Dan O'Bannon

Dan O'Bannon. Not a household name. But a name in Sci-fi and Horror that I put right up there with George Lucas, Stephen King, George Romero, and many others. You may not know him, but you've undoubtedly seen some of his work. He passed away last week. And while everyone is talking about the death of Brittany Murphy (god rest her soul) Dan O'Bannon was someone that actually and directly influenced me, and whether you know it or not, he influenced Sci-Fi and Horror.

I remember the first time I saw this poster. It was 1985, and I went to see a movie at the General Cinema Six Flags Mall. Back before asbestos would shut the theater down and back when Six Flags Mall was the place to be.

Not sure what movie it was I went to see. I just remember coming out of the theater and seeing this poster. I was 10 years old and I hadn't quite yet started my obsession with horror movies. That wouldn't come for another 2 years. This poster scared the crap out of me. It was strange and avant garde, and it made me wonder what kind of people would go see a movie like this.

The commercials for it scared me as well. Running Zombies! Punk music, or what I thought at the time was Punk. Alot of chaos and people being chased down by cannibalistic moving corpses.

By the time I was deep into my horror obsession, this movie was on VHS. I rented it often and then eventually owned it.

It was this odd blend of humor and scares. Til this day I'm actually not sure if it's straight up horror or comedy. It was one of the first times a movie featured running zombies. And although it is somewhat connected to Romero's Dead Trilogy, these zombies just couldn't be killed AT ALL. Oh unless of course you burned them, then the fumes would go into the air, then it would rain into a cemetery, then you'd get more unstoppable running zombies.

Dan O'Bannon was the writer and director of this movie, and it further pushed the zombie genre into popularity. It would be the first time I would really hear the name, and later I would realize that this was the man who wrote one of the scariest movies of all time. ALIEN.

If you research Dan O'Bannon, you learn he worked for Lucas doing some visual fx and animation for Star Wars, he wrote and directed Night Of The Living Dead, and he wrote Blue Thunder, Invaders From Mars, and Lifeforce, and he made the merger of Sci-Fi and Horror popular with Alien. Alien got the ball rolling on strong female leads in movies, thanks to O'Bannon making the characters in the script non-gender specific.

Back in the day me and my friends actually got a copy of O'Bannon's first movie that he worked on with John Carpenter, a sureal Sci-Fi comedy called Dark Star. O'Bannon also starred in it as the character Pinback.

Watching Dark Star helped me as an indie. To see where it all started with John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon. To understand what could be done on such a low budget. To see how the greats like Carpenter and O'Bannon could start out with something smaller like this, and then blow up big enough to make the great movies they made.

O'Bannon specifically always felt like one of us. Like a guy I'd hang out with and talk to. If this guy can make it then so can the rest of us. Not only did he create a cult classic that helped further the zombie genre, but he started the Sci-fi / Horror ball rolling with Alien, a true movie classic that would help change the genre movie landscape. I think mainly for me, Dan O'Bannon helped make my dreams of making movies seem more accessible.

Thank you for that Dan.

KICK ASS!

The name of the movie is Kick Ass. And I am beyond excited about it. Clips and trailers below.

Snow Day

Ah yes, winter weather.  A great excuse to bust out the camera.

Snickers Machine

The video I busted my ass on all last week. It's for the Snicker's Assignment over at Poptent. I've said it before, if you're video maker and you want to try to build up your portfolio while trying to earn some money for major brands, then you've got to go over and sign up at POPTENT.



I've been with these guys for a while now and it's been a blast making videos for them, and it's helped me out financially as well. It's one of the many ways an indie moviemaker / video maker can make some money.


I will say that I tend not to work on video contests unless I feel the video itself can benefit me in more ways than just trying to win money. Here I decided to make a Rube Goldberg Machine. To be honest it's something I do alot actually. Origami, magic tricks, make Rube Goldberg Machines, it helps me think.

Not only did I think it would make a great video for Snickers, but I also wanted to finally shoot one of my machines to actually show what I have in mind for some of the scenes in Bobby's Closet. In case you didn't know, Bobby's Closet is a feature length film I plan on shooting next year, and or as soon as I can raise the money. The movie is a sci-fi, action, adventure, fantasy flick filled with funny characters, old school monsters, and a lot of Rube Goldberg Machines.

Here's the Rube Goldberg Machine Video I made for Snickers.



It was initially much longer, and featured parts I made for the now scrapped Halloween Machine video, which was going to feature a Halloween themed Rube Goldberg Machine. My ideas for it were entirely too big for the space I have right now. Maybe next year. I decided to use what I had and combine it with new pieces and parts for this here Snicker's video.

It was a HUGE pain in the ass to shoot. I could've easily faked each part of it, but the hard part of it was that it was pretty much fully functioning. That's what was so difficult. I was shooting it in pieces and cut angles, so when I rolled on one set up, the machine would keep going, and I'd try to stop it, and then re-setup everything. On top of me having to reset parts to get more than one angle at it. Oh how many times the ball would roll away from me, underneath a desk, and don't even get me started on how many times I had to set up those dominoes.

I know a lot of people who are in to Rube Goldberg Machines prefer the single take method. One uncut shot that records each and every step. But I prefer to see how each and every part functions, and seeing different angles to get an understanding of each part that moves. I was originally going to set up more than one camera to capture the entire machine in one go, but I only have one decent digital camera, the rest were of varying formats and qualities, and I wanted to try to stick to one format and look.

I love Rube Goldberg Machines. I loved seeing them in movies like The Goonies and Pee Wee's Big Adventure. All this ties into what kind of movie Bobby's Closet is, and how Rube Goldberg Machines fit into the movie. I hope Snickers likes it, but even if they don't, I've at least finally got an example scene for Bobby's Closet.

Click here to find out about Rube Goldberg.

Click here to find out more about Bobby's Closet.

Click here to go to Poptent and watch my video.

90 pages

That's the goal. Another 90 pages. Last full length feature script I wrote was in July. It was Bobby's Closet. And I know that will need another re-write before it actually gets shot next year. Also in the middle of a Monster Cops episode and Redd re-writes, but those are less than 30 pages.

I'm about to embark on another feature length script, this one is my no-budget venture. Bobby's Closet has a budget of about 63,000 depending on what camera package I'm going to use. This new script is one we can start shooting as soon as I finish writing it and whenever I can get the new camera in.

As I've written before, alot of the writing process doesn't actually involve any physical writing. The real and first writing starts in your head. My brain has been scrambling around all the ideas and plot lines trying to piece it together like a puzzle. I'm putting pressure on myself to make this one truly great, but when am I not?

When my brain is doing all the writing it's important for me to create an atmosphere that is optimal for inspiration and creative thinking. That means everything around me has to help feed my mind. Sights, sounds, even smells and flavors. I've got an apple pie flavored candle burning, it matches the holiday feel lately and I find it rather relaxing. I've been drinking alot of coffee, not only to feed my caffeine headache, but also because something about the flavor helps my brain. I always try to keep the house clean, because I'm sort of a neat freak of course, but also because I can't think if there is a mess around me.

This brings me to what I've been listening to and watching.

Movie scores always help. I always write to music. Here's part of my huge movie score playlist. The tracks I keep repeating over and over. The sounds that help bring me to where I need to be to write.

- Beowulf Slays the Beast by Alan Silvestri from Beowulf
- Chiun Walks On Water by Craig Safan from Remo Williams The Adventure Begins
- Enterprising Young Men by Michael Giacchino from Star Trek
- A Dark Knight by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard from The Dark Knight
- Panda Po by Hans Zimmer from Kung Fu Panda
- Overture by Michael Kamen from Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves
- August's Rhapsody by Mark Mancina from August Rush
- Roll Tide by Hans Zimmer from Crimson Tide
- My Day So Far by John Powell from Jumper
- Escape From Torture by Jerry Goldsmith from Rambo: First Blood Part II

There's plenty more but these are the tracks I keep gravitating to.

I've been digesting and re-digesting much TV as well. My wife just got into DEXTER and has decided to get me into it as well. Already watched the first season. It's a really great show and luckily it's been helping my creative atmosphere. Good writing, great performances. It's a show that has alot of episodes that write the same way I think.

Been re-watching alot of HOUSE episodes as well, since it's sort of a detective movie I'm writing I need my Sherlock Holmes fix, and HOUSE is the closest to a modern day Sherlock Holmes we'll get nowadays (Love the guy, but Robert Downey Jr. doesn't count.).

I've read a few rants about the show recently. Some people have lost interest because they feel they show may have jumped the shark a few times. Me personally I don't care. As long as the characters stay true to themselves, keep the mysteries coming, and let House continue to be a wise ass medical detective, I'm perfectly fine with jumping whatever type of shark they want.


Slipping in the occasional THE WEST WING episode as well as SEINFELD to round out the comedy.



Ooh, my music player just went into Kung Fu Panda, SUCH A GREAT SCORE!!!!

Anyhoo.

And of course watching Movies always helps. Can't go wrong with PIXAR. THE INCREDIBLES and TOY STORY 2. Pixar in general is one of the great movie making and story telling companies in existence. They really know how to make a really great movie and know how to capture the essence of amazing cinema.

ROUNDERS is always one of my favorites, such a cool and smooth flick. I put it right up there with GOODFELLAS as far as voice over flicks are concerned. Great direction and performances and Damon does so well with the narration. Love the way it's written, such slick dialogue. Also, I'll watch anything with Famke Jansen in it.

Just re-watched THE PAPER, a highly underrated Ron Howard movie and one of David Koepp's best scripts. Every bit of that movie was entertaining. I love ticking clock movies and this one gets almost every beat right. A pre-cursor to SPORTS NIGHT and THE WEST WING, filled with walk and talk, wit, intellect, and street smarts, funny as hell. Captures the chaos of a newspaper news room. Great cast, and man, do I miss watching Michael Keaton take control of the screen.










This should give you some sense of what I'm working on. Ticking Clock, Voice Overs, Ensemble Casts, and a Detective Story. Throw in a murder, smart comedy, and a few thrills and you've got whatever the heck it is my brain is trying to piece together.

Of course still working on props and script for REDD. Got most of Redd's weapons established and I'm back on the Werewolf in a few weeks. The top of that pic you'll see the double barrel shotgun I built. I wanted Redd to have a primary weapon and I wanted it to be a big ass gun. I figured a double barrel sawed off would look great with her outfit. The other guns are props from Monster Cops I've had to re-paint and fix, note the tape job on that bottom handgun.

I think I should probably eat at some point this week.

"Pain is your friend, your ally, it will tell you when you are seriously injured, it will keep you awake and angry, and remind you to finish the job and get the hell home. But you know the best thing about pain? It lets you know you're not dead yet!"

- Master Chief Urgayle (GI JANE)

The Adventure Began

Based on the cult book series "The Destroyer" by Warren Murphy, Remo Williams was about a single super secret agent working for a small 3 to 4 man government agency known as CURE. Only known to the President Of the United States they work covertly to protect America from unknown enemies foreign and domestic. Often uncovering secret corruption and conspiracies within the government, Remo would have to do battle utilizing his wit and the ancient (and fictional) martial art known as Sinanju, as taught by the old and wise Sinanju Master, Chiun.

There was little fanfare when this movie came out in 1985. And if I haven't stated it before, I'll state it now. 1985 was my year. Although I always knew I wanted to make movies, 1985 was the year that really sealed it. Back To The Future, The Goonies, Legend, Young Sherlock Holmes, etc. These were movies filled with adventure and fantasy so much so that my movie making dreams were just bursting at the seams. Remo Williams was no exception.


Wasn't exactly a critical hit, nor a box office success, although there was a terrible attempt at a TV series. Fans of the books will complain it's not as intricate or fantastical, but what the movie had to offer was plenty for a chubby 10 year old Filipino kid from Grand Prairie, Texas. A super hero secret agent that fought using a secret martial art that taught you how to run over water and dodge bullets. Of course I was blown away.

I wanted a master like Chiun to teach me how to hear for the clicking sounds of a gun right before it fires, and know when to move out of the way. I wanted to build an obstacle course in my living room where I could train to jump on and off of things and balance on them perfectly (which I did by the way, and my Mother wasn't too happy about that.) I wanted to be able to start a fire by rubbing my fingers on a tree branch. Or to magically make Kate Mulgrew fall in love with me (not really, although I did love her as Captain Janeway).

I really started reminiscing about all this when I came across the amazing score for the movie by Craig Safan. I had forgotten I had it in a file hidden away in my movie scores collection (cuz I'm a nerd like that). Listening to it brought back all those memories. Craig Safan's score was adventurous and wonderful, fun and moving. Chiun's theme specifically is quite joyous and playful and it always makes me smile.

It's obvious by the score (along with the marketing) that the studio really wanted this to be the next Indiana Jones. They weren't successful, but they were successful in further inspiring a young kid from a small Texas town to want to make movies like this. Movies that would inspire other kids anywhere and everywhere, of every race, age, or circumstance, to dream big, and to make them realize and see that their own lives don't have to be seen as mundane or ordinary. That they could begin their own adventure.

Found this video on youtube. Someone had cut together scenes from the movie over Craig Safan's amazing score.




Fun, adventurous, moving, and inspired a kid to think bigger. That's what my aim is in alot of my movies, especially with Bobby's Closet.

Thankful

I am very thankful. For my life, for the ability to breathe, move, think, see, hear, and to just be.  I'm so thankful for a roof over my head, and walls to shield me from the outside elements. A bed to sleep in. A bathroom with a functioning toilet and a clean shower. A kitchen I can cook in.  My car.  My computer.  Electricity. Water. I'm thankful for family, and friends.  I'm so very thankful for my wife, my pal, my best friend.  I'm thankful I have her to lean on, to live with, love with, and just be myself with.  When I hold her I always feel like I'm home, and I'm so very thankful I have her.  I'm also thankful that she is so supportive of me and my crazy efforts to make movies.

I'm so thankful for this amazing opportunity I have to make my dreams happen. I'm thankful to be alive, and to understand and comprehend how fortunate I am to do what I'm able to do. I'm so thankful for the freedoms I have to pursue these goals.  It's mind blowing what it took to make me realize that all that I needed to accomplish my goals, I already have.  I have heart and soul, desire and skill, and a wife who believes in me.  Put that with my freedom and I have everything I need to create something truly amazing.

So our typical Thanksgiving events involved, cooking dinner, eating dinner, conversations about space travel and Star Trek, random house cleaning, and then me in the ice cold garage spray painting a Werewolf head.  All of this narrated by FX's Home Alone marathon.  I really love that movie.

I used different shades of fur and felt, I needed to paint him to even out all the colors.  Also I wanted a darker used look, like he'd been running out in the wild for a while.  Also needed to color black around the eyes to help accentuate the glowing red eyes.

The hair needs more work. I need more spray paint and fur, and then it'll be all about the legs and the body.  I hope to do some test shots this Tuesday and or Wednesday.  I'll also try out the new camera crane as well.

The body I'm still trying to figure out.  I can't afford enough fur to cover an entire body, especially since this guy is going to be a giant.  I'm going to have to cheat and give him some kind of clothing.  A robe perhaps with some sort of torn baggy pants.  Nothing so generic as a T-shirt and jeans. I am going to clone this guy into an army in After Effects.  Some sort of cloth, toga, or monks robe, or something along those lines.  I'll have a better understanding when I see the mask and hands on an actor.

I still need to finish my Snicker's Ad.  I really need to pick a day next week and just knock that out.

Even Closer

Went out and bought the materials I needed to continue on the wolf. Felt, Craft Fur, Plastic Table cloth. Again, I'll go more in depth in the VLog, but for now here's a pic of where I'm at with the Wolf Head.

My inspirations for this wolf came from the classic wolf fantasy flick In The Company Of Wolves, but also Rob Bottin's FX work in The Howling, as well as Stan Winston's work in Predator.  And as with anything I create, props, costume, or FX wise, I always get inspiration from Jim Henson.

Gotta give it a bit more fur, then give it a once over with some spray paint, then it's on to the body, and then the legs and stilts.  So far I've spent about 35$ on this. I'm hoping to keep the costs low, but I do expect the final cost of this build to be around $50 to $60.

Still need to make time to work on that Snicker's Ad.  More later.

Closer

Was thinking of shooting a few scenes for Monster Cops this week, but it looks like I'm going to spend this Thanksgiving week, finishing up the giant Werewolf costume for REDD. Once I have that complete it will be easier to figure out exactly how these shots are going to go.

Gotta do some shopping this week. I've never been so excited to purchase fake fur, table cloth, duct tape, and pvc pipe. Unless I come up with something less expensive to make the rest of the Wolf's body out of. I'm quite proud that I've been able to make this out of things I already had, and have spent very little money on it. I've spent about $15 on duct tape so far. Everything else is from my collection of stuff that I've picked up and said "Hmm I think I can make something out of that." I have a huge bin full of card board tubes, plastic pieces, materials left from opened packages, anything I at one point thought I could use to help build a prop.

It's called, making it with no money, and this Werewolf is certainly no exception.

Started with a cardboard structure.

Gave it a layer of duct tape to help mold out the shape I wanted. Also built in a bicycle helmet with a strap. This way it can attach comfortably to the actor's head. I am aiming for this thing to be about 7ft or more. Which means I'm gonna have to make some stilts.

And here's where I'm at now. A bit of hair added to it, it's giant hands are ready to go. Now we move on to the fur, paint, and full body.










I'll be going into deeper details with a Video Blog describing the whole process, including the LED powered glowing red eyes, and how I'm doing the hair. And there will also be a VLog about the DIY Camera Crane I built.

These are great examples of how far I'm willing to go to make this production truly great. I want the Werewolf to be hulking and impressive. I want to utilize majestic and sweeping crane shots to really express that cinematic feel. I want it to look like we spent alot of money without actually spending the money. I know we can do it. Every week we get closer and closer to a production date.

After Midnight

Can't sleep. Late night snack. Walnuts and grapes.

Also feel the need to blog about what I've done since my last post.

Built a werewolf head, and just completed the prosthetic hands tonight.

Fixed and readjusted my DIY camera crane and Jib. Most of it made from cardboard poster tubes, duck tape, and magic. ;) Everything's going fine so far. I feel like if I can get the Werewolf costume to look more than decent, we'll have a solid shot at doing something extremely high concept. Also, it would be nice to have a giant Werewolf on hand for Monster Cops.

I've got script pages to write and re-write. Packages to send off, and somewhere in there I need to make time to workout.

I feel I've got quite a bit done. Let's see if I can continue to be productive.

Shut up and put your money where your mouth is!

I have a rather larger to do list for the rest of the year. I've done this before, and I'm familiar with the drill. As much as I would love to get all of the projects done on my list before the end of the year, I know it's just not possible. We're almost into December. We'll have the weather to contend with soon. Most of my stuff is exteriors, and we don't have a studio at our disposal.

I know we're most likely going to be delayed on everything. Redd will most likely be finished by March. Monster Cops will probably not have a new episode til after New Years. And Bobby's Closet will probably be pushed to late summer, most likely because of problems with fund raising. And the sad part isn't not finding the funds to raise, it's having time to actually make the effort. Life just catches up to you and rearranges your schedule.

But this doesn't mean I won't try to get the list done. I've had some practice at this, and it all comes down to anticipating problems, and planning for the worst. We may only get one production day a week through January, which means I have to work to get each and everyday as productive as possible.

Yes this all changes if I can raise some money, get some studio space, and free up my work schedule. But no funds will be raised if I don't put together proof I can produce something truly cinematic to go with our killer business plan, and I'm having a heck of a time doing that since my work schedule and lack of studio space prevents me, which would be easy to remedy if we only had the money, which would be easier to get if I can .... yadda, yadda, yadda.

It's a vicious circle, and I could spend all day whining about it and how I'm trying my best.

John Mason: Are you sure you're ready for this?
Stanley Goodspeed: I'll do my best.
John Mason: Your "best"! Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and fuck the prom queen. 
- The Rock (1996)

Point is, I know what I'm capable of, I know I can create something absolutely amazing (could I be any more impressed with myself?). I'm confident I can raise the money to make Bobby's Closet (and possibly even a feature length REDD.) But I've never been one to wait for someone else to give me the opportunity. I'm use to making my own opportunities. And even though someone might write me a check to get the studio space, pay the cast and crew, and make a cinematic masterpiece. Part of me likes the no budget low end.

Maybe I'm a masochistic. Maybe I'm addicted to movie-making poverty.

I think mainly I wanna make it on my own steam. And not just make it, but make it big. Not make it big as in some big studio gives me a big distribution deal. I mean I make something truly great, distribute and market it myself, and reap huge benefits from it. Millions of dollars from an indie movie with a low budget, enough to pay everyone that needs to be paid, raise a hell of alot of money for Cancer Charities, and have enough left over to make another one, and so on and so on. All with no permission from any studio of any kind.

I know I talk about it all the time, but it's completely possible. It's all in the business plan for Bobby's Closet. Go on ASK ME FOR A COPY! It's in there. The means to market and distribute are all available for anyone with a movie to sell. You don't need a distributor if you've got sites like Create Space or Filmbaby.

Marketing is all word of mouth. If you make a great product and get it in front of people through YouTube, festival screenings, even downloaded for free through torrent sites, then they'll be willing to put up the money to get a copy for themselves. And that's the key. Make something so good, that even though people steal a copy, they'll want to pay for it. Like the great Harry Anderson always said,

"If you put on a good enough show, they'll be more than happy to pay the price of admission."

The word spreads like wild fire, through YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc. It's gotta be that good that people talk about it. The best advertising is word of mouth. If you've got the right amount of money you can supplement all that with a few print ads in the right cities, some TV time, pay per click ads on Yahoo and Google.

But you gotta make that amazing piece of cinema. You've got to create the product first.

And like I said, I'm not one to wait for someone to give me the opportunity. Part of me doesn't want the money (this is Patrick's sensible side, no no, he really does want the money). Part of me wants to see how far I can take this no-budget thing. I think we've done some pretty good things with no money. Fake guns shoot real with visual fx software, I made a book of the dead out of duct tape, built a Werewolf out of cardboard, created guns with orange juice bottles. Part of me wants to know what else I can do with no money and few production days.

The money makes it easier to create the magic, but easy isn't where the creativity is.

Yes, the money will give me the freedom from the day job, so I can have the time. But what can I do with what I've got. No money, minimum time, a decent camera, and a computer to edit on. How far can I take it? How big can I make it?

And I'm not talking about a Blair Witch or a Paranormal Activity. Yes those were great concepts and executions with documentary style formats. I'm talking HUGE. Cinematic. Can I make Gone With The Wind with no budget? Can I make something as good as a Hollywood Blockbuster or better with my crappy tripod and some duck tape.

You wanna know what I did this week? I built a camera crane out of cardboard tubes, an old tripod, and duck tape. SERIOUSLY! One thing I know I needed for REDD was big sweeping cinematic shots. I need a crane for that. So I made one with stuff I already had, it literally only cost me 6 bucks for the extra duck tape.

Those videos and tutorials are everywhere. Indy Mogul, Film Riot, and videos all over YouTube have people making expensive movie gear that would normally cost thousands, and they're doing it for hundreds and less. Dolly's, cranes, steadicams, etc.

But I want to go even further. I have to ask the question, "has anybody made a truly great cinematic experience that is completely mind blowing with DIY (Do It Yourself) gear. Can I make the Matrix or Die Hard or Pirates Of The Caribbean with DIY equipment. YES! I think I can.

I don't think I've ever truly tested myself. I don't think I've pushed myself hard enough. I don't think I've truly seen how far I can go or how big I can make this. And I think it's time I put my money where my mouth is. Someone told me once that I was truly driven in my goals of being a movie maker. I don't think I'm driven enough. I don't think I'm trying hard enough.

Don't give me any money, don't give me any people, but give me freedom, and I'll give you a movie that looks gigantic.
- Robert Rodriguez

And that's what I'm going to do. If you're reading this and you wanna give me money, great. I'll take it and I'll make something absolutely amazing that will make a bunch of money. But even if you don't, I'm going to do it anyway. And I'm going to do it with cardboard, duck tape, my trusty camera and computer and the few days a week I've got. I'm going to try harder. No wait, ya know, I think I've actually been trying too hard. I'm not going to try anymore. I'm just gonna do it.

Do or do not... there is no try.
- Yoda

It was one beam of light in the middle of a dark sky. Then a sea of pink and orange. Then black. And it was beautiful.

"It's all part of the plan"

;) 
Because it still seems like you don't completely get it yet.

Indie Movie Explodes on BitTorrent, Makers Bless Piracy

Today's Big Question: What Do You Give Away for Free?

Distribute Your Movie Yourself

Create and distribute your film or video

Using Social Networking to Market Your Film

Indy Mogul

Film Riot

Filmmaker IQ

Kevin Smith - Great Filmmaking Advice


In guerrilla warfare, you try to use your weaknesses as strengths. If they're big and you're small, then you're mobile and they're slow. You're hidden and they're exposed. Only fight battles you know you can win. That's the way the Vietcong did it. You capture their weapons and you use them against them the next time. That way they're supplying you. You grow stronger as they grow weaker.

- Brill "Enemy Of The State"

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

First off I wanna say how horrified I am at the events that have taken place at Fort Hood. It kinda hit home with me being from Texas and having family in the military. Thankfully I didn't have any family there today, but I do have friends there and I'm glad to say they're just fine. Still, I'm praying for all of our troops and their family and friends who are affected. It's hard enough what our troops have to go through over seas, it's even harder when something like this happens at on home soil, by the hand of who you thought was your fellow soldier.

It does help put things in perspective. Anytime, any place, anything could happen. In a New York minute, everything could change, so the song goes. It makes me thankful for what I've got and that I'm still breathing.

I'm not a soldier at war, or a cop on the streets. I'm not homeless. I don't live in a dangerous war torn region, or a place prone to horrible typhoons or powerful tornadoes. I've got all my limbs, a functioning brain, an amazing wife and family and friends that care and support me. I could bitch about the money I don't have, or how I can't do this or that because I don't have this or that. Instead I'd like to focus on how lucky I am, and what an amazing opportunity I have to do something amazing and create something great, simply because I'm alive, and I can do so with what I've got.

I'm alive and breathing. That's all I need to make something truly great happen. For me that great thing is that same great thing I've always dreamed and worked for, to make movies. To tell stories with images. And as cheesy as it sounds, to help inspire a bit of love, laughter, and wonder, to help maybe reduce the negativity that fuels atrocities like the one that occurred today at Fort Hood.

And I'm trying. Trying to take those steps toward making something great, something fun, something to take you out of your everyday, and put you in a place that will hopefully help give you that release from your so called reality.

It's a bit of a Fairy Tale I'm working on. I've posted before about this re-working I'm doing on the Red Riding Hood story. It's an action, horror, adventure, version with Red Riding Hood as the heroine. It's called REDD. That's April in costume holding a gun.

As soon as Halloween had past we dove right into it. Tuesday and Wednesday turned out to be quite productive. This past Tuesday I met with two of the actresses. April Crum will be playing the title character REDD, and Ashley Angelo will be playing one of the baddies. Immediately got through there costumes and set them on some fight choreography which they picked up quickly. Special thanks to April's Mom for being there to help me wrangle the girls and keep things organized.

Wednesday was a run through of the previous days fight scene, this time at the new location. A gorgeous stable and woods location compliments of Sterling and John Bollinger.

This was where I was able to get some test shots and figure out our lighting situation. Most of what I had envisioned was during the day, but scheduling is only really allowing shoots after dark, no thanks in part to the time change. Hey, whatcha gonna do?





Also got a look at Chris in his new Ninja outfit. Yes, this short will feature Ninja type warriors as well as Werewolves, Vampires, and Zombies.








Here's the first bit of test footage. April Crum in costume walking through the forest. Color grading and compositing with Sony Vegas. Going for that dream like feel, as if she was walking through a painting. Played with the score a bit as well with some help from ProScores and Acid.




Another test cut, trying out some visual fx in low light. April was lit with a single light. Cut again on Sony Vegas, Scored with ProScores and Fruity Loops, Gun flashes from Detonation Films. Use them for all your explosion/gun flash needs http://www.detonationfilms.com/



It's clear that in order to capture the look I'm aiming for at night, we'll need about 8 lights around 500 watts, as opposed to the 4 or 5 I was thinking. This is mainly because I really need to light the background. I want the forest setting to be somewhat of a character as well, especially at night.

We're going to have to fight to get those daylight shots. There are alot of scenes in golden daylight at dusk, especially the big Lycan Battle. Speaking of Lycan's Richard Gaither is helping out with the Werewolf FX, I'm currently putting one together. I'm confident we can really achieve the giant hulking beasts I see in my head.

The entire plan here is not only to really create something spectacular for no money, but to hopefully help display what we can do on a cinematic level, and not just on a guerrilla/documentary style shoot like Monster Cops. Hopefully this will help get more traction in funding my feature, Bobby's Closet. Overall I'm just anxious to show what kind of cinematic style movie magic we can achieve with our talent and the resources we have.

And now here's the final cut of Archangel. Submitted this one to the Assassin's Creed II Video Contest. Quite fond of the editing and audio mix I did on this one.



Would like to have done more on it, more fights, more action, but I'd rather have this mock trailer wrapped so we can concentrate on working on Monster Cops and making REDD as great as humanly possible. Hopefully we can include a final cut of Redd to go with the Monster Cops series 1 DVD next year, which will of course be used to help raise money for Cancer Charity.

From The Ashes

An amazing site. A ship built from the steel from the Word Trade Center, sailed into New York today. Beautiful.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-11-02-uss-newyork_N.htm?csp=34

Scary, but not the end

Halloween. Headache. The Kitchen. A Greek Moment. Poltergeist. A Priest. Thinking of the future. Regretting the past. Working to make things better. Supernatural. Not seeing Drag Me To Hell. Chris bought a Ninja outfit. Hot Cofee. Hot Shower. Cold air. It rained all day. Fingers crossed for Assassin's Creed. Day off, thank God. Crazy flaming candle. 13 Scarier Moments. TAPS. Chicken legs. Bread and Butter. Antioxidants. Jennifer. Ashley. Ghosts. Roger Rabbit. Your latest thought. Creative Visualization. There is no spoon.

You have to do better. You make your own future. No one else.

YOU make your own future.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The Big Picture

It's those little pieces of life, those small moments that make a big difference.  Those little bits of time you experience that add up to entirely wonderful day.  Today was a great, beautiful Fall day spent with my wonderful wife.  And so many of those little moments we share just make it all so complete and amazing.

Seeing the sun shine through golden Autumn leaves. Feeling that cool crisp air. Holding hands with the woman you love. Walking through the park. Picking out pumpkins. Sipping apple cider. Just sitting in a car next to your beautiful wife and hearing that perfect song come on to help narrate that perfect moment.  These were just some of the moments I experienced that added up to one great amazing day.

It really was a beautiful day. Some gorgeous fall foliage, the trees surrounding our house covered in light golds, dark browns, and dark greens. The lowering sun hitting it all just right. Not too warm, not too cold. Perfect day to get a few shots of Fall on the video camera. Something really amazing about seeing the leaves fall in Autumn. It's almost as wondrous as watching it snow in Winter.

Hit the local pumpkin patch. I love pumpkins and what's more I love seeing huge rows of pumpkins. The pumpkins were a bit pricey so we decided to wait and buy a couple later at the store.  Strolled through the park for a bit. Gorgeous lake out there, saw the ducks swim, and tried to find what must've been an invisible teleporting frog. I swear I would hear it next to me, I'd look down, it would stop, then start up in another area.

Got some dinner, headed to the store to get groceries and pick a few pumpkins. The entire time listening to a nice little mix of modern pop hits and horror movie scores (we're odd like that.)  At one point Harry Connick Jr. was on then the theme from Friday The 13th, which was particularily funny to hear driving through the huge wooded areas of the park. Went home, carved pumpkins, while watching Halloween and drinking apple cider. Then finished off season 4 of Supernatural then watched Ghosthunters.

Doesn't sound too adventurous, no. But when you're with the right person, everything can be a wonderful romantic adventure.  And that's how it is with me and Juli. The simplest things can become amazing moments simply because you're with that special someone. Geez I could write for Hallmark.

It's fairly similar to making movies. You create those little moments that add up to one big picture that tells a story.  Today our story is one of love and romance and sharing loving moments.  It was about enjoying what great things Fall has to offer, and savoring those great things. I can only hope I can accomplish the same thing as a movie maker. Create wonderful moments that the audience can savor, and pushes them toward a bigger picture and compelling story.

I'm anxious to really get going on RED. Or rather REDD. This little Red Riding Hood re-do is still in limbo as far as how I want to title it. Samantics.

Already got the ball rolling on casting, costume, and special fx. I'm anxious to get going on test shots, which we will be doing next week, along with starting on fight choreohgraphy.  Already done with the score.  Here's a taste:



Created with Pro Scores, Acid, and Fruity Loops. I hope this helps convey the kind of feel and intensity I'm aiming for. I just hope it helps to enhance all those great moments that I hope will create an amazing picture for the audience to witness and savor. I'm just working toward that bigger picture, one great moment at a time.

Werewolf Research

COSTUMES and FX

Production List 2009 to 2010

So here's exactly what I'm working on right now. Yes, this is me blogging to help bring things to fruition. If I blog about it, so shall it be done. If it works, I'll blog about that 12 million dollars I'll earn.

- Monster Cops
My goal is to have at least 4 complete episodes at about 20 to 24 minutes each. 1 is online now, we're about to complete another one. We've shot half of the 3rd and just need to shoot and edit the 4th. I'll aim for 5 complete episodes, but 4 is more realistic. A Monster Cops Series 1 DVD release would be set for an early spring release if we get enough episodes completed. That 4th episode depends greatly on our werewolf FX. The 4th is a Werewolf episode and I don't want to do it if the Lycan is too entirely ridiculous.

This goes hand in hand with ...

- REDD
Redd is a short film. It's a gothic, horror, action version of Red Riding Hood, where the title character is treated more like an action hero and the big bad wolf is actually a big bad Werewolf. Also features much of what we've accomplished before with Monster Cops, Vampires, Zombies rising from the grave. Except in a more cinematic style. This is part short film, part mock trailer. Working on Werewolf FX now, which we can hopefully utilize in that 4th Monster Cops episode. I'm aiming to do something mind blowing on no budget. Really show what we can do.

April Crum trying on her possible costume as the character Redd.

This is really just me attempting to make something big budget movie style utilizing the resources we already have. I truely believe something great can be created with what you've got. Examples of great DIY moviemaking for no money are all over YouTube. So many talented folks out there. It's our turn to create something truly mind blowing. This is very much a big picture movie and will hopefully help in the fundraising for ...

- BOBBY'S CLOSET
The Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adventure, Monster movie. The budget for that is between 80 and 50 grand. Trying to raising money for it, and I hope to have it so we can start shooting in Spring/Summer of 2010. Definitely going to shoot this one on either a RED Camera or, I'm strongly considering a VDSLR Camera like the Canon 7D. Really go for that cinematic look. I've blogged about it before. This one is my throwback to the 80's. Back To The Future, Poltergeist, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Close Encounters. And as with all of my projects I want to utilize a percentage of any and all profits by donating it to Cancer Charities. So many causes and so much support to give.  To entertain and to help.  But first, we need our own budget to make this happen and continue to make it happen.

Going to try a number of fund raising ideas. Already have some inquiries from some possible investors, going to try crowd sourcing, sponsorship, and perhaps a good old fashioned bake sale. Already have a few details up on how you can help make this movie happen, and a few of the benefits of donating to this movie.  Still have much work to do before we completely unveil the full plan. Along the way, we're doing concept art, preliminary casting, and location scouting.  Check out the site when you get a chance. http://bobbysclosetmovie.com. I'll try to update the blog there as much as I can.

I'm very excited about all of these projects, alot of things seem to be falling into place.  I hope we can continue to be lucky.  Luck is preparation meeting opportunity. I'm prepared for this opportunity.

Awake

Can't sleep. Currently on my wife's laptop while QVC's Halloween Spooktacular is on. I love that they're selling Halloween items. I'm really getting a kick out of the 5' Hanging Motion Activated Kicking Scare Crow. It's an evil pumpkin face on top of a scarecrow's body. It's leg's flail and it's eyes light up when you walk in front of it. Neat.

If our budget would allow it, I know Juli and I would buy every single Halloween item we saw.

On QVC, a guy in a giant monster monkey outfit just walked on to the set, has played with the scarecrow, and has now left. Weird.

Anyhoo. Juli and I love Halloween. Currently our bedroom is adorned with a string of pumpkin lights across our wall, and 6 different Halloween candle holders sit across the stand in front of our TV.

On QVC, an evil pirate man has now joined the monster monkey and they are now dancing. Ah, I see, this is apparently a new item they are now selling. Halloween Masks with Hat and Hair. I see a creepy pirate with a pirate hat and hair, and the monkey mask also has hair and is wearing a clown hat. I could very well be hallucinating all this.

Anyways. I cannot fully express my love for Halloween. Those that know me know how much I love it, and I love that Juli loves it just as much as I do. The other night we finally got to watch Trick r' Treat. Had the candles lit and everything. It was actually quite a neat site to see those lit up pumpkins and haunted houses in front of the TV as the opening credits rolled.

Trick r' Treat is not only a great Halloween movie, it's just an overall great movie. Well directed, well written, great performances, and very intriguing. It really does capture that Halloween spirit. It does indeed lean towards the eerie and demented. Although I was able to pick up on alot of the twists, there were a few moments I just was not expecting.

I may give a full review later, but for now I'll say it was a great experience to watch a movie that celebrated one of my favorite holidays. And it was quite refreshing to watch an original horror movie, and not one that's a reboot or a remake. Warner Bros. decided not to release this one in theaters a couple of years ago. Huge mistake in my opinion.

On QVC, 6' Animated Witches Airblown w/ Candy Dish Cauldron. It's a huge air filled prop of 3 cartoonish looking witches sitting around a cartoon cauldron. Their heads spin. Someone just unplugged it and they all collapsed. That looked kind of neat.

Anyway, it's sad that so many sequels and remakes get to theaters, and a great original movie like Trick r' Treat gets shelved for two years and then goes direct to DVD. Sad. Oh well, I am proud to own it. It now goes with my 3 other favorite Halloween movies, The Nightmare Before Christmas the original Halloween, and Sleepy Hollow.

PROJECT LIST UPDATES:

MONSTER COPS - Finish and premiere the next episode online on Halloween or soon after. Complete 2 more episodes and as many webisodes as possible before February. Distribute a Monster Cops DVD early next year that includes all 4 episodes and about 13 webisodes altogether, as well as a ton of DVD extras, vlogs, gag reel, etc.

HALLOWEEN VIDEOS - There are two Halloween videos. One is called The Long Halloween, pretty much my way of celebrating and paying triute to the holiday. The other one is called The Halloween Machine. Been working on that one for years, got the music for it done and everything, but every year it gets canceled, because it is time consuming and somewhat of a large undertaking. We shall see.

REDD - This is a short film that I've been mulling over for a long while now. I've just recently decided that it needs to be pursued fully. I'm trying to figure out how we can do this. If I can do it the way I see it in my head, it'll be mind blowing.

BOBBY'S CLOSET - It's in preproduction. I'm hoping we can shoot this by spring of next year. Still in the fund-raising stage. I hope to unveil the next part of our fund-raising strategy soon.

Ok, getting sleepy. QVC is back to selling clothes now anyhow.

Happiness isn't getting what you want. It's wanting what you get.

It's a frog

There was a frog on our kitchen window. So I got the camera. Yes, random.

"Perya" - a Canon 7D Short

The more research I do on this camera, the more and more I'm falling in love with it. This 3 minute short was shot on the Canon 7D. Amazing quality, great shots, great cuts, decent docu/short. And it's got Filipinos in it. What more do you want?





The Canon 7D, in short, is a still camera that can record in HD and in 24p. Since it's already set up for prime lenses, it gives you great quality video. I'm really leaning towards this camera for Bobby's Closet. With a few tricks in editing, this quality is comparable to a RED camera and is much much more affordable.

Slow Motion Zombie Hit

Thanks to Richard Gaither I actually got one of the shots I've always wanted to get for Monster Cops. The classic Zombie crawling out of a grave. We've done it a couple of times, but the above clip was the exact shot I was looking for. The right angle of seeing that creature claw out of the soil, then one of the Monster Cops firing a bullet into it's head. It's great when you can finally put together a shot you've had in your head for so long.

We shot this in Richard's backyard. He had put a long piece of plywood on top of two chairs. Cut a hole in the center. Draped some kind of fabric over the hole, then placed soil and shrubbery all over the wood. At the right angle we had a shot of the ground. Have a zombie claw it's way from underneath through the soil covered fabric, and you've got it. We put Brandon on a stool, aiming his prop gun. Richard rigged a tube through the forehead of the zombie mask. He squirted fake blood through the tube as I cued our zombie (Darin Chamberlin) to react and fall over.

In post, using Sony Vegas, I color corrected everything, and utilized brightness and contrast to make the footage pop look wise. On the final angle where the Zombie gets shot, I faked Depth Of Field utilizing a cookie cutter and gausian blur. I also added a bit of a glow, and then rendered everything into 24p HD to give it somewhat of a film look.

This was really fun to put together and I can't wait to utilize some of these tricks for other projects.

Hoping to have two more episodes up before Halloween and few more webisodes. Would love to have enough to put on a DVD and distribute just in time for Christmas. We'll give it our best shot. Might be a great way to help raise some money for Bobby's Closet.

Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT

Monster Cops. End Of Summer VLOG

VLOG September 09

I really need a better background.

80's Influence and Bobby's Closet

Death Of Auto-Tune and the Birth of Great Music

I love music. I love when different styles of music collide. I'm always a big fan of when an orchestra or symphony can be added to any type of pop, rock, or hip-hop song. I also love when someone can take one type of song and reinterpret into something else, not just covering a song, but transforming and therefore enhancing a song. Among the gazillions of covers and remixes out there it happens rarely, but when it does it's amazing.

Here's an example of such a transformation and enhancement. This blows my mind and I listen to it often. This is Obadiah Parker (aka Matt Weddle) doing an amazing cover of Outkast's "Hey Ya."



The greatness of the original song is that the sound and tempo make the lyrics ironic. In this cover, the heavy meaning of the words come out, but then at the end the irony returns when he starts performing the audience call outs with the same deep sound. But that's just my observation. Aside from that, it's a really great cover. Be sure to check out http://www.obadiahparker.com


I absolutely love all the music coming out of TRUE BLOOD. I haven't gotten a chance to really get into the show like my wife has, but I have had the pleasure of listening to most of the music. This particular song is awesome on so many levels. G-Tom Mac covering "Cry Little Sister."



I love the Lost Boys reference and I love that this particular song has made a comeback on a great show about Vampires. I'm fond of that bluesy country sound and it fits this song so well. A new take on a classic and at the same time brings out the essence of the song.


And while I'm posting great music, might as well throw in the song I've been playing to death. I've already posted it once and I even used in the Archangel teaser. Elbow's "Grounds For Divorce" with the BBC Orchestra.




And here's the whole reason I was posting in the first place. Jay-Z's 9/11 tribute concert this past Friday was phenomenal. I wish I could've been there. From what I've read, and what I've seen, I heard it was an amazing concert and a heartwarming tribute. But this performance in general blew my mind. There were a number of stars that came out to perform with J, but when John Mayer came out to jam with J, I felt like it went up a whole other level.

This is an amazing combination of Hip-Hop, Pop, and Rock and Blues, all styles I absolutely love. Jay is an amazing rapper, and Mayer is an amazing guitarist. This sound is so big, it blows my mind everytime. Love this one.



As if I didn't already love Death Of Auto-Tune. Great song, now even greater.

I really miss being able to take the time to really sit down and make music. Here lately it's been on the fly, recording stuff for projects and ads when necessary. Not the same as taking the time to really create, produce, and record something from the heart. I'm hoping I can get to do that soon. I've got 4 notebooks filled with lyrics and songs I've written since about 1995. There's a couple of songs in there I've been dying to really record for a while now.


One step at a time though. Coming up the Vlogs, quite a few of them. No really this time. I'm editing one for Bobby's Closet as we speak, then one as an update on all the projects, and another as a response to a lot of questions I've been getting concerning my DIY Necronomicon video I made last year.

If you've tried to call or text me. I've apparently left my cel at home. I'll contact you later. Or you can email me.

Archangel, Reupload

I decided to add one small bit to the Archangel teaser. Just wanted to add a small explosion to give it a bigger feel. Once again, all done on Vegas.

Teaser trailer for a movie that doesn't exist. Fake trailer for a movie about a hit man battling other assassins. Just an excuse to try out some filters, visual fx, and editing techniques.

Shot on Panasonic GS320
Edited on Sony Vegas
Rendered to 24p in HD format

Features Chris Plouffe as the main hit man. Also features Brandon White, Richard Gaither, Sarah Vroom.

Music is "Grounds For Divorce" performed by ELBOW and the BBC ORCHESTRA

Trick R Treat

So very excited!

'Trick R Treat' DVD Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

Archangel Teaser

Fake Trailer. An excuse to test out a few shots, editing techniques, filters, yadda, yadda. An assassin battling other assassins, the usual.

Shot with the Panasonic GS320. Edited on Sony Vegas.

Featuring Chris Plouffe, Brandon White, Sarah Vroom, and Richard Gaither. Much of it shot at Northwoods Stables.

Music borrowed from ELBOW and the BBC Orchestra "Grounds For Divorce" Such a great version, had to use it.

Don't you know what the night can do?

I'm blessed. When I need it, the right song comes on the radio. When I'm down, the right words are always spoken. And when I forget, there's something that always reminds me.

Special thanks to Chris Petite for showing his support for myself and for Monster Cops. And to David Koss for letting us use his studio those many years ago to shoot some scenes for the first Monster Cops movie THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, and for taking this awesome pic.

I made a movie with two crappy cameras and really great cast. Let's see what I can do with a much better camera and a really great cast.

Successfully cleaned out all the nonessential, now I can breathe and think clearly enough to get rolling on this untitled vampire movie. Although my wife has indeed given it a title, but I don't like it. Sadly, it's starting to grow on me. We'll see.

This week, more fund raising for Bobby's Closet. Now, working on details for the Vampire shoot this month.