The Full Pitch

Watch me as I explain the plot for REDD.

Get Busy Living

Some really great things have been happening. Along with some very tragic things.

One of my Godmothers was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully they caught it early and things are looking good for her.

My aunt in San Diego was also diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately she is terminal and may not have long to live.

It was heartbreaking to find that out. And it makes this past few weeks quite bittersweet. Some really great news on my end and some great opportunities coming up. So I'm happy and sad all at the same time. Really makes you think. Helps you appreciate life a whole lot more.

So if there's anything positive about all of this it's that you realize how good you've got it, and when an opportunity comes along in life, you take it. Who knows what may happen tomorrow.

Which brings me to the great things. I don't want to elaborate too much on it. Let's just say, business has been good. I've blogged about how I really enjoy making money making videos, and how it's really paid off for me in the past. Well it's paid off for me once again. If you know me, and you've kept up with my blog then you probably know what I'm referring to.

This is a big opportunity to for me to really get going on both REDD and MONSTER COPS. Of course I still need to raise a whole lotta money. But I'm confident we'll be able to do so.

In other news, my computer crashed for the 4th time. Good thing is I have the no lemon policy from Best Buy. 4th time means they give me a brand new computer. Which is what I am currently using right now. Better processor, larger hard drive space. So no reason to complain.

I did lose alot of footage so doing the 8 minute trailer is a no go. But this is a good thing. I was starting to fret over the 8 minutes when really I needed to concentrate on making that full feature film. The first 4 minutes was good enough to garner some interest and display the initial feel. This concept trailer gives you a glimpse of the plot.





The next step is to put together a Pitch Video where I explain the entire plot and tell you more about the full feature, and then to post it on our Kickstarter page. Speaking of that. Remember to check out our Kickstarter here:




We've got about 30 days left now. Special thanks to the 4 people to start us off with the initial pledges. I really appreciate it.

It's been a whirlwind of activity this past month. Major ups mixed in with major downs. But two things are important. I reminded of how precious life is, and you must let this reminder fuel your efforts to work toward your dreams.

"Get busy living or get busy dying. That's goddamn right."
- Morgan Freeman as "RED" from The Shawshank Redemption

A Nice Pace

Monday I posted about 800 views on YouTube for our Red Riding Hood Action Horror Short.

As I've just checked it, it is now at 9,572 views.

Not bad. And we seem to be gaining views at a nice pace.

And what's great is I'm actually applying alot of what I've learned about Viral Marketing to get more views, and each time I do, I can actually see those views come in.  But to reach 9,572 views since Tuesday, that's a pace I just wasn't expecting. The video has been up for 2 weeks, and we're close to 10,000 views.  I've never had a video reach 10,000 views that fast.  So let's hope the viewers keep coming in, and not only that, but they remember what they see, this will all help with the overall marketing of the movie.

Seems to be helping already. The REDD Facebook Page had only 80 likes just a few weeks ago. Now we're at 135 likes.  Again, not bad.

I'm really beginning to see the potential here, and how it all works together into actually making and marketing the full feature film.  I'm excited to go further with this.  Thankfully I'm feeling better. I was sick, then got better, then relapsed, and now I'm slowly getting better again.

Been hacking away at re-writes for the feature film.  Been trying to streamline it, make sure we're going to make a quality movie, and not spend too much money.  I'm so very excited to make this movie and get it out there for people to see. It's going to be fun and unique.

Of course the next step is to create the full concept trailer. Which I'm hoping to get back on next week, depending on my schedule. Still gotta work and try to get some money in.  With the Concept trailer we will explain the full plot, and what you can expect from the feature film.  I may very well cut together a pitch trailer, with me explaining the plot, just so I can get the online fundraising going.  I'm anxious to start up the kickstarter and start fundraising the first round of money. Wish me luck.

REDD Short Film. Watch it Now!

I would appreciate any and all views, likes, and favorites on YouTube. And it would be helpful if this were posted on any and all blogs, forums, facebooks, and twitter accounts. I want a ton of people to see this.

Next up, we complete the full 8 minute Concept Trailer, then fundraising, then the feature.

Wish us luck.

Join REDD on Facebook http://facebook.com/reddactionhorrormovie

Paint By Numbers

 The first 4 minutes of REDD are done. Completely finalized. Even uploaded a semi final cut so a few folks could see just so I could gauge reaction.  I can only hope that the rest of the world has the same reaction as everyone else.

The first 4 minutes is the actual scene that starts off the feature. When we do the actual feature there may be some minor differences and some amped up action, but it's pretty much going to be the same scene. The Fairy Tale introduction of our Red Riding Hood aka REDD, then the reveal of what kind of movie this actually is. It's straight up action horror and complete fun.

Now it's all about the next 4 minutes, which is the trailer portion, that explains the basic plot of REDD. I expect to get a good portion of it shot this weekend, with possibly 3 more shooting days in the next few weeks. This will be wrapped up before February, weather and reality permitting.

Other things in my life are being turned up a bit, which is kind of pressuring me to really get REDD finished and online and get the fundraising started. I'm planning on doing 3 phases of fundraising. The first phase being a very small amount. Possibly around $500.

The final budget looks to be about $11,000. But honestly I'm going to aim for much more as I'll definitely need about $5,000 specifically for Distribution and Marketing.

Right now it's all connect the dots and paint by numbers. Just follow the steps that are laid out, and we'll have a finished product to get ourselves towards an even more finished product.

This year is all about making REDD into a feature film.

Stunts In The Park

Met up with Bryan Sloyer and Ramon Dickenson. Two guys who are a part of a Parkour group here in Winston known as Vanish Freerun. They've decided to help me out with some of the stunts and fight scenes for REDD.

These are the kinds of guys I've been looking for for a while now. I've been looking for a way to PLUS the action in REDD, and I think I've found it. Hopefully we can knock some great action out to add to REDD in the next few weeks.

The truth is, I want my short film REDD to go Viral.

Photo taken from http://marketingblog.net

What does that mean? It means I want to post the full short on Youtube and get a million views.

But Why? Because a high view count is precious to an emerging filmmaker. It'll be easier to raise the money I need if I can point to one of my video's and showcase it's popularity. Also because if I were to turn Redd into a feature, we'd have a head start on building buzz and building a following.

So how does that work? How does one make a video go viral. I've been seriously studying this for the past 3 years. I've tested the waters here and there with a few videos ever since I joined YouTube 5 years ago, but I've never made a full attempt til now.

There are several resources I can point to that pinpoint the best ways to make a viral video go, well, viral. There are very many points to consider, and no matter who you read or talk to, no matter the varying opinions on how it's done, the one caveat that I cross is this:

MAKE A GOOD VIDEO

Yes there are some videos out there with a million views that may not qualify as a good video. Those videos have a niche of some sort, and are, at the very least, entertaining. (Was that a total mis-use of commas? Hmmm.)

REDD is a short film, so I can't very well put my project in the same category as David After Dentist or Bed Intruder (Much love Antoine Dodson and the Gregory Brothers!)

I always look to videos like BATMAND: DEAD END, 405, The Hunt For Gollum, The Raven, and Street Fighter: Legacy.


The majority of those videos already have a niche. Fans of Street Fighter, Batman, or LOTR form a built in audience for any tributes or parodies. All they had to do was make a good video, and they are very good. Great execution.

With The Raven and 405 it's the impressive filmmaking and great payoff. I put mine more akin with those two movies. I don't know if the Red Riding Hood tale has the same fanbase as Batman, if it does, I'll be sure to put in all the necessary keywords and marketing for that niche, but realistically, this is an original story, where, once again it's about making a good video. Or as I just stated, it's about impressive filmmaking. However there is the new Red Riding Hood movie to consider, which I could use to build some steam for my own video.

However, I don't want to deceive anyone (too much), not like I did with my REAL WEREWOLF VIDEO. It's currently at over 180,000 views and although I do fess up to it being a fake in the description, and I have gotten some great positive comments, it's still working off the steam of the deception.




Besides my Real Werewolf vid, I've only had one other video I would consider a semi Viral success. That was my Paper Rose video. It was a tutorial on how to make a paper rose from a napkin. I posted it on Metacafe back in the days of their Producer Rewards Program (Rest In Peace). They paid for every 5,000 views. And since my video reached past 250,000, I did get a nice monthly check there for a while, and I got my first taste of how it feels to have a video go somewhat viral.


I'll follow the majority of rules and techniques I've learned. I'll be sure to market as usual on Twitter and Facebook. Tell all my friends and family. Email everyone on my contact list. Use proper tagging and keywords, of course. In the end it does come back to the filmmaking.

Is this going to be impressive enough to attract attention (views!)?

To be honest, right now, we don't quite have it, yet. YET.

April's performance as our title character has been impressive, I do love the footage we've got, but until I get the rest of the shots in, and most importantly, get the Werewolf footage knocked out, I really can't say for sure. If I can get it close to the way I see it in my head, then we'll be fine. I mean, so far so good, but is it a homerun? Not yet. But I am going to try.

As much as I would love a million views, realistically it may take a whole year, maybe even a few, but I'll settle for 100,000 views in a few months. If we get 10,000 views in a week, I'll be ok with that too.

Aside from working on views and our presence on the internet, I am going to submit to specific festivals and screenings. It is going to be very short, around 6 to 8 minutes, but there are venues for it. Perhaps that will help with the general buzz.

So what's the full plan?

Get as many views as possible on YouTube.
Submit to fests.
Really get it out there for everyone to see.
Put together the script, package, and budget for a feature length version.
Start up some crowd funding (Kickstarter or IndieGoGo, not sure which yet).
Pursue sponsors and investors.
Push to get the feature length REDD made early 2011.
Market and Distribute late 2011.
Make enough money to sustain and make another movie (Possibly Bobby's Closet).

Will it work? We shall see. But we're gonna make a run for it, that's for sure.

Check out the official site/blog for REDD

LIINKS AND TIPS FOR MAKING VIRAL VIDEOS:

- 7 Tips For Successful Viral Video Production And Distribution

- 10 Youtube URL Tricks You Should Know About

- 37 Essential Viral Video Tips, Posts and Sites

- What Makes a Video Go Viral?

- 10 Tips on making viral videos Strategies from successful examples

- Making Your Viral Video

- Making A Viral Video - Things To Consider!

- The Future of Hollywood… User Generated Films?

Feeling Better About It

Had a great Thanksgiving Dinner, and now with better perspective I was able to get the cut a little closer to what I wanted. Still much more work to be done though.








Looks like rain tomorrow, so re-scheduling shoot for another day next week. Hopefully I can get much more footage then. It really is looking like this will be a complete short film in early December.

Special thanks to Marcellus for once again being in my corner and helping me out with some Visual Effects work. Thanks for the help bud!

REDD Test Cut

First cut of some of the footage we've shot for REDD. Trying out some cuts, some color grading, and experimenting with the score. April Crum is our title character, our bad ass Red Riding Hood. Also features Richard Gaither, Amanda Elizabeth, and Ron Rice throws the knife. Nice shot Ron.



Canon T2i
Canon EFS 18-55mm Lens
Nikon 180mm Lens
Fotodiox Adapter
DIY Slider
Sony Vegas Pro 9
Pro Scores and Sony Acid

Much more footage to shoot. Finishing up April's stuff Monday. And as soon as we get the Werewolf finished we may have one more day with her. Still have the other leads and supporting cast to shoot, a Werewolf transformation, some Vampires, Zombies, and then some explosions to work out. This short should be done by December and will be about 8 minutes long. May do a 15 minute version for festivals, and I've worked out a script for a feature length version, if we somehow get the money for it.

The Redd Ghost

First official day of shooting on Redd with the star April Crum. Got behind schedule due to some issues with the sun going down entirely too fast, and me not being prepared for extra lighting while using new and more powerful lenses. But lessons learned, and we'll be back at it on Monday. I swear I'm so anxious to get these action shots of April in full costume. The photos below should show how bad ass she looks in full regalia.



If you're not aware, Redd is my short/mock trailer, about a post apocalyptic world and a village under attack by evil creatures and wild wolf beasts coming from the nearby dark forest. Our heroin appears to save the day and fight off the evil. My little spin on Little Red Riding Hood. A little more gothic, horror oriented, and definitely more action and adventure.

I'm hoping that this little 6 to 8 minute short/mock trailer will really display some cinematic power utilizing the Canon T2i and alot of our DIY Moviemaking resources.

Some of the props need touch up work, and I definitely need to repaint her giant gun at the end there. Oh yeah, and I should get the Werewolf costumes together shouldn't I.

I swear if I can get this done before December, that would be awesome.