-05-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

DAY 2: Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The second day of filming on the Southlan-Films production of the Friday the 13th fan-film The Man In The Lake is also the first day that the whole cast will get together for the very first time. Unlike most writer/director Ron McLellen’s previous films, there was no script read-through with the cast, so, today is the first day that McLellen has even met some of his cast members. I cast several of the actors on this film having worked with them on previous films but during the course of time between the first draft of the screenplay (which I wrote) and the final shooting draft (which McLellen wrote) there were a lot of cast changes and a lot of roles that were cut from the final shooting script. Although I am not 100% satisfied with the final shooting script, I was well aware of many of the changes that would eventually happen due to the fact that I wrote and over ambitious film that probably would’ve been more a feature and less a short film like what the director wanted. I also wrote my script with no regards to budget or limitations, which is a big factor when you’re doing a film in which you will never recoup any costs, so, I’m not surprised of the changes to my original script.

I also was writing the script based on what I would want to see in a Friday the 13th film mixed with the fact that I was bridging my script with McLellen’s previous film Return of the Sandman creating what would ultimately end in a “what if?” Jason fought Michael Myers type film. Over ambitious is probably putting it mildly.

The scenes we are filming today introduce all the characters as they stop at a gas station to fill up on supplies prior to going to the camp grounds. In the scenes are the actors – Lynn McArthur, Cesar Aguirre, JM Finnel, Andrew McClure, Chris Whitley, Jim Adams, Dave R. Watkins, Josephine B. Lawson, and several extras. We had the luck of finding a location perfect for the film. It was an old “Pop Shop” that had the look of having been built in the ‘50s and was still operational. McLellen found this location due to the fact that he knew the owners and they were very accommodating to the film’s needs. This location is rich with character and even though the scene, as written in the script, is only a few minutes long I wished that we could have spent more time at the excellent location to really use it in the film.

I’m really glad I was able to get McClure and Finnel on board this film as they had such great chemistry in the Blank Stage production No Experience Necessary, which is where I first met both of them. Today was the first time that either had ever met the director McLellen so I was a little nervous on how the day would play out. All the other actors in the production McLellen had already worked with before so I knew they would be fine with McLellen’s filmmaking style, whereas McLellen’s style is very different than director Brent (No Experience Necessary) Brooks mainly because McLellen edits his own films and therefore only films the shots he’ll need to make the film look good. McLellen is very lax with clap boards and shooting “masters” and frequently shoots handheld to put the audience directly in the action of the film. Although there were a few shots done handheld a lot of what was filmed was done of the dolly because McLellen is using this scene as the intro to all the characters of the film and is building up to the impending chaos of the film later to come. All the actors did a wonderful job and elevate the film above the typical “teenagers in the woods” horror film (although that is still the type of film that this is).

Today is great for me as I get to see all the actors together and to get a cast & crew photo (the first one of hopefully many) which is something we’ve so rarely been able to do on a Southlan-Films production. Today just went 100% according to plan not to mention that we actually finished filming early despite having to endure noise problems when we shifted production to the exterior scenes of the location (something you just have to get used to on a low budget production).

MAN IN THE LAKE - Production Diary DAY 1

2010-05-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

DAY 1: Saturday, May 15, 2010

Discounting all the preproduction work, the teaser trailer, and the pre-visual photos, today is the first day of filming on the Southlan-Films production of the Friday the 13th fan-film The Man In The Lake. The original story is by Ron McLellen and me with the final screenplay by McLellen, who is also producing and directing, among other jobs. The film is designed to be a short film the same as McLellen’s previous fan-film Return of the Sandman (based on Halloween) and the shooting schedule is only suppose to be just south of ten days.

The first day of filming McLellen decided to start things off right by killing one of our main actors. Of the actors on set today are Jim Adams (as the Sheriff) and Nathan Standridge (as Jason, although two people will play the iconic character throughout the film because of scheduling). The Sheriff is in much of the beginning of the film but it’s always good to start production on a horror film right by killing someone. Adams is in good spirits as today’s scenes require him to run through the woods, a lot, before being dispatched by a train spike through the head by Jason. It’s as good a way to go as any in a Friday the 13th movie.

We are once again filming at the home of Roland Force, an actor frequent in McLellen’s films (Jack O’Lantern, Hell’s End, Bad Land, Return of the Sandman) but his home has also been used in many of McLellen’s films including Bad Land, Jack O’Lantern, Return of the Sandman, and now this film. Force’s land is so vast that we could probably never see any of the same spots in any of McLellen’s films no matter how many times we return.

We are light on crew today as this first day of filming was meant to be fairly easy on all of us not to mention the production itself. In addition to McLellen and me, Eric Forest Burton is also on hand. He came aboard on the Southlan-Films team during the production of Return of the Sandman (not only as crew but as an actor as well) and returns on this film as well. On this production I am the production manager and still photographer (and generally anything else that needs to be done).

One of the reasons why we are keeping cast and crew down to a minimum is the fact that this is a “fan-film” which means we can never sale, distribute, or otherwise make a single penny on the production because the characters and rights all belong to someone (or some company) else. It would be against the law for us to ever make a dime off this production. We are making this film simply because McLellen has a need to produce this film not only for him but for all the other Friday the 13th film fans out there. It is also a good way to advertise the talents of all the people involved as well as meet other people who are enthusiastic about the same subject matter.

I’m not a Friday the 13th film fan. In fact, I don’t really care for many of them but I do understand why the franchise has so many devoted fans. I’m a huge fan of the original Night of the Living Dead (1968) and I have a huge collection of related memorabilia. The same can be said of McLellen and several of the people involved in this production. My number one reason for doing this film is because there is such a huge following for this franchise that doing a film based on it just seemed like a lot of fun and 80% of why I do low budget (or no budget as this film suggests) is because it’s a whole lot of fun.

That’s what this first day of filming was like – a whole lot of fun and it wasn’t just me that had a lot of fun it was everyone from Burton to Adams to Standridge and most of all from McLellen who was like a kid in a candy shop and wouldn’t you be if you got to kill off someone on the first day of filming? Every film production should be so lucky as to have as productive a first day as this day was.

My Review of the (as yet unreleased in the USA) [REC] 2!

2010-05-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

Watching the sequel [REC] 2 just this past week reminds me of how timid and inept modern American horror has become. The original [REC] was an amazing camera-POV film most closely resembling the films MAN BITES DOG, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, and more recently PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and DIARY OF THE DEAD. [REC] is the story of television reporter Angela Vidal (Manuela Velasco) and her cameraman who follow two firemen on what should have been a routine call to a tenement building. The situation goes to hell fast when they realize that they’ve been quarantined from the outside world and they now find themselves trapped in a building not only with the building’s residents but with a highly contagious disease that may become the death of them all.

Most American audiences were unable to see the original [REC] until its American remake QUARANTINE had gone through its theatrical run and DVD release. The two films are virtually identical except the origin of the outbreak/disease (QUARANTINE decided it was easier to make the disease a highly contagious form of rabies).

I was lucky enough to get a hold of a Region 0 version of [REC] (from ebay no less) prior to the theatrical release of QUARANTINE and I was immediately taken back by the sheer terror and vitality of the film. The film was a fast paced tour de force of suspense and terror. This was a feeling I thought was missing from the current slate of American horror films. Although I enjoyed the American remake QUARANTINE, its biggest flaw was having familiar actors in the film. [REC] was more suspenseful and terrifying because I was unfamiliar with any of the actors, whereas, QUARANTINE was littered with actors and character actors familiar from both television and film. This is the biggest problem of all modern day American horror films. They are always cast with rising stars and television actors rather than “unknowns” like horror films of the ‘70s to mid- ‘90s.

The reasons why I like [REC] are why such films like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY work so well (and even the similarly executed film CLOVERFIELD). When I heard that a [REC] 2 had been produced I was a little apprehensive (kind of like hearing about THE DESCENT 2 and DOG SOLDIERS 2 and CABIN FEVER 2). The first film was so good that I didn’t think there could ever be a way a sequel could match the original. Boy was I wrong. When I heard reviews from advance previews and festival screenings that the film was actually really well received.

[REC] 2 takes the simple concept of the first film and turns it on its head. The sequel takes place just moments after the events of the first film in which a SWAT team enter the building with a medical official for the purpose of recording and documenting what happened in the building and how to prevent the disease from spreading. The situation gets more complicated when the SWAT team encounters the infected and realize that the medical official knows more than what he is revealing. To reveal the medical official’s purpose in the building is to reveal the true nature of the outbreak/disease and it really needs to be seen to be believed. Writers Jaume Balaguero & Manu Diez have crafted a smart new chapter in this horror saga that is far from predictable. Balaguero and Paco
Plaza, as co-directors, also change the style of the film as the camera-POV goes from one SWAT team member to the next creating an even more suspenseful film especially when the story starts to unfold.

Like the first film, I got a hold of [REC] 2 as a Region 0 version from ebay (which means you should all go out there and find a copy) mainly because I believe American distributors are slow when it comes to foreign films. I’ve picked up the following films as Region 0 from ebay prior to any American release – RED CLIFF PART 1 & 2, THE HOST, 4BIA, DEATH BELL, DEAD SNO, [REC], MULAN, Jet Li’s WARLORDS, and numerous others. I normally wouldn’t recommend this as I’m a huge supporter of watching films theatrically but the sad fact is that fewer and fewer foreign horror films are going theatrical and the lag time between when I hear about these films and when they actually get an American release has been way too long for me to actually continue to wait. If I had waited to see the original [REC] until its American DVD release it would have been almost two years after its original International release and almost eight months after the release of the QUARANTINE remake.

[REC] 2 is set for a limited American theatrical release this July 9 before eventually getting a DVD release and I’ve been hearing about this film for almost a year now. I just couldn’t wait, especially considering I bought the film for only $14.99 on ebay which will be about the amount of a movie ticket. When the film is released theatrically, I’ll probably still go see it (if it plays near me) since this is one of the few horror films I’ve seen in the last year that is actually worth seeing theatrically. I just hope that amid all the other dredge of American sequels and remakes that this film does not get lost or buried.

3-D TAKES OVER THE BOX OFFICE IN A BIG WAY!

2010-04-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

The film going experience has changed in a huge way. All you have to do is look at the current highest grossing film of all time Avatar and you’ll come to realize that the way in which we view films on the big screen will forever be changed. 3-D technology is nothing new, in fact, in the ‘80s (and even in several films prior) anaglyph 3-D technology (the use of the red and blue gels in glasses) was very prevalent but it was only a gimmick to get audiences in the doors. Due to the growing popularity of the home VHS boom less people were going to the theater and so Hollywood unburied the 3-D technology as a way to get people to go back to the theaters. This worked then and it’s working now.

Such films as Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial “M” For Murder, Amityville 3-D, Friday the 13th Part 3-D, Jaws 3-D, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, and many others used the anaglyph process but today this process has all but been abandoned (the last film to be released theatrically through this process was the remake Night of the Living Dead 3-D in 2006) but over the years many filmmakers have been using and developing a digital 3-D process that would better integrate with the digital media (as opposed to actual film). Director Robert Rodriguez experimented with this with his early films Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl, but there have been many animated films that were released simultaneously in both 2-D and 3-D formats (such as Fly Me To The Moon, Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, Coraline, and Up, to name a few. Like in the ‘80s the horror genre has also taken a stab at the new 3-D digital process with My Bloody Valentine 3-D and The Final Destination, to name a few, but even though these films did great business it wasn’t until director James Cameron’s Avatar was unleashed on audiences in December of last year that a multitude of people were able to experience the new digital 3-D technology first hand. The huge Box Office returns of this film worldwide have ensured movie studios that audiences have embraced this new technology and it is here to stay! With over 20 films being prepped to be released simultaneously in both 2-D and 3-D formats (and Disney claiming that all of their future animated releases will do this as well) it does not appear that we will be seeing less films over the next few years.

Following are the highest grossing 3-D films of all time, both standard anaglyph and digital 3-D.

1. AVATAR ($600 million and counting)
2. UP ($293 million)
3. MONSTERS VS. ALIENS (198.4 million)
4. ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS ($196.6 million)
5. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS ($122.7 million)
6. G-FORCE ($119.4 million)
7. BOLT ($114.1 million)
8. SPY KIDS 3-D: GAME OVER ($111.8 million)
9. JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH in 3-D ($101.8 million)
10. MEET THE ROBINSONS ($97.8 million)
11. BEOWULF ($82.3 million)
12. CORALINE ($75.3 million)
13. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS ($75.1 million)
14. THE FINAL DESTINATION ($66.5 million)
15. HANNAH MONTANA/MILEY CYRUS: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS CONCERT ($65.3)

5 Elements To Producing A Good Independent Film

2010-04-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

Producing a low budget (or in some cases no-budget) independent film is a lot of work especially when you consider all the creative and technical people needed to make it a reality. Making a “good” film is even harder because so many individuals need to be brought together in order to craft a single cohesive product – a singular vision of which usually starts from the imagination of the producer. This vision is than passed down to the rest of the production crew, so, in order to produce a good film you need to be aware of some of the elements of being a good producer.

Although I’ve learned many of these techniques having produced the Southland-Films productions Bad Land and the Halloween fan-film Halloween: Return of the Sandman (not to mention the By The Lake Productions short film A Gift and my own short films Alone and Miss Kitty & Me, among others), these techniques and elements will be of benefit to producers of all types of film & video productions of all budgetary ranges.

ELEMENT #1: “Have a good screenplay & vision.”
All films start from a screenplay or an idea that is developed into a screenplay. Since the screenplay is commonly referred to as the “blueprint” for the final film it is important to start off the film making process on a good note and having a good screenplay and vision goes a very long way.

I’ve worked on many first time film makers’ production. I was a co-producer on the film A Gift, which was directed by a first time writer/director (who also produced the film) and even though the screenplay was not in the proper script format we got through production of the film simply because the director was so focused that his vision translated to film despite the differences on the script pages.

On my short film Miss Kitty & Me, there was very little on-set dialogue (most of the dialogue was voice over for this film) but so much is described in the screenplay that the actor – Paige Ireland, had no problems translating or bringing the main character to life despite the lack of dialogue. As the producer/writer/director of this film I was able to confer with Ireland (who came on board the production because of the screenplay) and ease her concerns about the challenges of this type of film (which is about a 13 year old who finds out she’s pregnant).

ELEMENT #2: “Be a good communicator.”
As a producer, you are in charge of a large group of people who are trying to help get a singular vision to the screen. If you can’t communicate a clean, clear, and concise vision to all the members of your cast and crew then you won’t have a film that truly represents the vision you have in your head. This happens more often than not with productions and it shows on the screen and sometimes behind the scenes as well.

On the Southlan-Films production Creatures of the Night (of which I was production manager) there was constant conflict between the producer/director and the special fx artist due to lack of good communication. Many of the SFX were late and many more were added to the production at the last minute due to the producer not communicating all the details needed to execute the film. The film was ultimately never finished and currently sits on the Executive Producer’s shelf.
As one of the producers on the music video production for musician Chris DeMarco’s “I’m Calling You,” I had to make sure all the cast and crew were made 100% aware of the director’s vision for the look and feel of the production from the cast and all members of the crew and picking locations that would best help solidify the vision of the director (who was also a co-producer on the project) and DeMarco, who wanted a music video that would bring his story to life.

ELEMENT #3: “You must be organized.”
Organization is key to being a good producer. There are just too many people involved in film production not to be and if you want a singular vision up on screen than you have to be extremely organized and concise in order to communicate that vision to other members of the production staff.

From the make-up department to the art direction to the costumes & props departments to the casting department, there are a lot of people that need to be on the same page in regards to any given production and being organized will go a long way in making that happen.

ELEMENT #4: “Be a good leader.”
A lot is required of a producer on a film production and there is a lot that a producer must require from others and being able to communicate is a skill. It’s a skill that all great leaders must have and this goes double for a producer. The producer is the “head” of all film productions. They are ultimately the one responsible for the final product and therefore they must make sure that all production staff and personnel are on the same page and being a good leader means being able to make quick decisions when need be and make the production run smoothly from beginning to end amongst all personnel.

On the set of the Cake Baby Films production The Tedious Existence of Terrell B. Howell (of which I was still photographer, among other things) producer Kelly Silverman exhibited leadership abilities that far exceeded most other producers that I’ve worked with. Both cast and crew were always on the same page and the production ran smoothly from beginning to end. When problems did arise she conferred with the director and the problems were addressed and solved quickly and efficiently. She displayed exceptional skills as a leader and producer.

ELEMENT #5: “You should remember to have fun!”
In addition to being a director, being a producer is the most stressful job on a film set. Because the producer is responsible for so many different aspects of the production their job can be very stressful. A producer is on the production from the very beginning until the very end when the film is available to the public (and sometimes even long after that), so, they must remember to always have fun.

Having fun is one of the reasons why so many of us get into film making. None of us are making a fortune on independent film productions, so, we must remember that we are doing this because we love making films. If a producer is having fun than it will become apparent to the cast and crew and everyone will have fun on set and a happy cast and crew will be a happy production and this, in a sense, is what we are all wanting on a film set.

Producing an indie film is never easy but if you remember these five simply elements than you will be that much closer to producing not just a good, but a great film in the end that everyone can be proud to have been a part of.

5 Elements to Look For in an Actor When Casting Your Independent Film

2010-04-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

Producing an independent film is hard and nothing is harder or more important than the casting process. Although I’ve hired a casting agency and/or casting director for about 80% of my films, I’ve always casted all of my productions based on my own instinct and criteria despite listening to the advice of my casting director.
Having participated in the process of casting on several productions I’ve devised a list of elements that I look for in a potential actor for any of my productions. Although there are multiple elements that any actor can do to sway my favor in their direction, these are the five basic elements that I use to cast each of my individual actors. These elements are imperative to casting an independent film production but can be used to cast any type of film at any budget.

ELEMENT #1: “Check their resume and previous experience.”
One of the first things an actor will hand you (or your casting director) will be their head shot and resume, which will list all of the actor’s previous experience, training, and productions (be it film, theatre, professional, community, print, or commercial, etc.). This will help you decide if the actor has the training and prior experience to take on the role that they are auditioning for. It will also contain contact info for other production companies and agents so that you can contact references for the actor.

A thorough resume can be the deciding factor between two potential actors that are equally qualified in all other areas.

ELEMENT #2: “The cold reading verses the monologue.”
The audition is the number one way in which actors are cast not only in films but theatre, video, corporate, and commercial productions. There are two types of ways to audition – the cold reading (in which actors are given sides of scenes from the production on the day of the audition with little or no time to prepare) and the monologue (which is a prepared scene reading from the actor’s own choice of material). More often than not actors will be given sides for a cold reading but I prefer to see and hear an actor perform their own monologue. Cold readings have their benefits. From a cold reading I can tell if an actor can take direction from a director, whether they will be able to incorporate changes in the script on the day of filming, and will they be able to improv at a moment’s notice, among other things.

From a prepared monologue I can tell whether or not the actor will come prepared to set with lines memorized, whether or not they will bring passion to the role, and whether or not they will be an actor who uses their body and movement to help tell a compelling story, among other things. These are the criteria I look for in an actor while casting a film.

For my feature House of Secrets (produced by BLH Films) I cast one of my leads – Chris Whitley (Paperboys) based on his monologue. He gave a great cold reading but so did three other actors but it was his monologue (which the others did not have) that broke the three way tie. In fact, I ended up calling him that evening and telling him the part was his.

ELEMENT #3: “An actor must be able to improve.”
Because the screenplay is only seen and viewed as a “blueprint” for the final film product, actors must be able to incorporate changes while on location filming and sometimes even in the post-production process. Being trained in the art of improvisation is not something to take lightly. It is one of the many skills that an actor uses to not only help them find and create their character but to also interact and react to other actors. It is used to perfection in sketch comedy (i.e. Monty Python and Saturday Night Live) but is also an invaluable tool when changes are made to the screenplay on set during filming. Actors who posses this skill are more likely to be able to incorporate these types of changes without too many problems.

Director Ron McLellen (Jack O’Lantern) is very prone to script changes when on set and is someone who uses improv all the time to make scenes “pop” off the page. On the set of his Evil in the Flesh, McLellen was forced to improv much of the climax of the film when the lead actress injured herself (thankfully, not while filming or on set) and was unable to do many of the stunts originally required of her. The focus of the end of the film shifted from the lead actress to another actor and all the actors had to have the ability to improv the new changes to the film. Luckily, the two actors whom the changes affected the most had training in improv and/or performed with an improv troop. Because the director knew he might improv during filming these actors were given a leg up when we cast them and it ended up working for the production in the end.

ELEMENT #4: “Be aware of scheduling conflicts.”
One of the biggest problems I’ve encountered on an independent film production is the conflicts that are faced with the production schedule in terms of actors’ availability. Many of the films I’ve worked on have had their production schedule stretched two, three, or five weeks due to actor unavailability (I’ve even been on some where filming stretched more than a year). It is imperative that the shooting/production schedule be set prior to auditions and that all potential cast members are well aware of when filming will be. The last thing any producer wants to do is retrofit a new shooting schedule due to the conflicts of multiple cast members. Many future problems can be avoided if this is first addressed at the start of the production.

Production on the indie feature Out of Season (of which I star in and do cinematography) had to be postponed for six months due to the lead actress’ schedule. We were several days into filming when he encountered actor conflicts with the schedule. Principal photography was halted but ultimately when production began again the actress was replaced and everything that had already been filmed had to be scrapped. This is one situation that could have been avoided if production had gotten the actress’ conflicts prior to filming.

ELEMENT #5: “The actor should have enthusiasm.”
This is the hardest criteria to judge because most actors when auditioning for a role do not have the luxury of having read the entire screenplay prior to the audition. On most occasions the actor has only read the synopsis of the screenplay and/or a few sides of the screenplay, in addition to possibly a character breakdown of the role(s) they are auditioning for.

You won’t know from an audition whether or not an actor will love your screenplay or character, but what you will know is whether or not an actor is enthusiastic about their craft and the possibility of getting a role in your film. If you can find an actor who is enthusiastic just from reading a synopsis and sides of your screenplay then that’s half the battle.

In reference to House of Secrets, again, actor Whitley (who performed the monologue) was so enthusiastic during both his cold reading and the monologue that I immediately took notice. He was an actor that I was not familiar with prior to his casting and he had twice more energy than any of the other actors that came in to read. The same can be said for actress Alicia Schulz (another actor I was not familiar with prior to casting) who exhibited so much more enthusiasm than any of the other actors that came in that she was immediately put at the top of my list (and who eventually was rewarded with the role).

There are a lot of criteria that must be taken into consideration when casting for a film and none of it should be taken lightly because the people you cast will be with you throughout production of the film (and if you’re lucky on subsequent films as well), so, remember to never take the casting process lightly and always consider the suggestions and recommendations of not only the casting directors and agencies as well as producers, writers, directors, and all other important personnel in order to craft a final product that everyone involved can be proud of.

Five “DON’TS” To Independent Filmmaking

2010-04-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

As a production manager, producer, and a director of several independent films from various production companies, I’ve become aware of both things you should and should not do while on the set of an indie film. Although the info I will go over in this article is in relation to my experience on these low budget productions, they can nevertheless be used on film productions of any budgetary range. What is important is that whether you are a production manager, a producer, or a director, these are five “don’ts” that should be avoided in order to give your cast & crew a memorable and worthwhile experience on your production (in the hopes that they’ll all return to help you on subsequent productions).

“DON’T” #1: “Be on time.”
As a person in charge of an independent film production you should always make it a priority to be on time. This does not mean being on location at the Call time of 8:00a.m. As a person in charge of a film production you should be on location thirty minutes, if not more, prior to the rest of the cast & crew. This is not only to pre-set anything that needs to be pre-set but this is also to fix any on location problems or being available for cast & crew members whom may get lost. It is very common that when filming on a practical location to run into problems with store owners (or the personnel running the store that day) to have forgotten or have no knowledge of you and your crew having access to a location on a particular day. On the set of the Unique Production Between Love & A Hard Place, when we arrived at one of these such locations, the store owner was unaware or had forgotten we were suppose to film that day (even though it had been in the production schedule for weeks). Luckily, none of the cast was at the location and we were able to change locations at the last moment to accommodate the change. It was an easy transition to change locations at the last moment and very little time was lost at this location due to the abrupt change.

“DON’T” #2: “Don’t belittle your cast & crew.”
It is not uncommon for indie film productions to be populated by cast & crew whom are getting paid very little or may even be on deferred payment (or even working for free). It is very important to remember that many members of your cast & crew may be working on your film because that either want the experience, believe in the project, or need the screen credit, therefore don’t take advantage of their generosity. Respect your cast & crew whether they are a production assistant (PA), an extra, a camera operator, or a grip, etc. because film is a collaborative medium and it takes a community to build a complete house not an individual. On the Cake Baby Production short film The Tedious Existence of Terrell B. Howell, I was working in assistant catering capacity (instead of as a production manager or producer) but the producers afforded me the same respect as they did the cinematographer or any of the main actors. Since I was working on the production because of the writer and the director, I felt like any other crew member despite being in a crew position I was not familiar to. I felt just like any one of the other crew members.

“DON’T” #3: “Don’t forget to praise your cast & crew.”
Because film making is such a collaborative medium it is extremely important to remember that it takes many creative and technical people to put a film together and despite what naysayers may say, no one person’s job is more important than anyone else’s. Although this can be overlooked on a low budget film, everyone, whether they be a boom operator, a best boy, an extra, a supporting actor, the script supervisor, or a dolly grip, should be treated the same and praise should be doled out equally. As I will reiterate time and time again – many cast & crew members participate in an indie production for the love of it despite the low or no pay (or deferred), so, praise should be handed out to everyone and not just a few select individuals.

I try not only to do this at the end of each day but at the end of the production as well (this can be done at a cast & crew party as well as at the screening for the production personnel). It is very common, for me, to send out a mass email to the entire cast & crew of any production I work on a “Letter of Thanks” so that they know how much I appreciate working with them. This has not only helped me get onto subsequent film productions but has also helped me maintain and cultivate these relationships for my own production as well.

“DON’T” #4: “Don’t forget to feed your cast & crew.”
I have been on over fifty short films, commercials, and features of all budgetary constraints and I’m sorry to say that some of them have not provided and catering. It is my opinion that a well fed cast & crew is a happy cast & crew and therefore, I try to provide snacks and food and meals on all my film productions. Shooting days can sometimes stretch as long as fifteen or more hours and it is important that you have snacks and drinks on set at all times to not only prevent dehydration but to also provide cast & crew enough sugar and energy to get through the long day(s). Drinks should not only include both water and coffee but drinks with caffeine and juices but even energy or re-hydration sports drinks. Snacks should include fruits and vegetables in addition to snacks with sugar. On my film sets I usually provide fruit and cheese plates in addition to a variety of drinks and snack size candy and chips. This usually provides cast & crew with a wide variety of choices. I also remember at the beginning of film production to ask cast & crew to give me a list of suggestions for snacks.

Lunch should be provided as well but if it is not than an “off the clock” meal (of about 1 to 1 ½ hours) is also a very good idea.

“DON’T” #5: “Don’t forget to have fun!”
The #1 Rule of Indie Filmmaking is to never forget to have fun! If the people in charge of the production are not visibly having fun than neither is anyone else. Contrary to what you may believe, the cast & crew knows when the individuals who are in charge are on set and not enjoying the experience it can be seen and felt by other cast & crew members. This can bring down the moral on set (which every filmmaker tries to avoid).

These are only a few of the handful of “Don’ts” that should be remembered by production managers, producers, and directors, among others, because it will promote a healthy and productive film shoot from beginning to end.

PLAYING A ROLE IN INDEPENDENT FILM PRODUCTION: ON THE SET OF THE SHORT FILM NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

2010-02-05T18:10:00.000-08:00

PART 1: “STILL PHOTOGRAPHY”

The following series of articles document my experience on the Blank Stage Studios production of the short film NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY, which was written & directed by Brent Brooks. These series of articles will go into detail on the different aspects of production in which I participated. As such this first article I will touch upon still photography and how I contributed to the film.

A little background on the short film NO EXPERIENCE NECEASSARY. Brent Brooks (whose previous film was the art house feature ART OF SUICIDE) developed the screenplay through the screenwriting group The Blank Page and decided to make this his first post-ART OF SUICIDE production (and the third film from the writer’s group to go before the camera). The plot is fairly simple as it depicts a serial killer who uses the deception of a casting call for a movie to lure his next prey. Nothing new in terms of writing but Brooks wanted to production a high production value production in which to use as a potential calling card for future work. This could be such a production.

I came on board as production manager (which I will discuss in a future article) because much of my experience in film production stems in this area. Although I did not intend to do any still photography on the film (since Brooks had already hired a photographer to do just this thing), I have the habit of doing this on my own accord mainly for my own archival purposes. I’ve learned through the years that many indie productions still do not see the benefit of having good production stills taken on set. I do this not only for myself but for all the other cast & crew as well. I freely give the pictures away and post most of them online so that everyone has access to them. This allows everyone to have a record of the production.

On the set of NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY I took approximately 3,000 pictures over the course of 4 days. This is actually not as many as you might think considering that only about 500 of them are usable which includes both production stills of scenes in the film and behind the scenes pictures. The actually photographer on set didn’t take nearly as many as I did. There are several reasons for this the chief being that because I can put my camera on “silent mode” I can use it while we were filming whereas he could not. This allowed me to get numerous photos from all different angles. I was able to get the photos he could not.

This means that I got a lot of scene accurate photos which is good for the film in terms of representing actual scenes. I also paid a lot of attention in terms of getting a lot of behind the scenes pictures with cast and crew, not only in actual scene set up shots but also in group shots and in the obligatory “fun” shots.
The sheer amount of pictures that I took on the set of the film would not go unnoticed as when I started to post them online both cast & crew were finally able to see everything that happened in front of the camera as well as behind it.

Sometimes the importance of still photography is not recognized until it is too late to do anything about it. Indie films use still photography not only to craft and create movie posters but also to help with production stills for the film and marketing as well. A lot of the advertisement and marketing for an indie film can be seen online and nothing can sell a film to an audience better than a photo (unless of course you have a trailer already crafted).

Although I’ve got about 500 photos that represent the film, it was to Brooks’ idea to slowly reveal them to both the cast & crew and the public in order to help promote the film through production and into the film’s future which I now believe was only one of the most ingenious ideas he’s had to market and promote the film and in really that’s exactly what still photography is intended to do.

TO BE CONTINUED.

FRIDAY THE 13TH Fan-Film A Go!

2010-01-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

After the success of the fan film HALLOWEEN: RETURN OF THE SANDMAN, director Ron McLellen and Southlan-Films are gearing up to take on Jason Voorhees in an all new fan film based on the FRIDAY THE 13TH franchise. Over the last week McLellen and company have been filming parts of a teaser trailer that are currently on You Tube at - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX3Nh2Hd98Y

I am working on the film as production manager but I will also have a larger role in the film as an actor than my character in the previous film. It should be a blast and I'll keep you informed about the film as details are made available.

Filming on BETWEEN LOVE & A HARD PLACE Comes To an End :(

2010-01-07T20:01:00.001-08:00

“ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL”

As we all know, all good things come to an end and as such principal photography on the Unique Production BETWEEN LOVE AND A HARD PLACE. After 16 days of on location filming the indie production which was written by Regina Wells (based on her original stage play) closes its production offices as it enters the third and fourth phase of production which is post-production and marketing, respectfully. As production manager on the film I have very little else to do on the film now that the physical process is over.

Produced by Unique Be’Ans and co-directed by Wells and Brent Brooks (of Blank Stage Productions) BETWEEN LOVE AND A HARD PLACE was a tough production shoot but between the two directors they put together an amazing team of talented technicians and personnel that far exceeded my expectations. Despite the rushed shooting schedule and the long hours we were able to complete the film in the allotted schedule and come out with our sanity intact (which is the best thing that could have happened).

This being the first faith-based film I’ve ever worked on there were many challenges that I had to face as a filmmaker and story teller. The same can be same of any other type of film but with faith-based films, just like dramas on very sensitive material, a different aesthetic has to be applied than that of other genres (say comedies, horror, or action films). This is a drama with familial themes that warrants a more sensible eye tone. This is not a bad thing as there was much fun and hilarity had on the set between both cast and crew and since we were on location the cast and crew were able to bond in a way that surpasses simply being on set as “work horses.” One of the best things about this production was the fact everyone knew they were working on an independent film and each person did what they had to do to accomplish the end game which is to have a finished film that everyone can be proud of and this is what every young (and seasoned) filmmaker wants.

Filmmaking is a long process that takes many people (from many different walks of life and experience) from beginning to end and it’s always a miracle when one finishes principal photography (I’ve been on several that stopped in mid production and never even finished filming), so, it was with great satisfaction that I was happy to be on set on January 3, 2010 when BETWEEN LOVE shot its final “martini” shot. It was a monumental occasion for not only the cast and crew but for Wells and Brooks who completed their first (of hopefully many) collaborations. It was also the night that the crew was able to take their official crew picture for the film (which many times on indie films it never gets done).

We must all take a moment to congratulate director Regina Wells for writing the screenplay and opening her story up to the more judgmental medium of film. Unlike the theatre and stage arts (which can be re-imagined and re-interpreted with each subsequent production), film is a once in a lifetime opportunity for any story. It is a rare occasion when a film is remade, so, we hope we all got it right the first time. We must also bow our heads down to the remarkable cast that was assembled for the film – Bern Nadette Stanis, Irone Singleton, Canton Jones, Kaira Akita, and Nina Nicole, among many others, that dedicated their time and talent to the production. Although we worked with several seasoned professionals, this production gave many local actors the opportunity to star in the film (many of which starred in the original stage production). Another huge contribution to the production is the excellent technical crew assembled by Brent Brooks (and even more crew from Wells) many of which have worked before on other productions. The production crew was professional and exceeded expectations and managed to work as a cohesive whole to make the film look the best that it could be. Chief among the crew were Randy Stewart (director of photography) and Byron Erwin (art director and editor), among many others.

We should also thank the Executive Producers of the film who believed and had faith in Wells’ vision enough to put up the funds to produce the film. Without these people there may never have been a film and many of us would have never had the opportunity to come together and meet and work together.

Working on BETWEEN LOVE has been an extraordinary experience not only for me but other members of the production as well. It was one that as hard as it was at the beginning it was well worth the hard work because it reminded me that all hard journeys end in great achievement. Where would we be without the great accomplishments of Christopher Columbus, Martin Luther King, Jr., Geronimo, Queen Elizabeth, Joan of Arc, and most importantly Jesus of Nazareth? There is no great benefit if there is no great hardship and there is no greater hardship than filmmaking.

As we each go into our next endeavor, whether it be filmmaking or something else, let us take a few moments to bow our heads and give thanks for the work we’ve done and the work we’re bond to do.

EPISODE 1007 Is Now On Line!

2010-01-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

The newest episode to the on line series is finally up on Vimeo! This episode spotlights an interview with actress Paige Ireland whom I first worked with on the Southlan-films production CREATURES OF THE NIGHT and then subsequently hired as the lead for MISS KITTY & ME and its companion THE OLD WOMAN & THE PARK.DIARY OF A FILMMAKER - (EPISODE 1007)

HALLOWEEN Phan-Film A Sucess!

2009-11-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

Last Halloween's Premiere of the Southlan-Film's phan-film HALLOWEEN: RETURN OF THE SANDMAN was a tremendous success. It first had a premiere screening on October 20th at the Gwinnett Center where it was greeted with an enthusiastic audience before having it's World Premiere online at You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF5GH1Q3F9s in which it was separated into 7 parts (or 73 minutes). The featurette has gotten great reviews from fans which is whom the film was made for.

Writer/producer/director Ron McLellen was at had at the Gwinnett screening (as was most of the cast & crew of the film) to support the film and to see it on the big screen with an audience. Although McLellen plans to do more phan-films in the future only time will tell if he does a sequel to this one.

DIARY OF A FILMMAKER - The Website!

2009-10-22T07:22:00.001-07:00

I've just completed my personal website - http://kevinlpowers.yolasite.com and now I'm thinking about creating a website dedicated to my DIARY OF A FILMMAKER film series which will link back to this blog.

I've been very busy lately working on lots of productions and I hope soon to be caught up with all the updates that I need to do for this blog site. I hope never to leave my readers with nothing to read as long as this past two months so continue to come back to this site where I will be uploading and constantly keeping you updated on everything!

DIARY OF A FILMMAKER - Episode 1006 Now Online!

2009-10-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

The latest episode in my DIARY OF A FILMMAKER series Episode 1006 was just uploaded to You Tube and to my Facebook yesterday. Episode 1006 is the third Part of the series of episodes documenting the behind the scenes production of the Southlan-Films production of the HALLOWEEN phan-film RETURN OF THE SANDMAN which will have its World Premiere this Monday, October 26th at the Gwinnett Convention Center at 8:00pm.

There is at least one more episode for the this sequence before I head back to other film productions but it was fun while it latest.

08/27/09 More Filming on Remote Viewing Documentary

2009-08-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

Over the last three days I've been getting together with Vernon Mui to continue filming on our remote viewing documentary. Most of what we have been doing over the past few days is updating his website - Georgia Remote Viewing Society, and filming FAQ questions that he can update to the site to add more content. Most of what we have been focusing on is to make the GRVS website be the best it can be and attract more people.

One of the major hurtles of this documentary is the lack of a real group of people interested in the subject matter so I am trying to help Mui create content to get people more interested. This may seem like something that a documentarian should not be doing but I am not only a filmmaker on this project but I am also someone who is trying to help Mui present remote viewing as something anyone who is interested can learn.

One of the other main hurdles of this film is that Mui is still new at not only teaching but also being in front of the camera. He is someone more comfortable behind the camera and it shows in much of the footage captured thus far, but he is improving and has come a long way since we first started filming this project a few months ago.

I do not know how long this production will take before I have enough good info to put in a film but it will be an interesting journey nevertheless.

Next, we will meet to edit the FAQ that we filmed as well as work on the footage of one of his sessions that we filmed so that members of the site will have more content to view. It should be very interesting.

08/23/09 Cake Baby Productions finishes THE TEDIOUS EXISTENCE OF TERRELL B. HOWELL

2009-08-27T17:41:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the last day of filming on the Cake Baby Production of the short film THE TEDIOUS EXISTENCE OF TERRELL B. HOWELL, which was written & produced by Kelly Silverman and directed by her husband David Silverman. The production had a seven day shooting schedule and was completed on schedule.

I was on set as a general production assistant but also provided production stills for the film. The film is an under stated drama with subtle hints of dry comedy about a married man (played by Steve Coulter) whose life takes a drastic turn when he gets involved with a woman he encounters on the street.

Although I had very little to do with this production I was able to once again work with many people that I hadn't worked with in a long time such as Renonda Anderson (make up), Donna Wong (script supervisor), Alex Turner (PA), Karli Brooks (actress), and Brent Brooks (PA). Working on this production, for me, was mostly fun and entertaining due to the fact that I wasn't responsible for much of the actual work on the film (which was a relief believe you me).

I am glad that I was given the opportunity to work on this short film as it gave me the opportunity to work with many filmmakers that I haven't worked with before and I had a lot of fun just being able to be on set and enjoying myself.

As the Silvermans take the film into post production I wish them all the luck especially since they hope to be able to have the film out to film festivals before the end of the year. I can't wait to see the final version when it is complete.

8/1/09 - 8/3/09 Filming on the "Pilot" of The 48 HOUR FILM COMPETITION SHOWDOWN

2009-08-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

Since production on this documentary lasted more then four days, I'm just going to group the entire experience under one heading. I started work on the 48 Hour Film Competition Showdown before I ever knew that I actually had the job.

Following my work with Interstate Films on the actual 2009 48 Hour Film Festival Competition and the production TURN THE OTHER CHEEK, several of us got together to put together an auditition package for the actual Showdown (which we heard about during the screening of our film). Although only one of us got a call back to be a part of the actual crew of filmmakers being filmed for the showdown, I would eventually get on to the production as part of the documentary crew care of both Ondie Daniel and Renonda Anderson, who referred me to the production. I was hired as an assistant camera on the production.

The Showdown that we are filming is actually a race between two teams (one from Atlanta and the other from Nashville) who have 48 hours to complete a short film (in the same tradition as the original competition) andd we are filming this as part of a "Pilot" episode for a proposed television show. The production crew for the show was huge and as an AC my job was to supply the cameramen with batteries and cards whenever they needed them. On set my co-AC was Jennifer Rowland who was making her film production debute. Together we handled everything that Team Atlanta documentary crew needed during the Morning shift of production (since everything was filmed around the clock). She started work on the production a day before me but over the next 48 hours we would be a non-stop perfect team that complimented each other.

On the first day of production we were mainly on location at an abandoned werehouse (chosen by the film crew) and allowed us to be of the most use. The second day we had a lot less to do and therefore there was a lot of down time but we had to keep in mind that this was a documentary film shoot and we filmed what we needed to film.

There were a lot of surprises on set (too many for me to name here) but I guess I did a well enough job as I was asked to return for the final day of filming in which the screening of the two teams' finished films would be screened in front of an audience. I enjoyed filming on this day the most as I was promoted from AC to camera op as the production needed more camera ops for the added cameras of the shoot. This allowed me to work with the HD cameras for the second time (the first being on TURN THE OTHER CHEEK in which I used an HD camera but filmed in 24p).

The experience was an eye opener as I gained a lot of knowledge from the production personnel as well as the team members being filmed and I gained a lot of new friends that I hope to have on future productions. The experience working on this film is not one that I would have missed for anything and I'm glad I was able to work on the production and be of some type of help.

I do know that it took me two days to not only recover from the three days on set but also all the other films I worked on just earlier that week. You only get a few great opportunities to work on and with productions such as this (which was a paying gig) and I hope that the production gets picked up so that I might have the opportunity to work on the actual series.

Here's hoping!

7/30/09 Filming Continues on OUT OF SEASON or Does It?

2009-08-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

We were scheduled to continue filming on OUT OF SEASON on 7/30/09. Director Ed Harlaque wants to see my lawyer character in the film more then just the two scenes originally scheduled so the scene we were scheduled to film today now has my character in it talking to the main character Sara.

I was up for the expanded role because it had been so long since I had done any real acting and the one day we have already shot I had a lot of fun dong.

Today's filming had to be cancelled because out lead actor playing Sara just could not get out to the location. Even though she was in Harlaque's previous film BREAKING THROUGH, she still had problems making her way out to the location. We ended up cancelling once she finally arrived becaue we ultimately ran out of time.

I'm only disappointed because I spent time going over the script and was ready to film when all of this happened, so, I was a tad disappointed. This is okay as I forgot to cut my hair and if we had filmed continuity in regards to my hair cut would not be the same (a problem I ran into on the set of JACK O'LANTERN). All in all Harlaque and I had time to discuss this project while we waited for the actor and even though we had the location/room set to be filmed (and we then had to tear down without ever filming), I don't believe the whole day was a bust.

Since I had just filmed the LAST CALL teaser last night not filming today was actually fine by me because I had another film shoot to be ready for for the up coming weekend. We'd just reschedule like we normally do and eventually we will "get it done."

Shooting the LAST CALL Teaser

2009-08-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

Producer Ondie Daniel wants to put together a teaser trailer for the LAST CALL vampire anthology, thus we decided that we would film a scene from my fine (in addition to two others). We decided to film one of the flashback sequences since we could show one of the vampires in addition to showing how the film would look. Everyone was available except for Bren Allison so I decided to film the scene myself.

Having no asperations to direct the film myself I was more nervous going into directing this then I was HOUSE OF SECRETS, which I was prepared to direct and produce. The teaser was easier only because we had cast two actors that I had already worked with - Amy Wolkis and Jason Von Stein, while the third actor in the scene who was playing the vampire of the film and before that night I had never met him. He was an addition by Daniel as I requested that she be responsible with casting all the vampires in the film since we were going with people from Netherworld who already have or will soon have their own vampire teeth. Authenticity is key with this project and having great teeth is one of the reasons I agreed to do the project.

Another reason for doing this project is obviously because I wanted to collaborate with someone else on a creative level and Allison is someone whom I've worked with before but not so much on a creative level and this project was the perfect opportunity. I've only worked with Daniel as an actor or as a make up artist (and more recently she was casting director on several other projects) so working with her to produce this film is also new and a challenge.

One of the key ingredients that Daniel has provided is an amazing location for the production is far better then anything I could have imagined. The location is key to my story and filming at this location has given the production higher production value then I could have ever imagained. I did have to do some rewrites on the spot to accomodate that fact that I did not want to show any blood or gore in the scene (and therefore wouldn't have to worry about the clean up) but I think the scene works really well without the gore.

I think my actors all did a great job putting this teaser together in such sort notice and my crew were great as well (the make up artist was from Netherworld as well) and this was a great way to break the ice on the production. Shooting this teaser was a way to let everyone know that we are still a "go" on the production dispite the delays.

For a few moments I even wanted to direct the film myself since I was having so much fun (until it all had to eventually end) but then I wised up and realized that it was better to let Bren do all the heavy lifting while I sit back and just watch :)

A FILM IN 48 HOURS: The Making of TURN THE OTHER CHEEK Part 4

2009-07-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

7/01/09

The screening of all the films produced during the 2009 48 Hour Film Competition will began on Tuesday and continue until Thursday. There are six sections of screenings of which the Interstate Film production of Turn The Other Cheek will be part of Group C, which will screen at 7:00 pm tonight along with eleven other films. The trick is that each section is given a specific criteria to follow in order to qualify for the competition (these criteria being the specific prop, character, and phrase that had to be in all the films of each section).
The screening will all be at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. This venue is a friend to independent cinema as it specializes in limited release domestic and foreign films not to mention being a sponsor of the Atlanta Film Festival (which also so happens to be a sponsor of this event). The venue is a great place to showcase these indie films to a larger audience.
Many, if not all, the cast and crew will be seeing the film for the very first time on this night so it is a big deal to us all. Although producer Gary Hamrick, Jr. is lamentably nervous about the whole affair having been on call for the entire process of the film (and lets not forget the other producer Ondie Daniel) because he was originally set to direct the film before relinquishing the role to Jim Adams.
We have an amazing turnout for the film that included (but is not limited to) actors Liz Martin, James Robert Jarrett, Luisa Casas (who also co-edited), Daniel, Corey Chalef, and Robert Sattler, to name a few. Members of our crew also made an appearance from Asa Rose (key grip), Emilie Peters (script supervisor), Christine Cuff (production assistant), and Michael Bailey (head writer), to name a few. It is a grand event as filmmakers from all the films screening show up to support their films as well as the event itself and fun is to be had all around as people cheered and awed at the amazing lineup of films on display.
This being my first 48 Hour Film Competition I just take it all in. It will be the first film I’ve been a part of that screened on a big screen (I don’t count JACK O’LANTERN since I never saw it on the big screen when it was screened). It is a great sense of accomplishment to see a completed film on the screen and that everyone enjoys the experience because regardless of the quality of the film it is one of the most nerve racking and exhilarating experiences that I have ever had (other then shooting my own film House of Secrets that is).
There is no describing the feeling one gets when you are able to see a finished film on the big screen and that people other then your own cast and crew are enjoying it. It is one of the greatest feelings that any filmmaker can have sinse deep down inside we all want someone to enjoy the films that we produce. I don’t know about other filmmakers but I like to think that I don’t do films just for me but that I hope others will enjoy them as well (no matter how messed up and unusual they are).

I have mixed feelings about the film itself but that’s because I have mixed feelings about everything I work on. I’ve never once had a great reaction to anything I’ve ever worked on and knowing that this is only a rough version and that director Jim Adams intends to film an expanded version of the film only solidifies my insecurities about the film since he wants to make the story better by working on the characters more. There is only so much you can do with a story that’s less then seven minutes long and in which we were given particular things to put in the film, but whatever…the festival version of the film is its own entity that will be separate from the expanded version just like the competition version of Ron McLellen’s Night of the Hungry Dead is vastly different from the final Director’s Cut, which was expanded post it’s festival version.
All in all I think the cast & crew of Interstate Films did a good job putting together Turn The Other Cheek and even though it may not be the strongest film that any of us have produced it is one of the most fun and I can’t wait for the opportunity to work with the cast & crew again.
Working on the 48 Hour Film Competition is a unique opportunity for me to work with other filmmakers and expand my skills as a filmmaker and I hope that I get the chance to repeat it next year.

THE END.

A FILM IN 48 HOURS: The Making of TURN THE OTHER CHEEK Part 3

2009-07-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

6/28/09

Post-production on the Interstate Films’ 48 Hour Film Competition production Turn The Other Cheek started on Saturday, June 27, 2009 but would not be complete until Sunday, June 28, 2009.

After we had completed filming at the Mexican Restaurant location our co-editor Luisa Casas took the tape to her condo where the production had set up shop to start uploading the footage and cutting the scenes already filmed. When they got hold of the footage they took notice of the HDV footage of the first scene which they could not upload because they were editing with an older version of Final Cut Pro. As luck would have it, these scenes were at the end of the film and director Jim Adams had a solution to changing the end of the film so we didn’t have to go back and reshoot the scene (which was impossible since we no longer had the actors or access to the location any longer).

This is the only major problem that we have in regards to any technical issues of the footage. I’m sure that we could have filmed more coverage of scenes and cutaways (since I truly believe that we don’t have enough) but this is not one of those things you’re thinking about when you’re trying to shoot a film in under 24 hours in order to get it to the editors. The more time we spent shooting the film, the less time the editors hve with the footage and the production has to be complete and final by 7:00 pm tonight.

There is a lot of pressure on shooting the film so the editors can get their hands on the footage. This may not have been apparent but it is something we are all thinking about because unless we complete the film by the deadline all that we have worked for will have been for nothing.

This being the day of post-production I don’t have anything that needs to be done on my end. It is extremely “soothing” to know that I don’t have to be responsible for the final edit of the film (unlike say my feature film House of Secrets which I’m in post-production on). One of the reasons why I decided to do this project is that I want just to do lighting and camera and not be responsible for anything else. Not since working on the Movie Tao production 6 Degrees of Desperation (written & directed by Bren Allison) have I been in this position and sometimes I miss just working on a set as someone other then the person in charge.

The only work I do for the production on this day is give some background info on some of the technical aspects of the film for the paperwork that has to be turned in by the Interstate Films crew (Ondie Daniel & Gary Hamrick, Jr. as producers on the film). Instead, I decide to unwind from the process by going to see a movie on the big screen (the film is Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the less said the better).

Daniel & Hamrick send out an email and text declaring that our film Turn The Other Cheek has beat the deadline and made it to the finish line of the 2009 48 Hour Film competition. Everyone is extremely happy with the outcome and ecstatic that our film will be screening on Wednesday, July 1st as part of the Group C screening of the 48 Hour Film Competition.

Our next goal is to support the film by going to the screening and voting on our film to be the audience award film so it can go on to bigger and better things (in terms of the film festival).

Week 1 - "Filming the First Class"

2009-07-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

Vernon Mui conducted his first class for the remote viewing classes. He's conducting two INTRO classes in order to get people to sign up fot the funsar the two day "Beginningers" class so he can get the funds to make his trip to California at the first of August to do some one-on-one training in remote viewing.

The first class was on Friday, 7/10/09 and had two people from his website that decided to do the FREE Intro class. I couldn't be on hand put we set up a camera to film the entire thing so that not only does he have something to look back on but we have something for the film in case something extraordinary happen during the class.

The second class was the following Sunday on 7/12/09 and only had one person show up.

From what Mui has told me the 1st class provided him with a alot of good questions on the subject to answer whereas the second class went on at a snail's pace due to the lack of students but I informed him that this was his first attempt at teaching a class and he shouldn't get too discouraged

From what I've been told remote viewing is not an easy subject that can be explained in five minutes. It takes Mui almost 2 hours to go over everything and he didn't even get into the "meat" of the subject. I'm sure the first class had a lot of questions for Mui whereas if the person in the second class asked almost no questions (I ended up filming a huge chunk of the second class).

This week ended up being nothing more than more footage that probably won't end up being in the film because the focus of the film is on Mui's personal experience with remote viewing while the classes are only going to be some background flavor.

What this week did do was help me understand why other people are interested in the subject as well as might promote some promotional material not only for my documentary but for Mui as well who wants to do more classes and possibly turn it into a business.

A FILM IN 48 HOURS: The Making of TURN THE OTHER CHEEK Part 2

2009-07-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

6/27/09

Today, Saturday, June 27, 2009 will be the first production day of the Interstate Films 48 Hour Film Competition production Turn The Other Cheek, with Ondie Daniel & Gary Hamrick, Jr. producing and Jim Adams directing and me as director of photography. This will be one of the craziest days in my life as I first have a photo shoot to set up through my company CenterSeat Entertainment before making my way to the Mexican Restaurant – the first location of the day.
The photo shoot for CenterSeat Entertainment is put together by my co-workers Safaa Sammander, Laura Scigliano, and Renonda Anderson, all of whom worked on my feature film House of Secrets. Since Sammander is wanting to get more into the still photography arts (having done all the production stills for my film) this will be the first of many photo shoots designed to showcase themed photo shoots for actors & models. This first one is designed to focus on headshots with Anderson on make up to create some truly inspiring and fantastic creations against a green screen backdrop (with backgrounds to be added later). Since Sammander has never used lighting equipment before it is my job to set up the lights and make sure everything works according to plan. Since the lighting kit is one I’ve never used before it takes twice as long to set up as expected and I end up getting to the Mexican Restaurant later then expected.

Once on the Mexican Restaurant set I immediately set foot to setting up the lights for the first set up of the day. My key grip is Asa Rose who has been working with me on all my productions for the last couple of years. He came to this business knowing absolutely nothing but by working on several different indie film sets he has come unto his own.
Because the film is being shoot in 48 hours I’ve decided to use a very bright and evenly lit restaurant set since it’s a comedy. The location in its normal décor is far too dark and ominous and befitting a dark drama in which the characters have much to hide which is the exact opposite of the feeling I want to give to the film since so much of it takes place in this location.
Adams as director of the film is very fast and very easy to work with as he allows me carte blanche in terms of the cinematography of the film as he focus’ on performances and the blocking of each of the scenes.
The atmosphere on the set of this film is quite different then that of the experiences I’ve had on other films. Since most of the films that I’ve worked on have been features and in the horror, suspense, adventure, and dramatic genres the atmosphere on set has always been heavy and maybe a little too serious (probably because they were features and we always had a set amount of scenes and pages to get through before the end of the day). The atmosphere on this production is different and at times down right hilarious despite the tight shooting schedule and pressures of trying to complete the film on time.
When we aren’t filming everyone is having a grand time whether talking in groups or taking pictures of anything and everything. This ends up being one of the best groups of people I’ve worked with in such a short period of time. Although I did not get to know many of the individuals involved with the production (aside from the technical crew) working on the 48 Hour Film Competition is indeed a unique experience.
Most of the day is spent at this main location and when we finished filming there we move onto the second location, which is one of the actor’s home – Corey Chaleff, who is gracious enough to allow us the use of his home for the film. At this location we film the beginning of the story in which the scenes are mainly with our main actor James Robert Jarrett (who’s in the film Dance of the Dead).
Since I’ve never read the finished script (and am going by instinct and what Adams describes to me about the film) I don’t know much of what is going on in any given scene, which ironically is freeing as I focused on the look of each scene and where we will place the camera..

The entire shooting time for the film is less then 10 hours, which is amazing considering what we are trying to accomplish but we succeed in finishing up principal photography sooner then anticipated. We complete filming around 7:00 pm that night long before the sun is actually down.
Although we encountered a few problems (most notably that the first scene of the day is filmed in HDV instead of DV-24p so it can’t be accessed by the editing crew and has to be scraped altogether), the post production process will go through without many problems, hopefully.
Filming being done I leave the post production process to Hamrick, Daniel, and the rest of the production crew.

7/09/09 First Day of Filming on OUT OF SEASON

2009-07-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

It's barely been one month since writer/producer/director Ed Harlaque finished filming pick up shots on his previous indie film and now he's plowed straight ahead into his next film OUT OF SEASON in which I have a small role as the lawyer to a woman who is accussed of killing her boyfriend, who also happens to be a police officer.

Since getting the location of Gwinnett Convention Center was so easy on his previous film we decided to make the first day of filming at my place of work once again. Harlaque has decided to possibly start filming this production in sequential order so the first scenes we are filming are the prologue to the film. And I'm in these scenes.

Originally, my character was only suppose to be two scenes but do to Harlaque continuing to do rewrites he's decided that my character (who has no name and is simply known as "lawyer") may show up in several scenes throughout the film.

After reading the script I asked Harlaque if I could be the lawyer as it has been a long time since I've been in front of the camera (although I made a cameo in his previous film as a bouncer) and I wanted my comeback to at least be something I would be interested in doing. Although the role is small (and I don't have a name), I've always wanted to play a lawyer and hope that we have a scene in the courtroom where I would really like to show off.

Another thing that attracted me to this role is the fact that it is the first time I'm able to dress up in a suit and look older then what I normally do because I have to look like a sophisticated lawyer at the top of his game.

I had a lot of fun with the role and look forward to more scenes as the lawyer in the film.

A FILM IN 48 HOURS: The Making of TURN THE OTHER CHEEK Part 1

2009-07-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

6/26/09

Today is the first day of the 48 Hour Film Competition in Atlanta, Georgia and even though I’ve known many people who have participated in the event in the past, this will be the first year I participate. On a whim I decided to be the lighting designer for the Interstate Films production team being lead by Ondie Daniel and Gary Hamrick, Jr. both of whom I am currently working with on the vampire anthology film Last Call.
This being my first competition I don’t want to work too hard i truth be told this experience will dictate whether I ever do another one again.
Today is Friday, June 26th, 2009 and the production crew will get all the competition specifics in order to begin production on the competition film. This includes picking a genre, getting a character, a particular prop, and receiving a phrase that all needs to be incorporated into the film in order to qualify.
I’m not part of the writers group of what so much will happen on the first day. I show up to meet & greet everyone else on the team. The writer’s council takes place at the condo of Luisa Casas, who is an actor in the film and a co-editor on the production.
In what can be called the recreational room of Casas’ condo complex, Daniel and Hamrick gather together the writers in order to hammer out a script as soon as possible. Because the nature of the competition is to write, shoot, and edit a complete film in 48 hours we are not going to wait for anything. The sooner we have a script, the sooner we cab begin filming.
The group lucks out by getting comedy as the genre as that seems to be the writers’ greatest strengths. A rough draft of the script is quickly put together long before I arrive.
Due to some financial difficulties and having to run all over Georgia not only for equipment (located in Peachtree City from a fellow filmmaker who is letting me get a hold of his HDV camera for the film shoot) but to acquire the money to even be able to do the film, I don’t make it to the location until close to 10pm at night which ends up being fine since I walk in just as the production crew and cast are about to take a production photo.
When I arrive I can tell the group that Daniel & Hamrick has put together is a good one as I see the camaraderie coming through in the pix that are taken. This just makes me believe that I have chosen a good group of people to do my first 48 Hour production with.
After taking the group photo (which is during a break from writing the screenplay), I meet a few of the people involved with the production (even though many are leaving since it is decided we are not going to be doing any filming tonight).
I stay in order to talk through a possible shot list with the director once the script is finalized. This is not going to happen as Hamrick (who is slated to be director) steps down in order to let Jim Adams be director on the project. Hamrick has no problems stepping down as he has very little experience in the comedy genre unlike Adams. While Adams and Hamrick and Daniel help finalize the script, I spend most of my time discussing the whole process with Casas.
This being my first production away from Southlan-Films or CenterSeat Entertainment I want to get the lay of the land. Speaking with Casas leads me to the conclusion that many people working on this production are filmmakers just wanting to network and do what they love to do regardless of the hardships of indie film production. None of us are getting paid and we are all there because we want to be, not because we have to be.
This puts everything in perspective for me as it has been a long time since I’ve participated in a project in which I am not the production manager, producer, or someone in charge of every little aspect of the production.
I can actually sit back and enjoy myself for once. Enjoy the reason why I got into filmmaking in the first place. I enjoy that evening (even if I don’t end up leaving until close to 2:00 am in the morning) and it remind me that filmmaking can be fun.

With a finished script in hand we are ready to begin production on our short film Turn The Other Cheek at 8:00 am in the morning at our first location – a Mexican Restaurant.
Much fun will be had.

7/07/09 Meeting With A Editor

2009-07-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

I've got so many projects I want to have done by the end of the year that I'm getting the aid of another editor to help me out. Her name is Bren Allison-Pettingill and I've worked with her on several other projects most recently as a director of photographer on her feature film 6 DEGREES OF DESPERATION, a teen comedy. Since she edited that film I've decided to work with her to continue putting together episodes of the DIARY OF A FILMMAKER series while I focus on my short films ALONE... and MISS KITTY & ME with my other editor Daniel Hirsh.

Allison-Pettingill is a promising editor who has edited several of her own projects in addition to her feature film so I am confident that she will be able to jump right into the DIARY OF A FILMMAKER series with no problems. In addition to the DIARY OF A FILMMAKER series I hope to work with her on several of my smaller productions which have been sitting on a shelf for quite some time which includes the second episode of the CITY GARDEN series THE OLD WOMAN IN THE PARK and Safaa Sammander's short film MY SISTER MADGE to name a few.

I'll know more when the time comes and will report it here first when they are released for the public consumption.

6/30/09 Filming the First Interview.

2009-07-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

At the last moment Vernon Mui and myself decided to film the first initial interview for our remote viewing documentary tonight at Gwinnett Convention Center. In addition to the interview we were also going to film his first solo remote viewing session not only as a means of discovering all the technical aspects of the project but to also get me familiar to how it works in the practical sense but to also familiarize me with the whole concept.

The purpose of this film is not only to inform and describe what the process of remote viewing is for the average person but to allow me to go on my own journey of discovering what it is since I have so little knowledge of it in the first place.

The interview was hard going at first since Mui has never been interviewed before and found it difficult to stay focused and concentrate. He had issues with staying focused on the task at had but by the end of the interview he was where I needed him to be for the film. Mui is an unusual subject for the film as he is mostly a behind-the-scenes person who never wants to be in front of the camera. For this film he is mainly the subject and my "window" into the world of remote viewing. He gets satisfaction from using the project as a means to teach more people who are interested in the subject matter. We are currently setting up several classes that will be filmed for the documentary and which will allow him to shine as a teacher.

I'm thinking the film will take us through summer and part of the fall to film and I will be a feature (or at least 74-80 minutes long). This is our second day of filming (our first day was spent on the first class).

The amazing thing about this proect is that even though the filming of the actual remote viewing sessions are quite boring it is the results of the session that are facinating because with Mui's session I picked the subject that he was to remote view and he was very close to finding the right place (the place was some pyramids of Egypt) even though he had no knowledge of the place he was looking for. He had enough of the small details correct that I am convenced that there may be something to this remote viewing (the results of the session will be posted online and in the finished film).

This was our practice run for the documentary but I'm convenced that this is a subject worth documenting and looking into.

6/25/09 Finding a New Director

2009-06-25T19:25:00.001-07:00

After Ron McLellen had to drop out of working with me on the vampire short "History of the Vampire" for the anthology film LAST CALL I scrambled to come up with another person to take his place. As luck would have it a friend of mine Bren Allison-Pettingill was interested in working with me again and the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

We spoke today discussing the script and any possible changes that she might want to the story and her ideas were all very valid. One of her key contributions is that she thought the two main characters of Jackaboc and William spend too much time sitting at the bar not doing much. She thinks that they should be doing something other then that which she suggested the action of playing darts. I agreed that this could be a possibility.

She also suggested that there be a stronger modivating factor for the William character to remain in the bar all the while paying little attention to the story that Jackaboc is trying to tell him. This was also another idea that I had no problem with implimenting into the script.

After we discussed all the possibilities she said she wanted to read over the script again with all these new ideas in her head before officially jumping on the board the project. If she does agree she will be a great asset to the film as she will definitely bring a different approach to the film then McLellen primarily because McLellen has done mostly horror films and she has done adventure, drama, and comedy so they are both coming from two different backgrounds.

This should all be very interesting.

6/20/09 Hiring a Director

2009-06-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

After a long talk with director Ron McLellen it was decided that he should no longer direct my screenplay HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRES for the vampire anthology LAST CALL (which is Executive Produced by Ondie Daniel). He is currently heavy in post on his own film EVIL IN THE FLESH which was filmed last year and is heavy in CGI effects right now. He is also prepping production on a HALLOWEEN fan-film and these two obligations prompted him to step down from behind the camera on my project.

Instead I now find myself looking for a new director for the screenplay which will also be aproved by Daniel. My second choice is Bren Allison-Pettingill who directed the film 6 DEGREES OF DESPERATION last year (among having directed many other short films and documentaries). I sent her both the original screenplay and the McLellen approved version for her consideration.

The reason I did this is because I want to give her the oportunity to read the screenplay as originally developed before McLellen & I did rewrites. I prefer the original version although I was always up for changing details to suit the director. I want to give Allison-Pettingill the opportunity to give her own input into the production.

Right now the only characters cast are minor characters with the exception of the WIFE in which actress Amy Wolkis (whom I worked with on BAD LAND and EVIL IN THE FLESH) is attatched. Many of the minor characters and vampires will be played by actors from the haunted house attraction Netherworld. The artists of Netherworld are also providing make-up, stunts, and CGI, among other technical support, to the film.

If Allison-Pettingill decides that she is not interested then I will direct the film myself which was never out of the range of possibility. Either way I look forward to working on the film and with Daniel again since the last time we worked together she was the Casting director for my film HOUSE OF SECRETS (when it was known as SHIVER).

6/19/09 ReShoots on BREAKING THROUGH

2009-06-20T04:56:00.000-07:00

We were at Gwinnett Convention Center & Arena last night filming reshoots on the urban film BREAKING THROUGH which is directed by Ed Harlaque (his first film). After three years of filming on and off he decided that more was needed for the film so we ended up filming more footage for the stripper runway model sequence (in which the strippers of the film walk down the runway in very little clothes) which is one of the final sequences in the film.

We filmed some of this earlier in the year but with none of the main cast members until now (which is kind of unusual since the main characters should be the ones that are in the competition).

Either way, this is one of the longest productions I've ever been on. It is good to hear that the film is almost done and that soon I'll be able to see some of the work I've put into the film since I was one of the lighting directors on the film (getting out to the set whenever I could).

6/11/09 Meeting the Music Supervisor

2009-06-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

Met with my music supervisor Sacha Dzuba last night to go over some preliminaries for HOUSE OF SECRETS. Dzuba is part of the band The Julia Dream but he's also a very talented composer who contributed to the score for JACK O'LANTERN and some of my early photo gallery films. He's also composed music for several short films and even a full score for a children's theatre play.

For HOUSE OF SECRETS I need a variety of band music and original score and he's the one I trust to be able to bring me a variety of stuff to choice from (if not compose something original himself). Right now I have someone else on board to score the film (Kevin McKiney who has scored CITY GARDEN for me so far) but I wanted to work with Dzuba again and this was one of the best ways to do so.

Our meeting was very production in that we discussed the four songs by bands that I thing the film needs and we listened to a lot of different genres of music so that he could get a better feel of the types of songs that I'm looking for. I even came to the conclusion that I need to use one of The ulia Dream's song as my End Titles song.

Working on this just means I'm getting that much closer to finishing the film (even though I still have a very long ways to go).

06/05/09 First day of filming on Remote Viewing Documentary

2009-06-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

At the same time I was conducting a reading of my screenplay HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRES for the anthology film LAST CALL, I was also doing some preliminary filming on my documentary on remote viewing. Vernon Mui, who is a practicioner of the process of remote viewing, was conduction a Level 1 class with an individual who was being exposed to it for the very first time. This class wasn't originally suppose to be part of the film that Mui & I are doing but we decided to film this session just so he could get aclimated to the camera being on him (since the film will mostly follow him) and we could get some cutaways and background footage for the proposed feature length film.

I don't know really anything about remote viewing other then what was in the film SUSPECT ZERO but I thought it would make an interesting topic for a film that discusses the process and execution by someone who uses it.

Since I was unable to be on hand to film and watch the entire session, I'll have to rely on the footage to give me an idea of what happened and how well the session went off.

06/05/09 The Reading of the Screenplay with Actors

2009-06-07T06:28:00.001-07:00

Producer Ondie Daniel put together a tean of actors (both cast and not cast) for the reading of my screenplay HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRES in order to work out some of the problems (if any) with the script prior to casting later this month. It was interesting as I originally didn't think that the reading would be all that benificial since I had already did a re-write of the screenplay changes things to meet expectations of director Ron McLellen, who at the last minute could not make it to the reading for personal reasons.

The reading was actually beneficial in that the notes that cast & writers had helped me see the problems with the story when I changed some of the motivations of the main character WILLIAM. These were small things but nevertheless things that when I change them will make the screenplay stronger as a whole.

The meeting/reading was also good in that it gave me and Ondie our first real meeting together on the production and we actually came to some decisions about my production and the entire production as a whole. I was also able to get the title of the film - LAST CALL, and I got a look at the film's promo art work that will be on the tee-shirts (among other items).

Now I've got to contact actors and try to put together other production items to get this film on the move.

05/31/09 Rewriting the Script

2009-05-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

Emailed the director approved version of HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRE to producer Ondie Daniel and director Ron McLellen yesterday (in addition to actor Chris Whitley, more on that later). Par my conversation with McLellen it was decided that the main character in the screenplay WILLIAM should not know he is a vampire, which upon closer examination I agreed with, so I incorporated those ideas into the current version of the screenplay.

HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRE is just one story of five in the Daniel produced vampire anthology (title currently unknown) of which I contributed one of the stories and wanted McLellen to direct if I was not going to do so myself. I could have easily done the film myself but I want to see how someone else interprets my work so I'm being very hands off on the production of the film.

Another fact is that I do not particularly like vampire films as the majority of the ones I've seen (which is a substantial amount) are dull and uninteresting. I just think the monster itself is dull and uninteresting. But I came up with a story that put my love of horror films and the vampire mythos on its head (or at least I hope it does). I hope the story is both informative and funny at the same time even in the gore-soaked bloody parts at the end (which I had a oy in writing).

I hope the film comes off just 70% as originally intended because then I know I'm closer to writing the type of screenplay that any director can come in and adequately interpret which is my true goal with this endeavor.

We'll see how the re-writes are taken when Daniel and McLellen give me feedback.

05/06/09 - Reading the Script

2009-05-06T05:31:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading writer/director Ron McLellen's short film script HALLOWEEN: NIGHT OF THE BOOGEYMAN which is meant to be a fan-film that he plans on filming this year. It is a short film that is part remake and part re-imagination of the original John Carpenter film.

Being a short film and a remake of the original film (and not the Rob Zombie remake) McLellen's script borrows a lot from the original film with only a few minor changes mostly in terms of names of characters but the plot is 100% Carpenter HALLOWEEN, which is not a good thing.

In this day and age there are virtually hundreds of HALLOWEEN fan-films out there and doing a remake of theoriginal is probably not the best way to go. Of the few HALLOWEEN fan-films I've seen most of them have either done sequels to various films in the franchise or created stand alone one-offs but none that I have seen have tried to remake the original (which point of fact is too straight forward and kind of bland which is why Zombie changed so much for his version). McLellen has done some very interesting short films in his past, most notable NIGHT OF THE HUNGRY DEAD (which gets mention in this fan-film), THE INN, FROM ABOVE, and DER SOLDAT, but this film is lacking in originality and...well, a sense of fun.

Most of the fan-films I've seen relish the opportunity to have fun with their favorite character being able to put them in situations that "Hollywood" never would but this sense of fun is completely void in McLellen's script and in fact comes off as dare I say - bland and emotionless. Now this may be exactly what he is going for as it is a remake of the Carpenter film and if that is the case then he has succeeded but that doesn't always make for a good fan-film.

Regardless, I've always trusted McLellen with his productions and for the most part they are sound, so, I'm not too worried when we actually start to film. I'm actually looking forward to the filming as this will be my first fan-film and McLellen is working on getting the Myers mask from HALLOWEEN: H20 as opposed to any of the other versions of the mask. I know that he'll change it around and augment it to fit his own perceptions of how Myers should look. I also happen to be in the running for a small role in the film which should be fun since I've had no roles in quite a long time (by choice since I'm too busy) and I thought that this film would be a good film to re-enter the field.

I'll have more as we get closer to filming the movie.

04/27/09 Turning In The Script

2009-04-27T17:31:00.000-07:00

I gave Ondie Daniel my screenplay "History of the Vampire" last week. This short script is part of a vampire anthology she is producing. I agreed to contribute a script although I may or may not direct or even have anything to do with it. Although I would love to direct the screenplay, I think it would be more interesting for me to watch someone else interpret my writing. Right now I'm just waiting for feedback in regards to whether or not the screenplay is right for the film she is producing.

I designed the screen-story to be an homage to vampire films while also being a kind of "intro" to vampires. Since I don't particularly have an interest in vampires, vampire films, or this sub-genre of horror to begin with coming up with a story for Daniel's "Untitled Vampire Anthology" was a feat unto itself. The only way I got through it is by loosely basing the story and structure of the story on a thus far abandoned screenplay from almost eight years ago. Although I had very little initial interest the story seemed to write itself as it took me only two days to write the first draft (which came in at just under 30 pages).

Since giving the script to Daniel, we've discussed the possibility of Ron McLellen directing the film. I both like and loathe this idea. I like this idea because by having a seasoned filmmaker on board I can be assured of the high quality and production values but I loathe this idea as McLellen has a knack of dumbing-down his scripts and there is a lot of ambiguous moments in the screenplay that I don't want to be made obvious.

Upon reading the screenplay we discussed a few items mainly that he wants to change the ending so that the two barflies exit the bar and the audience has no doubts that they are vampires because they change into vampires to help a third one who is being attacked by vampire hunters. When I heard him say this I immediately knew that he didn't get the story as everything in the story is ambiguous in regards to the vampires and my point was to show that vampires in the modern age can hide in plane sight even from their own kind. If you reveal the two barflies as vampires then you loose the whole point that I'm trying to make with the story. He also wanted to change a lot of the dialogue since my original had very little and it was meant to be brutal and fast and disturbing. By adding more dialogue you miss the element of the brutality because the characters are being too talkative. The dialogue that is present is very stylized because the less said the better.

Now, I know I'll have to do another re-write of the screenplay which I am prepared to do but based on the input of Daniel and the rest of the producers. After that I will wash my hands free and leave it up to the director to deliver a good story. I'm fully prepared to see a finished product that is barely recognizable from my own. This is one of the reasons why I'm working on this production which is to see how I can work as a writer with other people.

I await Daniel's response to the script before doing anything.

04/09/09 - On the Set of BREAKING THROUGH

2009-04-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Today was the final day of filming on the urban film BREAKING THROUGH which I've been working on and off for over two years. Today we were filming some pick up scenes at Gwinnett Convention Center & Arena (where I work my 9 to 5) in which three of the "strippers/contestants" of the film are having a discussion in the dressing room before taking the stage for the climatic contest scene.

As directed by first time writer & director Edward Harlaque BREAKING THROUGH has many problems that most first time films have which is a mediocre script, mediocre acting, and mediocre technical skills, but what the film does have is dedication from the large cast and heart from the director who has toiled on the project for over two years and refuses to give up. There is great passion on this production which will allow it to get finished and in front of an audience if nothing else.

On this film I helped with lighting and even acted in one scene as a bouncer, so, for me it was fun.

******

Just after the shoot ended Harlaque gave me the screenplay for his next film. He plans on trying to get three films out by the end of the year. This is one hell of an ambition considering that the first film needs to get finished but after watching him work on BREAKING THROUGH for two years I have no doubt that he will attempt everything that he says and I admire him for that.