Hockey Masks and Lycans

Friday the 13th on the Night of a Full Moon

Today is Friday, June the 13th. We're also supposed to have a full moon tonight. (Oh, and something about solar flares hitting the earth! OMG run!) Since there aren't any cool theatres around me playing Jason or werewolf marathons tonight, I'll have my own. While thinking about that, I decided to rank my five favorite Friday movies and my five favorite werewolf movies. 

Friday the 13th Top 5

1. Part II - I'm pretty sure this was the first Friday movie I saw. I remember burlap sack Jason very clearly. Once I saw the original, Part I, the opening suddenly made a lot more sense. 

2. Part I - I'm a big fan of this one, despite there being no Jason killer. Mrs. Voorhees made a fantastic killer and still creeps me out. And the killer coda at the end is classic horror movie stuff. 

3. Part IV: The Final Chapter - I really like this sequel a lot. I thought the character of Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman) was cool. He was a makeup and FX wiz kid who took on Jason in the end. 

4. Part VI: Jason Lives - This one was always fun to me. And it's the first time in the series that Jason is resurrected (via lightening). 

5. Part V: A New Beginning - Despite not having - spoiler! - the real Jason present, only his persona, it's a decent movie and sequel. 

Werewolf Movies Top 5

1. The Howling - Joe Dante can do no wrong in my eyes. It's a shame we aren't still getting a steady supply of creature features from him today. Most people prefer that "other" werewolf movie that came out at the same time. And they are both different enough to stand apart, but I've always preferred the dark humor of The Howling. 

2. The Wolf Man - I love this movie. It's atmospheric and short. It's not as fancy as all the newer, FX heavy iterations but it's a fun time if you're into the traditional lycan lore. 

3. Silver Bullet - Based on Stephen King's book, "Cycle of the Werewolf". This one is a lot of fun and has some intense moments that will have you gripping the seat of your wheelchair. 

4. Ginger Snaps - This movie is a unique twist on the lycan curse being that it's a metaphor for female puberty. It's dark and twisted and a lot of fun. 

5. Underworld - I absolutely love this movie and its first sequel, Evolution. It gets bashed because of its use of CGI, but its style and atmosphere always keep me entertained. That, and I want to be Selene. 

So there you have it! Probably not the most traditional list for these two categories, but who ever said I was traditional? Be sure to grab some popcorn and settle in tonight for a rip roarin' good time! (And watch out for those fireballs falling from the sky...)

Review: The Bay

[Note: I wrote this review way back in March 2013. My feelings regarding found footage still stand.]

Now this is how you make a found footage movie! That's really all you need to know. The Bay is more intelligent and has less shaky-cam than most found footage films. And that's a great thing. Barry Levinson, best known for his Oscar winning movie Rain Man, tried his hand at the found footage subgenre, and I'm happy to say he succeeded. 

Found footage movies have always piqued my curiosity, but they always seem to let me down for one reason or another. From the godawful shaky-cam to poor storytelling to even worse, annoying characters.  While I've found it to be an interesting (and cheap) way to tell a story, most found footage movies fail to deliver. Truthfully, most suck. 

Why is that? As a filmmaker, I would not make a found footage movie unless I could come up with that one element that would set it apart from its brethren.  Let's look at the core.  What is found footage?  Well, it is footage, or video, of some random event in time that could have been recorded or documented by anyone with a video camera, be it consumer or professional grade, or even a cell phone. It would be like if I witnessed a fight between two people in public and I recorded it with my iPhone. That's real footage of an actual event.  

Now, say that event turned into a massive media frenzy or, say the world was obliterated by an alien invasion. And one of those alien beings found my iPhone and watched the video of that fight in the street. That would be found footage. But it's the compelling reason that footage is released that truly tells a story. 

So how does a filmmaker use that to tell a story?

There's no denying the filmmakers would have to show that footage at some point.  But to me, the big aspect that has been missing in the current crop of found footage movies is simply, why. There has to be a reason to tie it all together. In the case of The Bay, there is a narrative, and journalist Donna (Kether Donohue) leads us through a faux documentary to tell the story of what happened in a small town during a town-wide 4th of July celebration. She was there documenting the festivities and witnessed these events in person. In the time since, she believes there has been a coverup. Evidently, the mayor (who obviously hasn't seen Jaws) didn't want the true cause getting out and causing mass hysteria. Um, too late. Now Donna is out to show the world what really caused this disaster in the small town on Chesapeake Bay. 

The documentary style lends realism to this narrative, and it's a compelling enough reason to warrant digging up old news broadcasts, Skype conversations, and cell phone footage to show proof. (There's the why!) We see the story unfold in first person perspective (with Donna narrating), so there's no over the shoulder shots or reaction shots. But that's how it was for them. It was real. So, what did happen? Small isopods (these actually exist, by the way!) that live in fish have mutated into larger, carnivorous creatures which have infected the water supply in the town. 

Needless to say, pretty much the entire town comes in contact with this water in one way or another. Since this is body gross-out horror, there is ample gore to be found here. Mainly in the form of skin lesions, open sores, and the like. In other words, The Bay is light on the scares, but heavy on the real life icky. Cronenberg would be proud. 

Thank you, Mr. Levinson for pushing the found footage subgenre a little further up the storytelling food chain. With very few good found footage movies out there, it's kinda ironic that a non-horror filmmaker is the one who finally gets it right. 

 Care for a swim, anyone?

Chain Saw Confidential

Who knew Leatherface was a poet? 

When I discovered "Chain Saw Confidential", I had no idea Gunnar Hansen (Mr. Leatherface himself) was also a writer. Hansen brings a professional yet conversational style to the accounts (both his own and those of actors and crew) of the "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" production. I really dug this book. There were a few things about the making of the movie that I did not know - little tidbits of info for any aspiring filmmaker - that were quite enlightening. Some of the most interesting stories involved Marilyn Burns (aka Sally) and what she went through all in the name of movie making. Hansen describes the rough shooting conditions with an almost nostalgic voice. It's clear he remembers his part in "Massacre" history fondly. While "Massacre" isn't my favorite horror film, it definitely leaves a lasting impression with its raw style. If you're even remotely interested in the movie itself or low budget filmmaking, this is a fun, enjoyable read. 

Inspired by: Guillermo del Toro

["Every now and then I'll post about someone or something that inspires me. To read a previous entry, see the entry about Darren Lynn Bousman. And for now please enjoy this little snippet about Guillermo del Toro."]

Reading del Toro's book that Craig gave me for my birthday ("Cabinet of Curiosities"), I am reminded how important it is to a creative person to keep notebooks. I used to keep one with me at all times and have started writing many a short film in those very notebooks. Then in 2011 the iPad came out. And while I absolutely love the fact that I've transferred all my writings and notes to plain text so that I can access them anywhere via Dropbox, I find that I don't do as much creative writing on my iPad. I do type a lot. And have typed several short film scripts on it. 

But there is something about pen to paper that gives my brain a jump start. It's like the creative process in my brain is physically connected to that paper. And I tend to brainstorm more and more efficiently when writing versus typing. So, in the spirit of del Toro and creative artists everywhere, I'm going to go back to carrying a notebook. 

Luckily my OCD did not have time to kick in and force me to go in search of the perfect writing notebook, because I found an unused composition book buried in my closet. I'm more than content with that!

Happy writing!

RIP 2013 - My Favorite Movies

Between giant robots, ghosts, evil spirits, killer dolls, aliens, possessed trees, zombies, and crazed murderers, 2013 was a solid year for horror movies.

The odd thing for me, though, is that while there were several that were great, there really wasn't one that stood out. That's a little disappointing and I'm not sure why that is. Whether it was the less-than-ideal theater going experience or if those really great movies were great technically, but just didn't touch me on a personal level, I don't know. Or maybe it's because there were so many great ones this year - which certainly isn't a bad thing. But here's the funny thing - I can't name 10 movies. I can name 8. Please understand that I see a lot of movies every year, but many of those are from previous years (recent and old).  So, I'm gonna do something a little different and list several of those really good movies and then list my two, yes TWO, favorites of 2013. 

Dark Skies - This one surprised me. It takes the haunted house theme and adds something to it to mix things up, and I liked it. 

Evil Dead - I was real surprised that I liked this one. I think it's because it was so different from the original Evil Dead. I liked the underlying premise as to why these kids were at the cabin, which I could argue has more substance than the original, and it definitely brought the gore. 

You're Next - A good movie with a great female lead. My only gripe is how the filmmakers explained the girl's survival prowess. Not spoiling anything, but the fact they threw that bit in there kinda bummed me out. 

The Battery - Great, great indie movie about two people surviving the zombie apocalypse. Horror needs more character driven pieces. 

Curse of Chucky - I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention the newest sequel to a movie that made me a horror filmmaker. We also got an amazing performance by Fiona Dourif, another great female lead for horror. Curse is a solid effort and I hope we see more. My only gripe is that the CGI sucked. Seriously. Some of Chucky's expressions look terrible. 

Insidious: Chapter 2 - A good sequel to an amazing original. Yes, I am a BIG fan of Insidious. If you liked the first Insidious, there isn't any reason you won't like this one. I can't wait to see where they go next. 

And now for my two favorites of the year... 

Pacific Rim - Giant robots and huge monsters! What's not to love? This isn't really horror, but I included it since it is a genre picture. The story could have been a little tighter, it's nothing we haven't seen before, but... Giant robots and huge monsters! Pacific Rim was definitely a favorite. 

The Conjuring - In ten years we will still be talking about this one. It's without a doubt the best made horror movie of the last decade. Heck, dare I say, it's the best horror movie since the original Scream. It's almost hard to believe this is a studio picture. An instant classic. James Wan really blew us away this year and I can't wait to continue watching his career even if he does claim to be leaving horror. And let me just say, I am so glad they cast Lily Taylor, because no one, NO ONE, could have pulled off the part of the mother like she did. Amazing. 

Favorite Game of Last Gen

My vote for the best game of last gen (360/PS3/Wii) goes to...

For me, it's easy. Nothing compares to Fallout 3 and exploring the Capital Wasteland. I'm sure it helps that I'm a post-apocalyptic nut, but the D.C. Wasteland is probably my favorite game setting... ever. I also really dug the V.A.T.S. combat system. Being able to target a huge mutant's gun-wielding arm and cause him to drop it was very satisfying. The combat system helped set Fallout apart from the run and gun FPS and made it more RPG-like. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would argue it's the best open world sandbox game ever. I could get lost in my own little world while exploring the highly detailed Wasteland. I recently played it in its entirety again, this time on PS3, and it's every bit as good as I remember. (I hit Platinum in 60 hours!) It really is a living, breathing place. And boy oh boy, I cannot wait for Fallout 4. 

Here are a few others that were noteworthy:

Oblivion - Sure, Skyrim is more polished, but Oblivion really set the stage well. For the record, I enjoyed the guild quests a LOT more in Oblivion than Skyrim. The Dark Brotherhood was one of the creepiest and most unsettling thing I've experienced (right up there with Silent Hill 2).

Bioshock - Ah, Rapture. How you blew me away with your amazing setting. Seriously, Rapture is my second favorite game world after the Capital Wasteland. Playing, I really felt like I was under the sea. I wish I could say I had a similar experience with Columbia in Bioshock Infinite. Even though it was obvious I was in a city in the clouds, it didn't leave as much of an impact. 

Super Mario Galaxy - There have been several revolutionary Mario games and this one is no different. It basically took what Super Mario 64 did to revolutionize the 3D game world and made it 10x more awesome. 

Also of note: 

Wii Sports - Hey, it brought many families together. I remember one Thanksgiving, my grandmother was even Wii Bowling. Good memories!

Rock Band - I don't even want to try to calculate the number of hours my husband and I have spent playing Rock Band. It left such an impact, it made Craig learn to play guitar and I now have my own set of drums. Take that, Chad Kroeger. 

All in all, I'd say we've had an amazing 8 years of games, and I can't wait to see what this next gen brings us!

Why I Love My Playstation Vita

I really love my Vita. 

I bought it this time last year when amazon had an amazing gold box deal on Black Friday. In the year since I've had it, there have been some great games. I love the 2 Ninja Gaiden ports, Sly Cooper, Soul Sacrifice, Persona 4, Killzone: Mercenaries, Tearaway, and all the indie games. As I was writing this blog, IGN just happened to post something similar that is also worth a read. 

One aspect that I absolutely love is that Playstation+ supports the Vita each month just like it does the PS3 (and now the PS4). I've gotten Uncharted, Gravity Rush, Wipeout, Rayman Origins, and so many more games for free with my subscription. Plus, they just released Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath and Soul Sacrifice all for free with a subscription. Not to mention all the indie games they add for free or at a discounted price. And they give killer sales on downloadable games. Several months ago, I bought Little Big Planet and Touch My Katamari for real cheap. Sony really brings the A-list titles to PS+. 

Regarding the indie games, the Vita is such a great console for stuff like that. I just finished Limbo, which was amazing. I'd love to design a simple and elegant game like that. And I'm also playing Lone Survivor and Guacamelee. I thought the old school graphic look would get in the way in Lone Survivor, but it adds a lot of charm. Sure, these are usually ports from other platforms, but who cares? Thanks, Sony for bringing them to me because I otherwise would likely not experience these games. 

And now there's Tearaway. If you own a Vita and haven't played Tearaway, you are missing out. It is the most innovative platformer I've played in years and has the best use of touch controls ever. Period. Take that mobile gaming. And it has a most endearing story. 

If you've been on the fence about buying a Vita, now is the time, especially if you have any interest in a PS4 and remote play. I will get into more at a later date once I've had time to really use that feature. But there are so many great games available for the Vita now and it'll only get better with more support.

Ryse: Son of Rome - Mini Review

First of all, Ryse is amazing! There's just no way the reviewers played the same game Craig and I are playing... and thoroughly enjoying. This is what I wish God of War was like. Pure action, lots of sword swinging, and buckets of the red stuff spewing everywhere. And best of all, I'm not pushing any stupid ass boxes! Dare I say, Ryse is almost console-buying worthy. This is the most fun playing I've had in a long time. The voice acting is superb and the story is very engaging. I don't get why this game has been universally panned. No, the combat doesn't change much, but performing execution moves to gain XP, health, etc, never gets tiresome or feels like a chore. The combat is quite good and demands you to master the art of blocking and attacking, which is very rhythmic and rewarding. 

And allow me to gush over the graphics for just a moment. The environments are so real looking, it's impossible not to immerse yourself in the cinematic setting. And every chapter that I've played (about 5) has been a different, stunning setting. Oh, and cut scenes are generated with the in-game engine. The detail in character faces is uncanny... in a good way.  This game definitely looks like next gen, and if it's any indication as to what's to come, I cannot wait for the next Fallout or Elder Scrolls. Holy shit will they be jaw droppingly gorgeous. 

I know not everyone is ready to jump on the Xbox One train, but when you do, do yourself a favor and ignore the review scores for Ryse. You won't be disappointed. 

Postmortem: "Maternity Ward" - Part 3

For part 3 of this series, our Cinematographer and Editor, Craig Morris, waxes poetic about his first time experience with shooting video with a DSLR and his trick for saving the day when the lights went out....

Shedding Light on "Maternity Ward"

Well, this was certainly an interesting experience. As we started planning the shoot for our short film, "M IS FOR MATERNITY WARD," (our entry into the "ABCs of Death, Part 2" contest) I felt that this would be a great opportunity to finally give DSLR filmmaking a try. We normally shoot with a Sony HVR-Z5U pro cam, but I've seen enough DSLR footage to know that it was time to see how the Canon 60D I already had would work for video.

Craig (Cinematographer) getting the light just perfect

We had the privilege of shooting at a local haunted house, HauntedWeb of Horrors. Their set designers are absolutely top-notch, with Disney-level attention to detail. We've shot two commercials for them before, so they graciously allowed us to use their facility for this short. Without this location, this short would not have been possible.

I then started to light the set with the help of my trusty pal and Cinegore crew regular, Roger Cotton. We've been friends since high school, and it's always comforting to have him on set. He can pretty much read my mind now and knows exactly what I'm trying to accomplish with the lights. My plan was in place and we started to set up the lights.

And that's when disaster struck. Within 2 minutes of turning on one of the 600-watt lamps, the bulb burned out. No problem, I have spares. That's when I realized that the spares we ordered were all the wrong bulb. The boxes they came in were labeled as the correct style we needed, but the bulbs themselves were different. Argh! That will teach me to inspect things a bit more carefully. I'm such an idiot.

So, I grabbed another 600w lamp and that bulb burned out immediately too. That left me with one 600w lamp and a bunch of spare bulbs that didn't fit. Ugh!

Suzanne Ramsey ("Mary") and Craig

The set is fairly large, so I was getting concerned. My only other pro lamps are two Arri 150s. Great lights, but not a lot of coverage. I got these in place and stuck the last 600-watt lamp behind a huge diffusion panel. That gave me enough light for the most part, but still needed some fill here and there. Once again, my trusty $6 aluminum scoop lamps from Wal-Mart came to the rescue. I bring these on every shoot as a backup, and I'm very glad I did.

The results were spectacular. I could not believe how great the shadow detail is on the 60D. Very smooth gradations into black, unlike the harsher cut-off I get with the Z5U. I was amazed.

I mostly used my favorite lens: Canon 50mm f/1.4, Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro, and a Canon 70-300mm IS USM zoom. And for two shots, I slapped on the Canon 10-22mm wide-angle lens. Couldn't have gotten these two shots without it.

Suzanne and Craig shooting a scene

With shooting wrapped and editing completed, I began on the soundtrack. Now, I have had zero formal music training, and have never even attempted to write music for a film. I sat down in front of Logic Pro X and just started trying any and every thing I could. Found a nice buzzy synth that seemed to work, and then just started playing notes using a vibraphone synth until I found something that sounded soothing for the mid-section of the film. Once that was in place, I plugged in the Fender Strat and just hammered out some basic power chords for the first section. Plucked the bass line on my Ibanez bass and added drums. The score was coming together. It's not a grand piece of music, but it was a good start I think. Learned a lot in a short amount of time.

I am very pleased with how the film turned out. Considering it was conceived, written, shot, edited, and scored in around three weeks, I'm very satisfied. Our actress, Suzanne Ramsey, did a remarkable job. And my beautiful wife, Val, did an awesome job at handling the directing and producing duties. It's such an honor to work alongside such a great cast and crew who are all passionate about making films.

See our film on the ABCs of Death website and give us a Facebook "like" to vote for us. Thank you!

Writing a Screenplay in Fountain

I've been writing in Fountain for years and didn't even know it. 

Every script I've ever written has started with pen/paper and then gone to a plain text file before ever reaching its final formatted stage. My process was simple. Start writing in plain text (with everything left justified on the page - just like in Fountain) and then import that .TXT file into Celtx.  I used Celtx for a while for a couple of reasons.  One, it's free to use the basic script writing software, and two, because I could also install it on any computer including my work PC so that I could write anywhere.  I would shovel my food down during lunch just to hurry up and squeeze in some writing. Celtx isn't the industry standard, but since I write and direct my own movies it didn't matter. 

While importing a .TXT file into Celtx usually ended up formatted correctly, I still spent a good deal of time cleaning up.  One of the most common issues I had was that Celtx would mistakenly grab a block of dialog as a CAPITALIZED character name.  Annoying. You can imagine my elation to learn that Stu Maschwitz had proposed a Screenplay Markdown (SPMD) syntax be written. SPMD eventually became Fountain thanks to the joint efforts of Mr. Maschwitz and acclaimed screenwriter, John August. Thanks to their efforts, Fountain allowed for apps to magically format my .TXT Fountain-written file very beautifully.  

One thing that I caught myself doing from time to time was adding notes to my script. Usually just a line or two and used as a reminder to go back and add or tweak some aspect of the action or dialog. I'd notate it using [ brackets ]. What's cool about Fountain is that part of the syntax also includes the ability to add notes (called Sections and Synopses), but you don't have to go back to remove it from the script before sending it out to Final Draft or .PDF. Programs that support Fountain know to not display that specially formulated note. Nice touch. 

Another great thing about the Fountain syntax is if you use the .FOUNTAIN extension (rather than .TXT), plain text  apps can still open and properly display that file. It's like magic. Fountain is simply a plain text format. And it's super cool to not be locked into any one writing app. Speaking of writing apps, I do a lot of writing and note taking on my iPad. My go-to app for a while has been Nebulous. But I also like iA Writer and Writing Kit. A different app for every mood!

All this said, I really wanted a screenwriting application that would properly import a .TXT file and export a .PDF. I was stoked when John August announced Highland (I'm an avid ScriptNotes listener!), but was really excited when Stu Maschwitz announced Slugline. Stu and his team of programmers have released Slugline - a screenwriting app that formats at you type. I've been using Slugline since it was released and I love it. Absolutely love it. It's a pleasure to write in. 

In fact, our most recent project, "M IS FOR MATERNITY WARD," was written in Fountain and then later formatted using Slugline. "MATERNITY WARD" is our entry for The ABCs of Death 2 competition.

Dreaming of Slugline for iOS

I do have two wishes. One, is to have an iPad version of Slugline, because as I mentioned, I do a lot of writing on my iPad. Seeing my plain text get magically transformed into script format on the fly *while* typing is just lovely. My second wish, and this will be a given if Slugline ever comes to iOS, is to have an iPad app that not only displays a Fountain screenplay correctly, but one that lets me export a .PDF for emailing purposes. Oh, and if it also utilized Dropbox, that would be a dream come true. 

I realize that most writers probably type early drafts with their iPads and then use desktop software from then on out. But since I write and direct my own movies, I tend to have last minute changes that I prefer to do on my iPad/iPhone so that I can quickly email an updated .PDF to my actors and crew. To my knowledge no iOS app does this the way it should. Several come close, but so far none get it 100% right. Those are my two ultimate wishes for iPad screenwriting. 

Following the inception of Screenplay Markdown (SPMD) to its current form Fountain has been a fun one. Thank you, John August, Stu Maschwitz, and all the programmers/beta testers who've made this possible.  You guys rock! Now I'm off to write an extraordinary script using plain text. 

Postmortem: "Maternity Ward - Part 2

For part 2 of this series, our beautiful and talented actress, Suzy Ramsey, reminisces the advantages of filming a horror movie in a haunted house attraction and how it helped her get into the mindset of the insane....

This was the first project I have worked on in over a year, so I was a little scared at first. Making movies with Val and Craig has been so much fun and not at all like “work” like many actors deal with. So when they asked if I wanted in, I was stoked! “M IS FOR MATERNITY WARD" is the 4th project I have worked on with them and I have to say, they set the bar for future projects. I don’t even know if I would want to work with anyone else. They are so laid back and easy going and that makes for a wonderful experience on set. Plus, they pay me with Cherry Coke and pizza. What else could a girl want?!

Suzy Ramsey as "Mary" shooting a scene

This role was an especially difficult one for me, because I didn’t get to talk! How in the world am I, a loudmouth going to get my point across when I cannot talk? With this project coming about so quickly I had little time to prepare. I am not a trained actor but knowing I had to portray my character and the storyline by pure emotion was really freaking me out. 

Suzy getting her hands bloody

It really helped being at the Hauntedweb of Horrors. See, the less people watching me the more comfortable I am. The scene was set and with just the three of us I was able to really get into character. Especially towards the end of the day, when I had to put the straight jacket on, I literally started feeling out of my mind. We had started shooting in the morning and it was getting dark by then. With nightfall, the ambiance of the creepy haunted house combined with my Cherry Coke buzz really put me in the mind frame of wanting to nail that “insane” look for the last shot.

Craig (Cinematographer) framing a shot with Suzy ("Mary") in the straight jacket

All in all this was once again, an awesome experience. I look forward to making many more movies with Val and Craig. They are truly an amazing couple and a blast to work with. Stay tuned!!

Special thanks to Hauntedweb for the use of their amazing sets!

To watch and vote for "M IS FOR MATERNITY WARD," visit The ABCs of Death site! We appreciate your support!

Postmortem: "Maternity Ward"

Suzy Ramsey as "Mary"

For a production that had to come together super fast, it's definitely one for the books.  There were a lot of "firsts" for us with "M IS FOR MATERNITY WARD," which is our entry for The ABCs of Death Part 2, 26th Director contest. "MATERNITY WARD" was influenced by Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," and in fact, our lead character is named for her. I had not directed anything since "BLOOD THERAPY," and it felt really good to hear "What do you think, Mrs. Director?" again after a three year hiatus.  These are a few of my thoughts and experiences.

1. We started a new tradition with this short film.  We went to see a movie together before making a movie together.  I wish I could say that was my idea, but I actually heard Adam Green (Hatchet, Frozen) mention on one of his podcasts that he does that before his shoots. I'm a huge fan of his and I admit I totally stole it from him. It's a great idea!  So, Craig and I, along with our actress Suzy and her boyfriend, all went to see "You're Next" before production. That was a good movie choice since it is an independent production - like ours. I'm gonna do all I can to uphold this tradition even if it means movie night at our house!

Val (Director) and Craig (Cinematographer) setting up

2. We shot the movie with our Canon DSLR rather than the pro Sony video camera. This was the first time we've shot anything serious with the DSLR. I have to admit, I was a little worried about using the DSLR on such an important shoot (we had a really tight deadline) without thoroughly testing it first. Sure, we've shot stuff in the backyard, but onset is always a different ball game.  We were concerned about focus. Concerned that even though it looked in focus on the tiny camera LCD, it would show up soft once we were looking at the footage on a computer monitor. That's something we don't have yet - an external monitor for the DSLR. Thankfully, Craig nailed the focus. Another thing that turned out really well was the lighting. Not only did Craig do a bang up job on the lighting, but that camera exposed it beautifully. It was a gamble to use it, but the risk paid off. 

3. This was the first time we used the Hauntedweb of Horrors sets to shoot our own movie. Hauntedweb is a local haunted attraction that benefits Youth Villages, a non-profit organization that helps troubled kids and their families. We've shot 2 commercials there for the haunt itself, but this was the first time it was for our own stuff. Patrick and all the people associated with the haunt are just so giving and awesome to work with. "MATERNITY WARD" wouldn't have turned out as well as it did without the added production value of their spectacular sets. The level of artistry is amazing! I know I've said this before, but there is something special about the horror community that no other film community has. I wouldn't trade it for anything! 

Val doing what she does best - playing with blood!

4. Craig 100% scored "MATERNITY WARD" on his own. The new Logic program on Mac is a godsend. He started playing guitar only a few years ago and is completely self-taught. Since he isn't interested in playing in a band, his ultimate goal was to score our movies so we could step up our game and get away from using the loops that come with Final Cut or even free music from the web. After only a few short months with this new program he's scoring our movies! That makes me even more proud of this production. It is 100% ours. 

5. "M IS FOR MATERNITY WARD" was also my first truly gory, disturbing horror film. Blood aside, this movie is disturbing. There are moments and actions that will make the viewer a little uncomfortable and that's awesome. I get a wicked grin from ear to ear every time I watch it. I wrote and directed it and have viewed it several times and there is one part that still gets me every time. Suzy did an amazing job at really getting into the head of her character. And I couldn't be more proud. 

Val framing a shot

About halfway through the shoot, there was an action I was still a little unsure about. Throughout the first segment where Mary puts the baby together, the blanket is very bloody, as it should be. But once Mary finishes, I considered having Suzy wrap the baby in a clean blanket as she's picking it up for the first time. So, we were standing there in between lighting set ups going over this idea. It was gonna be a somewhat tricky shot to have her stop and wrap a new blanket around the baby without ruining the ultimate reveal. Not to mention it would kill our pacing. Thankfully, Suzy stated that this medical room isn't exactly sanitary and plus her character is insane, so why would she think to get a clean blanket? I then said to Suzy, "It's decided then. You know your character better than anyone." Even me, the writer. That was one of those magic moments of filmmaking where the character that I created had truly been passed on and became solely that of the actor's. 

While there were many "firsts" with this project, there was a moment during shooting that has only happened to me two other times. The moment when Suzy first appears on camera as Mary is revealed, was the first moment in the shoot day that she got to really "act". All of the shots before this were of her hands working and putting the baby together. But now, we were finally seeing her face for the first time, just as Mary was seeing her creation for the first time. Oh, and I should probably mention that Suzy had ONE shot at getting this right. There would be no second take. And Suzy nailed it! It gave me chills watching the monitor. I told her after the shot that it was one of those rare golden moments that I live for.

L-R: Craig (Cinematographer), Roger (Photographer), Val (Director), and in front, Suzy (Actress)

All in all, this was one of my favorite productions. The stars aligned for us on this one. Suzy did an amazing job acting, which isn't easy when everything she portrayed was all body language. She was awesome. Craig went above and beyond like he always does making sure the lighting was just right and the edit was perfect. Plus, with the added responsibility of scoring it, he really knocked it out of the park. These two fine people make my job look good and I couldn't have done it without them. And thanks to Roger Cotton for not only keeping Craig sane during production but for the beautiful pictures from set! I couldn't be more proud of "MATERNITY WARD" and even if we don't win the contest, it was worth it tenfold. 

Watch our short here and vote for us (by clicking the LIKE button above the video) in The ABCs of Death 2 contest! We appreciate your support!

All pictures courtesy of Roger Cotton of Roger Cotton Photography

And one more huge THANK YOU to Hauntedweb of Horrors!

Announcing: "M is for Maternity Ward"

"M IS FOR MATERNITY WARD" is our entry for The ABCs of Death Part 2, 26th Director contest. It was shot at the Hauntedweb of Horrors, a yearly Halloween attraction benefiting Youth Villages.

Click the link below to watch the 3 minute short. We appreciate your vote! Please click the Facebook like button on that page. Thank you for your support!

Click here to WATCH and VOTE!!

Looking Back

I started this blog back in April 2005 as a gaming blog.  A place where I could rant and rave about my life long hobby and also post game reviews. My husband and I ran a gaming website/forum and I (along with some of our members) would often post reviews. We made a lot of friends all over the country - most of whom we still keep in contact with today. That core group of gamers would meet up once a week and play on Xbox Live together. It was a great way to wash away all the typical crap from the day - by shooting your friends. We don't play online much anymore and my gaming time has been reduced by filmmaking and life in general, but it's still my number one hobby. I've been doing it since I was 4 years old. And I'll likely do it until I'm 104.

I recently went back and read all of my blog posts and it was a nice trip down memory lane. A lot has happened in 8 years. It's cool how reading a random post from that long ago can dredge up so many thoughts of an exact moment in time. The name of this blog has changed from Unreal Mentality (when it was all gaming) to Coda (when I began playing piano - with some motorcycle talk thrown in) to what it is now, my filmmaking blog. One thing that hasn't changed is my love for gaming. While I don't spend my evenings playing like I used to, I always have a few games going at any given time. Right now they are: Animal Crossing: New Leaf (I'm a huge DS/3DS fan); Bioshock Infinite; and The Last of Us.

While there have been a few random posts over the past two years, I haven't kept up with this blog (or writing or filmmaking) on a regular basis since I experienced a life changing event. I let that practically kill any creative momentum I had at the time, and it's been a real struggle to get that creative mindset back. I'm happy to say that we didn't totally given up on filmmaking during this time. We made a short called "THE BARRIER" in 2011 and last summer we shot a friend's short, "SLAUGHTERHOUSE PHI." And "BLOOD THERAPY" played on local television last fall. That was supper cool!

I have several unproduced short scripts that we'll eventually get around to shooting, and I've been focusing on writing my first feature. It's been a challenge. I still fight with losing my creative mojo on a regular basis. Those demons apparently still haunt me even though some time has passed. But I still love this blog and want to start using it regularly again. If for no other reason than for my own therapy. Plus, we have a couple upcoming projects I want to talk about. To kick things off, I've got a few entries that I'll be posting over the next few weeks. Over the past few years the photography bug bit, which has really filled the void left by my lack of filmmaking. I've blogged about photography before and will likely begin sharing more of that, too. I use a Canon T3i DSLR and I've also grown to really enjoy and appreciate the simplicity of iPhoneography. There is a link to my Flickr page which is the best place to see any of my older as well as current work. Until then...

Write more. Write better. Write now.