Personal situation

I'll be brief. There is an ongoing family situation that demands most of my waking hours. I have set aside everything for a couple of weeks, at least, to deal with it. I hope to shoot this horror movie in February. I will get back on the emails as soon as I can. Thanks for your understanding.

Please be patient...

I have not yet had time to answer all the inquiries I've gotten regarding Devil's Vein, Blue Volcano Productions next horror shoot. I've had a lot of non-movie-making things to take care of the past few days so please bear with me. That goes for cast & crew prospects. I'm thinking that if all goes half-way as expected I might begin the process of answering the emails tomorrow.

If you are one of the actors/actresses who have not sent me a head-shot and body-shot, please do so. I won't bother sending you any dialogue without those photos. Thanks everyone who has responded. You are all appreciated.

I'll keep it short this evening.

A possible February shoot?

This evening I had to cancel my ad searching from crew members for my upcoming horror production because I had gotten so much response. I've yet had the time to answer everyone's email so please be patient if it takes a few days. I truly wasn't expecting to generate this amount of interest.

I plan to pick my cast by the end of November. I've decided not to rush this thing because I think it can be big if done properly. I want to test my special effects and get them right. I hate corny-looking special effects and prefer to brandish as much realism in the movie as possible. On a small budget it might be difficult but we'll see what I can do.

Once a cast is chosen and the ink is dry on the contracts ensuring me of their warm bodies for the 3 days that I need them, I will break the script down into shots, etc. In a day or two I will move into revision mode and go through 2 or 3 revisions of the script before releasing it in its entirety to the cast and crew.

I've asked a good friend to join me with this production and he has indicated that February might be the earliest he would be able to make the trip to North Carolina. I'm contemplating the pros and cons of waiting this long to begin production but it would allow me to work on raising funding and experimenting with the special effects. I'd really like to have him on the set so what was originally a December shoot might become a February shoot. Such is the life of independent filmmaking. I love it. This will simply give everyone time to clear their schedules for the days I need them. More on this topic when I've made a decision.

Tonight I'm about to fix myself a hot cup of tea and get on with the script. I'm already tired so I probably won't be up past 1 am tonight.

Welcome new crew, looking for others

I want to welcome Erik to the team. Thanks for meeting up with me today in Asheville. You are a great addition to the crew.

I am still open to one or two more individuals.

However, a note to any interested parties - if you say you are going to meet me then meet me. If you cancel on a commitment to meet with me for a mere few minutes, how can I trust that you will show up for 3-4 days in a row? Answer: I can't and I won't. That goes for cast or crew. I don't play games. You know upfront what you are getting and I want to know what I am getting. There are too many dependable individuals out there like Erik to choose from to play games. Period.

With that said, I am building enthusiasm for this project like never before. My first movie took nearly a year to complete, shooting off and on trying to accommodate all schedules. Never again. My second movie was a lot of fun and it too was challenging in that most of the production was shot in 3 days but then I had only 1 main character and 2 supporting characters. This horror movie will have much more depth and breadth. What is common throughout my experiences as a filmmaker is that you always leave knowing that you have made lifetime friends. It's awesome. I would do anything in my power for those who have participated in my projects, not as payback for their help but because of the kinship formed during production. It is a family atmosphere.  

I need to respond to 6 more individuals who want to help out on this production. I wish I could say yes to each of them who have great personalities and attitudes but I can't. I just can't afford to say yes to everyone. So what I'm looking at more than anything is attitude. A great attitude goes further with me than a great resume. I can train someone with a great attitude but I can't give a great attitude to someone who has trained skills but lacks a great attitude.

Enough.

Plethora of talent appears

I finally feel as though I indeed won't die from this damn cold or whatever it was that has hounded me for days. I actually feel human again. Ah, to feel human again when one is not. Anyway, I even scheduled a couple of meetings for tomorrow. Some great prospects came in today for cast and crew. I'm eager to meet with this talent. I really feel positive about recent turn-of-events that have lifted a heavy weight off my shoulders. I feel as though I can go headfirst into this production and wrap it up a few days later with what I need to edit together a great horror movie. I'm very excited and part of that excitement comes from meeting new talented individuals.

For all those actors/actresses who have contacted me, I will soon email a couple of pages of the script to you so you can learn the dialogue. I don't need to hear a lot to know if you are the one of not to be cast in a particular role. I need to find a location in Asheville that will let me hold a very informal audition. I will give at least a 2-week notice so you can prepare and clear your schedule for that brief time. I feel if you can't accommodate me at this time, you probably won't be able to accommodate me for 3 days of production. Anyway, I appreciate your interest.

That's about it for tonight. Thanks and good night.

Script nearing completion

Though still feeling a little under the weather, I managed to work on my script for quite a while over the past two days. Funny how the characters seem to write the script and not me. A few scenes have been changed because they didn't feel right when I got to them. I am now comfortable that the story has become all it can be.

As stated in an earlier post, I may have to postpone the production to January or February if all my cards don't align. I will possibly need two additional crew members, a boom person and a production assistant. These two positions are a must before I set a definitive date to shoot. All else will fall into place. Though I'm happy to receive more portfolios and resumes I am confident that I can now fill my cast from the ones already received.

Today I plan to write more on my script and indulge in good coffee products.

So how much is 10-15 seconds worth?

Just watched an interesting film on YouTube for free entitled The Breakup Artist, 2004. It lists Ed Burns of Looking for Kitty, Brothers McMullen, and She's the One fame to name but a few. I like Ed Burns. He made his first movie, I think it was Brother's McMullen, for about $25,000 in NY and it was awesome in my opinion. I bring this up because he had a 10 second or so clip in the movie and maybe a line or two and that was it, yet his name was listed in the main credits to, of course, capitalize on his name. So I wonder how much Ed got for his brief role in The Breakup Artist (2004) - There are numerous movies of the same or similar titles. Regis Phibin or whatever his name is also made a brief appearance in the movie though his time was far longer on screen than Ed's. Hey Ed - come to Asheville. I might even give you a company T-shirt.

Horror: What better genre for independent film?

Yes. Horror. Many close to me have asked why horror? Well, why not horror? Horror is perhaps the best genre to gain recognition in the low-budget independent movie industry. And when I say low-budget I really mean no-budget, as in 4-figures or whatever, not a 7-figure low-budget as many low-budget filmmakers are accustomed to. The genre has multitudes of film festivals designed especially for the genre unlike other festivals that accept literally anything with the exception of porn.

And of course the genre has gazillions of followers.

If I wanted to make a Disney-type G-rated fluff movie I would have written a Disney-type G-rated fluff script. I did not. I actually love good horror. Making one for practically nothing is challenging to say the least but I am always up for a challenge. The movie will contain harsh language, attempted rape, and many grisly murders.

I have nothing to say that is life-changing or profound in this movie. It is for entertainment. Period. No message. No pulpit moment. Just entertainment.

Cool.

Time to call it a night?

Is it time to call it a night, if during a test shot of a scene, a stunt-dummy you plan to use for your upcoming movie doesn't cooperate - and you find yourself calling her, I mean it, derogatory names as if she, I mean it, was a real person that you despise?

Probably.

Good night.

Co-Producer level of support

I have added a Co-Producer level of support on the 'Get Involved' page. The perks listed come with a $500 support donation. And, of course, I will love you forever :)

I'm going to eat some chips & salsa, drink a hot apple cider with black pepper, cinnamon & cayenne pepper and watch an episode or two of The Mary Tyler Moore Show with my wife. Sounds awesome. One of my favorite things in life - an episode of good old television, snacks, and a quiet evening with her.

Tomorrow I hope to feel at least 95% so I can tackle a few things involving the production.

I am going to need 3 tents, a bow with arrows, a machete, various camo clothing and/or military fatigue kind of clothing, and some miscellaneous lumber for a large sign. If anyone has any of this sitting around give me a holler. However, the tents might suffer a bit of damage so be forewarned and don't dig the one out of your 'End of Times' stash.

With that said, thank you for spending time out of your life to read this blog. If anyone ever wants to meet over in Asheville for a cup of coffee and movie production related things, I am over there about once a week. And don't worry, I won't bring the machete or bow. Ah, but I don't have them yet, do I?

Take care. Good night.

Blasted Fever

Last night I had a relapse with the whole fever thing. My throat is so sore that my mother didn't recognize my voice when I called to tell her I couldn't drop by today. Only now at around 2 is it starting to let up. Anyway it doesn't look like much is going to get accomplished today.

Tomorrow is a new day.

Short Update

I just changed a few things on the cast breakdown page. Check it out. I'll try to get more detailed with my needs as I'm aware of them. I'm thinking about trying a fundraising campaign on IndieGoGo and Kickstarter. I'll see how long the campaigns run for and if I have to shoot in January instead of December, I will. I'd prefer to shoot in December. Makes no difference at this point, no cast is set in stone. Still perusing the resumes and photos that's been emailed to me.  It depends on the funding. It's always about the money.

That's about all I can think of at the moment. I've been sick so I haven't made a lot of progress the past 2 days. When I find out anything I'll let you know.

Production Update

I'm still looking at various locations for the production. A closed campground with an open field near some woods would be ideal. Or someone with acreage and a clearing, preferably away from neighbors a bit so when we start killing off the cast, the boys-in-blue won't come calling, though it would be great for the behind-the-scenes segment. Maybe not. Anyway, I've got a couple of leads I'm working on, but if anyone has a connection then please connect me.

Spoke with my cinematographer recently regarding cameras. I think we will shoot primarily on the Panasonic HPX-170 HD Camera at 24fps. I will also capture footage with a DXV100a and a 16mm film camera for select shots. I am deciding between lighting the night or shooting day for night. I think the final budget will determine between the two, shooting at night being my goal if the money is raised to secure proper equipment for such an endeavor. Either way, this is going to be a fun production that has a lot of potential since the horror independent film market is, if not the top market, one of the top market genres in the industry. Many, many horror film festivals to choose from.

Just got my email link working for this blog. Didn't realize until a few minutes ago that no one has been able to email me through this blog because I didn't verify my email account. Well, it's done now. Sorry, guys, my bad on that one.

I'm really excited about this production. It is a prequel project of sorts, setting the tone and laying groundwork with a new crew, etc, before we jump into a 2-week production for a zombie movie I plan to produce early next year. I hope to meet a lot of talented actors and crew. Don't hold back, if you ever wanted to get involved, now is the time, and I'm the director because I'm easy-going and will get you through whatever the script calls for if you put your trust in me as I will you. It really is that simple. Hey, thanks for looking. I appreciate you.