Dead By Dawn: Zombies Take 1

Back at Northwood Stables for more zombie work. This time around we had a great turn out. Had a ton of zombies and all of them were great to work with. Allow me to share some photos.

These were taken by the amazing and very talented Julie Keels.

Sundown at the Northwood Stables.

Let the make up begin!

Brian Tally, jack of all trades.  Today he is filling in on make up duty.

Assisting Brian, Deanna Kelly.

You go Deanna!

The essence of a movie set.  Pure waiting.

More waiting.

and standing

and joking

Digging through the gear box. Pick your guns people!

Rehearsing formation

Nicole looks like she wants to shoot Brandon in the back.

Patrick, yelling at people

Patrick left.

Trying to figure out the beats, waiting for zombies to finish with make up,

and waiting for the sun to go down.

pretty

Brandon attempts to shoot Nicole in the back.

Richard Gaither on the left, Nicole Nastazzio on the right.

Directing zombies, fun.

It's night time

The best part is making them fall.

The cops, waiting to kill.

Directing Nicole.  No Nicole you can't really kill them.

Firing order.

BANG!

LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!

(she spins) BANG!

Ok everyone up!

It's always a good idea to shake hands with your zombies before killing them.

Nicole turns into a zombie.  No wait she's just hugging everyone.

More waiting.

Deanna finishing up on Cat.

How very vogue.

Work it Deana!  Work It!

Some fun shots.  Brandon in constant character, as usual.

Action Brandon

this one cracks me up.  i think it's because of the wagon.

Brandon decides to shoot Camera Chick Julie.

Action Chris!

SPIDER!!!!

Quick kill it!

It WON'T DIE!!!!

Lethal Weapon pose.

Alright, All zombies altogether now!

The zombies wait for Patrick to get his crap together.

Richard on the left, Jacob Hauser on the right.

Everyone back in position!!!

READY!

Now stand.

Zombies prepare for death.

Honestly, great numbers that night.  Thanks to everyone who showed.

NOW FALL!!!

play dead

once more, with feeling.

kill em.

Gotta get that master shot.

The guys pointing out my baldness.

Ok now, die.

Finish em off Jacob!

Brandon went rabid.

Seriously, thank you to everyone who came out and helped.  To all the zombies, to Megan for getting all the signatures, to Brian and Deanna for applying the make up, to Arlanda who although couldn't make it provided the make up, of course to Kelly Emerson and Fam for letting us take over their place yet again, To everyone else for falling down on the grass over and over again mainly because I'm a sadistic bastard and I like to watch you all get injured.  I had a great time, I hope you did too.  I hope there was plenty of drinks, pizza, and cookies (which disappeared in the first hour.)  Of course thanks a bunch to Julie Keels, last time for filling in the Vampire Vixen role, this time around for your amazing photos, it's such a relief having an actual proffesional photographer on set.

Ok  hope to see most of you again for our next few big shoots. 

And thanks to everyone for voting on projectbreakout.  It was a close one, but unfortunately not in the cards.  It's all good though, winning contests, although a nice bonus for Monster Cops, is not part of the overall plan.  But it's nice to know there is much support for MC.  Thanks everyone.

Last Chance

Gotta stay in the top three through midnight tonight. So if you please. Register and vote for Monster Cops "Wolf Hunt".

Hang In There Texas

Ike's currently battering my home state. This thing, they say, is almost the size of Texas.

My brother Allan is currently hunkering down in Houston as we speak. 16 miles west of Houston he says. He's my older brother, he's a former Marine, and as long as I've known him he's always been somewhat crazy, but calling him a Marine and then carzy is just redundant.

I text him to make sure he's ok. I ask him if he's along and if he's safe. His response?

I've got Jose Cuervo and Bacardi Gold to keep me company, and Mr. Glock and Smith and Wesson to keep me safe.

That response sounded just like a Marine and certainly just like my brother. I told my wife what he said, and she says, "What is he going to shoot the hurricane?" I think for about 3 seconds before honestly answering, "Probably."

I hope all of my friends and family in Texas are safe. My peeps in DFW should see some pretty good rain and possibly a crap load of Tornadoes, so pretty much a normal September.

9-11

I haven't forgotten. How could anyone?

I don't feel like rehashing everything that happened that day, or even everything that happened to me personally.

All I will say is, God bless us all, and God bless the United States of America.

Hard Habit To Break

A multitasking we will go.

Working on a script. Video editing. Designing a website. All at once.

Ok, not that impressive, since I've seen my mother do much more than that all at once. She rocked. Still does.

I don't know why. but I'm just on this huge Chicago kick. Not the musical, the 80's band. Now of course I've always loved Chicago. Grew up on Chicago so this may partially be nostalgia, but lately, I'm just all about some Chicago. I've got "Hard Habit To Break" stuck in my head.

And Marcellus, you're the bomb for rockin some Real Genius on your Myspace. It's one of my favorite movies ever. What can I say I'm all about the 80's.

I am in the midst of solving a problem. Wouldn't you know it, a huge part of solving this problem is in doing exactly what I want to do. Then why am I so hesitant to do it? I remember hearing someone say once, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."

Maybe I am afraid I'll get exactly what I want. Even worse, what I need.

Naw, I'm just being a general wuss. It's in my nature to over analyze a thing. Especially when that thing may be the key to your future. But hey, over analyzing is a hard habit to break for me. (OOH! Look at me, I made this blog come full circle. This post is like a Love Boat episode.)

But honestly. It always comes back to the same thing. I'm just wasting time trying to do anything else. The best advice is usually the advice you already know. I already know what I need to do.

So here I go.

On a less cryptic and more lighthearted note:

Gravitas

I feel like I've barely got time to breath today. Got some video projects that need to be finished asap. A demo reel for a very good actor as well as much testing for AE and tweaking of scenes for my own work. I've got enough script work to do as well. Gotta revamp a business plan, redo the numbers, prep for fundraising. And there's still alot of prep work that needs to be done before I can get back to shooting Dead By Dawn, and at the same time, I really need to get the majority of it done by the end of next week.

No worries though. I'll get my second wind here in a bit. Right now I'm in a bit of a somber mood. Partly because I feel bad for not posting about two celebrities that passed away. Don Lafontaine and Jerry Reed. If you don't know who either are, google em. They were both very important in there own right, and both people who were a part of my development as a cinephile. Jerry Reed will always be the "Snowman", and Don Lafontaine will always be the "Voice". They will be greatly missed.

The other reason for my mood is I'm a little touched by the response, the feedback, and the general comments I've been getting from the Monster Cops vids I've posted recently. Definitely some great comments from the Project Breakout posting, as well as the number of people who've told me they've been voting for Monster Cops. Reassures me I'm on the right track and that Monster Cops has a potential audience. It's been nice to receive such warmth.

Another reason for my mood is because I miss my family.

I miss my friends. And I miss Texas. I miss Dallas. I miss Fort Worth. I miss Grand Prairie. I miss I-20. I miss The Ball Park in Arlington. I miss Gameworks. I really miss Taco Cabana. I miss Po' Melvins. I can't believe I actually miss 360. Although I'm sure once I return and get caught in rush hour traffic by Six Flags that I will no longer miss it. I miss the West End. I miss the Stockyards. I miss watching the sun go down over Joe Pool. I miss it all so much sometimes it's easier not to talk to anyone from back home. Sometimes it's less painful to respond a little slower to emails from friends and family. I feel horrible for it.

I've been very far away from Texas. Been to Europe, been to Asia, often times for extended periods. I've been far, but this is the longest I've been away.

Throw all that in with everything that's been on my mind, and it's put in me in this mood. This .... place.

I'm just very contemplative right now. Alot to think about, and even so much more action to commit to once the thoughts have settled. I don't want to sleep. I just want to work. I just want to write, plan, shoot, edit, organize, create, prepare, etc.

I'm trying to make this transition from one place in my life to another. There's timing involved, and if I don't time it out right, and I make the jump too soon or too late, then I'll crash and burn. I know, the crash and burn is just an illusion. But you gotta know how to use your illusions to your advantage.

Ok, I'm up entirely too late. I still have alot of work to do in the morning, and in the next few weeks and months. I have some serious planning to do, some changes to make, some videos to finish and even to start. I really should be asleep. But again, I don't want to. Ok, I kinda want to. This blog post has taken me about 3 hours to write, since I am attempting to multi task.

Oh my God, I don't wanna feel like this anymore.

I still haven't found what I'm looking for. I realize that it's not so much what I'm looking for, it's really about what I'm trying to express.

There is this certain sense of gravitas I wish to express. Gravitas, man that's a hell of a word. But it fits. What I'm trying to say, what I'm trying to bring out for all the world to see and feel, it has depth, it has weight, and it's substantial.

What? Gravitas expressed in a cheesy, B-movie, horror, comedy, about Cops that kill Monsters? Impossible you say. No, nothing is impossible. Not anymore. It's amazing where you can find that sort of depth and passion and inspiration. And if you could only find a way to see it not only in the little everyday things, but also in those things that annoy you or upset you, then your just that much closer to mastery.

It's official, I'm delirious. Time for bed, before I have to get up in a few hours and make some phone calls.

But once again, Sports Night is on my mind.

Vampire Brides, Take 1

The Dead By Dawn episode requires three Vampire Brides. 2 of which I had cast for sure. The third, I'm still looking for actually. I wanted to stick with the traditional look of the Vampire Brides (aka Dracula's Brides) each girl very beatiful but with different looks. Normally each girl has different hair color, dark, red, and blonde. I have a few choices right now for a blonde, but I have yet to actually talk to those choices. We'll see how it works out.

Let's focus on the two we've got. Kelsey Granger, our dark haired vamp. And Cat Degroot, our red head. I was going to wait til I had found the blonde and shoot the three altogether, but Kelsey had to head back to school soon, so I decided to go ahead and shoot Kelsey and Cat together. Now I didn't have the location I wanted yet so I had to do something I was trying to avoid. Green screen.

Green screen means shooting your actors in front of a green (sometimes blue) screen, and then do composite work in editing. Meaning I remove the green screen from behind the actors, and then place any background I need behind them. I've seen it done very well, and I've seen it done badly, and I've done it both well and badly. Either way, for a project like monster cops where I'm trying to get the most realistic feel possible, using a green screen wasn't something I wanted to do (you never see any bad cg fx on Cops now do ya?). I was already rolling my eyes at the crappy cg'd gun fire I put in The Midnight Special. This time around, I was determined to keep any cg or compositing to a minimum, and try to do every single effect practical and on set.

But in some cases you are left with no choice but to do the best with what you've got. So some cg and compositing would now be required. The thing about The Midnight Special was, I didn't have the best computer resources in the world. I was using a somewhat satisfactory program for my fx work, and I'm quite surprised I was able to edit a 90 minute movie on that frickin computer (80 gigs/256 ram, I pushed it to it's limits.) Now I'm blessed with a computer that is entirely too powerful to exist, oh, and a little something called Adobe After Effects CS3. So now I'm ok with doing a bit of CG and composting if I can do it well and only where it's needed.

Did you hear that Hollywood? WHERE IT'S NEEDED!!!!

Majority of the FX would be done on set. Any monster fx, most of the blood squibs, any gore, etc. would be done live. CG would be used if absolutely necessary, and only as a tool to help tell the story or achieve the scene if we couldn't achieve it any other way, and not just for the holy hell of it (see Van Helsing 2004).

So a green screening we went. Sadly I had to use the same green material I used back in the days of Living Dead Girls. Does anybody remember my Living Dead Girls series? Either of the 2 of you reading this? No? Me neither. Thankfully the creases in the sheets won't matter much. The solid green background is going to be helpful enough in compositing. Also most of the pitfalls you get when green screening on a low budget can be avoided since many of the Vampire Brides scenes are fairly short, and also take place in deep dark hallways and tunnels. Hopefully you won't even be able to tell the difference when I actually start editing.

Here come the pics. Including a few frames where I decided to play with the compositing software a bit.

Two of the three Vampire Brides in front of our amazing green screen. Cat on the left, Kelsey on the right. Aren't they adorable?

Arlanda doing the make up thang.

Me directing Kelsey

I think I made some kind of joke about Vampires making bunny ears.

Could our green screen have anymore creases?

Not only does Arlanda do make up but she knows how to fix costuming issues as well. She rocks.

Still messing with the costume.

Cat is trying to seduce the camera.

Arlanda applying more make up to Kelsey's arms. Because a Vampire with a sun tan just isn't very realistic.

She had a very even tan.

Cell Phone Camera Pics.
The fangs are great, but ya gotta hold em in place forever.

If you didn't know already, there's always alot of waiting around on set. Brandon and Chris on set as well.

Cat being Cat.

Kelsey minus the green.


Threw in a bit of a glow here.

Cat minus the green. Although I do notice some of it, but that's me being picky.
Horrible edge work here, something you won't see in the final cut.

Did a color correction just to see if I could bring out her hair color. Make it pop.

Just a little test to see what you can do with a green screen. Here are the two girls in front of our crease filled green sheets. Let's take out the green. You can see a bit of an outline of the green, especially around the hair, but it's fine.
Let's throw in a public domain photo of a cemetary.
And let's smooth it all out with a few filters. Black and white, with a blue tint. Went for that old, old, antique film look. Really we could have done much more, but you get the idea behind using a green screen.



A few more shots.






Overall I had a good time shooting that day. Hopefully the girls had fun too. They were wonderful to work with. I'm confident we got some great shots, and the footage should look fine in the final product. Ah the final product, can't wait to see what that looks like.

And if you haven't yet please help us out by registering at project breakout and voting for the monster cops WOLF HUNT short. Everyone get's 15 votes a day, so feel free to vote for us 15 times every day. Click the banner below.

Master Of The Macabre

I entered the Wolf Hunt video into Project Breakout's Master Of The Macabre, horror video competition. If you get the chance, please click on the banner below, register, and vote for Monster Cops. You get 15 votes a day, so if you wanna vote 15 times everday for Monster Cops, I'm not gonna complain.



Click here to see the video.

No Fate ...

but what we make.

Lemme tell ya, the possibilities are endless when you begin to understand how it all works. In any process, on any subject. If you know nothing about baking a cake, painting a protrait, building a house, writing music, or even making a movie, it all seems very complicated and even impossible when you don't know anything about it.

But when you start to educate yourself, when you see each step that needs to be taken, and understand why each step needs to be taken, when you familiarize yourself with the necessary tools, and understand what each tool is used for and why, then you begin to understand how the process works, and then learn how to be a part of that process, even causing it.

I'm in constant awe and wonder about what one can accomplish when you understand how a thing works. This week so far has been about further understanding (even remembering) processes.

One such instance is with After Effects. I'm learning more and more everyday, and when I learn and understand how a certain effect works, then I can further see how that can be applied to help put what I see in my head on the screen as a moviemaker. Very special thanks to all the people putting up tutorials on YouTube and very special thanks to Andrew Kramer with Videocopilot.net and his amazing tutorials for After Effects. Learned so much from his breakdowns. I and many other moviemakers are greatful for it.

Another instance is with Fruity Loops. I was so very used to writing music on piano or keyboards, and years ago all I had to work with was Fruity Loops Music Software. I was angry because I was unfamiliar with the software, and I constantly needed a traditional keyboard to sound out tunes in my head. At the time I had to sell my keyboards and I was using a demo of Fruity Loops, and if you know nothing about the software, it is rather complicated. Although I still need the occasional feel of a piano, Fruity Loops has become an invaluable tool in music creation. I've been able to truely understand how each tool works within the software, and finally see it for what it is, a truely powerful tool for music creation.

I just got done working on a track for the next Monster Cops episode, and I started laughing, thinking about back in the day, when I saw Fruity Loops as such a pain in the ass. It just couldn't do what I wanted it to. I saw it as an obstacle. A wall keeping me from creating. Now I undesrtand that it was not an obstacle and there are no walls. Only doors that need to be opened.

I recall when my wife wanted so badly to learn how to knit. It was 2004, and she was fascinated by the process, she had no idea how to start, how to learn. That Christmas I'd ger her a teach yourself to knit kit. with that and the help of some online tutorials we'd found online, she'd begin understanding the process of knitting. She would be frustrated at first, trying to understand the steps. I remember telling her how one day she'd be a knitting pro and we'd look back on these days and laugh, remembering when she didn't know how.

Now her knitting skills have surpassed my expectations. I mean I didn't realize how much more complexity there is to knitting. She's moved on to learn things I didn't know you could learn. She's knitted hundreds and hundreds of things, purses, scarves, hats, blankets, and she's considered by those who know her as an authority on knitting socks. The things she creates don't look handmade. They look like items you'd purchase in a store. Very professional. She's working form patterns that are complex and is working towards creating her own patterns. And now when she finishes a project, she'll look at me and say, "Hey, remember when I didn't know how?" And we'll laugh.

I understand now how there is no such thing as failure or obstacle. What we sometimes see as failure is actually opportunity. What we often perceive as obstacle is actually a chance to be creative. A chance to compose life, instead of opposing it. To create no fate, but what we choose to make.

What some folks call impossible, is just stuff they haven't seen before.
- Robin Williams, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME

The Internet is for Vanity

I'm not prone to post sruveys on my blog, but I do post them occasionally on myspace. Usually I do them while I wait for something to render when I'm editing. But I forgot that my current computer takes no time to render now, and I ended up just trying to finish this little survey/meme just because I was already 2 questions in. But I think the occasional survey is good, let's you get to know the poster/blogger.

One thing I do like about surveys, plenty of opportunity to test your comedy writing skills, for I hardly ever answer these things seriously. This one I tried to answer seriously, but the jokes started up. See if you can spot the Q's where I started to lose the serious bug.

Thanks for this one Britt.

1.
Do you still talk to the person you had your first kiss with?
I don't even remember who that person would be. Oh wait, yes I do. And no.

2.
What would you do with 1,000 plastic spoons?
Create a giant spoon monster!

3.
What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school?
Whatever were the hits at the time. I remember a lot of Olivia Newton John, Hall and Oates, Human League, Lionel Richie, Soft Cell, Michael Jackson, Survivor. And of course KISS.

4.
What is the best thing about your job?
The Dark Knight

5.
Do you wish cell phone etiquette was required in class?
I wish cell phone etiquette was required everywhere

8.
Where are you going on your next vacation?
Next mission? The Price Is Right!

9.
Quote a song lyric?
we skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels cross the floor, I was feelin kind of sea sick, but the crowd called out for more.

10.
Are most of the friends in your life new or old?
A bit of both.

11.
Do you own any furniture from Ikea?
I really don't think so.

13.
If you could be an animal what would you be?
Animal, ya know, from the Muppets.


14.
What state/country are you from?
Texas, U.S.A

15. Tell us about the last conversation/s you had.
My wife and I were discussing the ins and outs of Jurrasic Park and how Richard Attenborough always reminded me of Scrooge McDuck, after which my wife would continue to make Launchpad/Duck Tales refrences everytime she saw a helicopter in the movie.

16.
where do you see yourself in one month?
Watching Monster Cops: Dead By Dawn

17.
What is your favorite smell?
Coffee, Burning Cedar, My Wife

18.
What is your favorite sight?
Puppies, oh and strippers. Strippers holding puppies. And the orange/pinkish hue the sky turns right when the sun is almost down. It's like pumpkins and pink lemonade, like God painted the sky with technicolor and the feelings of both closure and new beginings. A reminder that the days are precious, the nights are wonderous, and the twilight exists as a celebration between the two, not only as transitions, but as a companion to help guide you through your memories made and of what dreams may come. But mainly strippers.

19.
Do you consider yourself bi-polar?
Not at all, straight up, I love polar bears.

21.
Have you ever done anything vindictive to your coworkers?
I don't really consider the people I work with coworkers. Mainly because there is no actual work to be done.

22.
Have you ever gone to therapy?
nope

23.
Have you ever played Spin the bottle?
No. But I have played throw the bottle in anger.

24.
Have you ever toilet-papered someone's house?
Dear God, yes. But it's been about 13 years.

25.
Have you ever liked someone but never told them?
What, you mean like in junior high? Then yes.

26.
Have you ever gone camping?
yes

27.
Have you ever had a crush on your sister's friend?
She doesn't have any friends. She's entirely too emo and self involved to have any kind of relationship with any kind of human being. She's been that way since she was born. Our whole family has had to put up with her dramatics, and we're all getting very sick and tired of it.

At least that's how I imagine it might be, if I had a sister.

28.
Have you ever been to a nude beach?
I've sailed passed one, does that count.

29.
Have you ever had sex on the beach?
no i dont really like schnapps

30.
Have you ever had a stalker?
Not since that horrible baking accident.

32.
Have you ever laughed so hard you cried?
Yes. It's the best.

33.
Have you ever gone to a party where you were the only sober one?
Story of my life.

34.
Have you ever been cheated on?
Yeah.

35.
Have you ever felt betrayed by your best friend?
not really

36.
Have you ever lied to your parents?
duh

37.
Have you ever been out of the US?
yup

38.
Have you ever thrown up from working out?
LOL. no.

39.
Have you ever gotten a haircut so bad that you wore a hat for a month straight?
I don't have any hair.

40.
Have you ever eaten 3 meals from 3 different fast food places in 1 day?
oh probably

41.
Have you ever gotten so wasted you cant remember the nite before?
Nope

42.
Have you ever spied on someone you had a crush on?
Ah the memories.

43.
Have you ever slept with one of your coworkers?
Not at my current job.

44.
Kissed more than one person at a time?
Back when I had three mouths, most definitely.

45.
Pot?
of gold.

CALL FOR ZOMBIES!!!

When: Saturday, August 30th, 6:00 pm

Where: Northwoods Stables, Winston Salem, NC.

What?: Zombies for indie movie project MONSTER COPS.

We need people to play zombies. Yes that's right, the living dead. Slow (and some fast), moaning, flesh craved, zombified, walking corpses. So if you don't mind us putting some make up on you, or even have your head blown up then, by all means, come on out.

Notes: Wear clothes you don't mind getting messed up or bloodied, especially if you want to die or get shot. Our blood may stain some clothes. Please nothing with any print or logos.

There may be much sitting around waiting while we set up shots, so feel free to bring a lawn chair of some sort.

We'll be doing this whether it rains or not, so be prepared to get wet as well as bloody. Bring an umbrella if you like.

No pay, but there will be snacks and refreshments, and you will be credited, and you'll receive a DVD copy of the final product.

Address:

Northwoods Stables
5225 Murray Rd
Winston-Salem, NC 27106

Feel free to google maps the address or click HERE. (opens in a new window)

First Official Selection

MONSTER COPS: SHADOW COMPANY

OFFICIAL SELECTION

DARK CARNIVAL FILM FESTIVAL

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA

Got back a few hours ago from shooting Dead By Dawn. Just got the email a little while ago from the fest organizers. It's always exciting to know your movie is going to screen somewhere. Even more so when it's a fest. Honestly I was getting a little antsy, waiting for somekind of notification from a fest, so it's nice to actually get this news.

Horror icons Ken Foree and Tiffany Shepis will be there. It really looks like it's going to be a fun festival. Definitely going to try to make it out there. Very exciting.

Waiting

Waiting. It's a necessity in movie production.

I'm on set for Monster Cops: Dead By Dawn. I am currently waiting for the costumes and the make up stuff to get done. All the lights and electrical is ready to go, just waiting on the Vampires to get done with make up and for costume issues to get fixed, then we can knock this stuff out.

I'm posting just to kill some time. Here are a few pics I just took.

Still Obeying The Master

It's been a while now since I've received the winnings from the HandK contest. The video ended up being showcased on joblo.com. Even got a great comment from one of the directors of HandK, Jon Hurwitz. Eventually the video would be one of the winners in both phases of the contest. I'm blown away. I made a simple tutorial on metacafe about making a rose out of a napkin. That video has also gone on to make a bit of money. I think about that paper rose video and this Obey The Master video, and I'm blown away by the idea that one can make money by making stuff out of paper, animating a Unicorn's head, and whispering odd quotes about punching a hamster. Cool. Odd, but cool.

I still continue to recieve messages and comments on youtube about the Obey The Master video, all of them talking about how much they love the video. And I am so very flattered. Didn't realize what would take me only one night to make and submit would reap me such great rewards and comments. So, thanks to everyone for their kindness. I'm glad my odd sense of humor paid off for something. And as strange a video as it is, I am quite proud of it.