Announcing: "Degree of Blood"

Our next film project will mark my directorial debut and it is one that I am very excited about. It is a film that was conceived from the notion of making a Bigfoot movie. One day I was brainstorming the idea of "a man in a suit" and from that, Degree of Blood was born. (Yet, there's no Bigfoot! haha) It was written during the summer/fall of 2007.

Pre-production has already begun and filming will commence this spring ('08). I'll try to update this blog with photos and progress. In the meantime, enjoy the poster and teaser trailer!





Written and Directed by: Valarie O. Morris
Produced by: Valarie O. Morris and Craig Morris
Director of Photography: Craig Morris
Edited by: Craig Morris

"LEGION" -- our first short

So, I finally have a blog. Never thought I would. It's kinda neat, though, because it is allowing me to showcase my work. Speaking of work, I thought I'd say a few more things about Legion. If for no other reason to have various thoughts all in one place.


Legion - 2007



Directed by: Craig Morris
Written by: Craig and Valarie O. Morris


We've all made home movies. You know, those crappy videos we made with our brothers and sisters because we got our hands on our uncle's gigantic VHS video recorder? Yeah, I've done that. And they do look like crap. I had no editing machine back then and was too lazy too hook up two VCR's to edit. But man, were they fun to make!

Legion was my first official entry into the world of filmmaking. Even though I didn't direct this first short, I learned more from producing it than I could ever express and am forever grateful for the opportunity. Legion was a vision that Craig had that when he shared it with me, I fell in love with. I've always wanted to make movies. Now, not only did I have someone just as passionate to make them with but also the means to make it look less like a kid's home movie. Or at least that was my hope.

Legion's sole purpose was to get us both experienced with the whole process: directing, lighting, producing, editing and writing. We didn't focus as much attention on the writing as we probably should have because we really wanted to work out the kinks in the other areas before putting a lot of effort into creating a three act script. In other words, we wanted to see if we could handle the technical and logistic side of filmmaking first. Fortunately, we feel we can.

One other aspect that I got to experience was acting. I played two roles: a newscaster (Connie Miller) and the alien creature. Playing a newscaster was difficult. Much more difficult than I imagined. It's obvious I am no actor, but Craig tells me that staring into a camera (which I had to do as part of my character's job) is difficult and that I should consider trying again in a future movie. I'll have to write myself a good role and then I may try again. However, if I could play our monster in every movie, I would jump at that opportunity! As a monster kid, and even still today, I was always fascinated with who played the monster, so to experience that was awesome! It also gave me a newfound appreciation for the physical activity actors put themselves through. However, bruised knees and sore muscles will not stop me from playing the part of a monster again!

Legion was shot on a Canon HV20 in its "24p" mode, lit with $6 aluminum work lights from Wal-mart, and edited with Final Cut Studio 2. Non-actors, consisting of family members and myself, starred in the short. Family members and friends also acted as our crew. My thanks to everyone who participated.

"Technically", I think Legion is an OK short. I hope you'll watch it and maybe leave some feedback. Please stay tuned for our next project, one that I will be directing. I can't wait!

Here are a few production shots.


The Director



We had a crane!



Setting Up



Cheap Lighting!



Cast & Crew



The REAL Cast & Crew

A Few Good Horror Flicks

Thanks to reading Fangoria and Rue Morgue magazines again I've found quite a few gems in the horror industry lately that I may have otherwise missed. I've been sort of out of the loop on non-mainstream releases for the past few years, but it's good to be back in the know. It sucks having to wait for dvd releases, but at least my city wasn't skipped over for the Hatchet release! What a great movie. Here are a few of the more noteworthy films that I've seen lately beginning with Hatchet but in no particular order:

Hatchet - Wow, was this movie awesome! A horror movie for horror fans for sure. It actually exceeded my lofty expectations. It was bloody. And it was funny. It was bloody funny, haha. The story itself was good (it was cool to see Kane Hodder as the monster again), the acting was good (Joel Moore impressed me), and the timing of the horror and comedy was GREAT. Adam Green's got what it takes. This is one of the best recent horror films I've seen. And definitely some good old fashioned American horror.

Severance - Fun flick! It's a dark comedy about a group of co-workers (of a weapons company) who go off on a team building weekend trip in the mountains of Eastern Europe only to find they are being hunted by a group of crazed killers. It could've been a little bit tighter in spots, but overall it was a well made movie. It's lighter on the gore than what I expected, but there is one scene that had me cringing right along with the cast. Humor, good acting, well defined characters and good plot make this one a fun time for dark comedy/horror fans.

Wind Chill - For a movie that takes place in such a small area (on a secluded piece of snowy road) and almost entirely in the confines of a (wrecked) car, I truly felt a sense of tension. It's a low budget but well written movie. And I liked it very much. I only rented, but a purchase would not have been a disappointment. It was well paced and for a movie to rely so much on its characters, was well acted, too. And I'm glad the writer didn't go for a cheap thrills ending. It made for a very moody ghost story.

Dog Soldiers - Werewolf movies are like Vampire movies. They usually suck. However, Dog Soldiers is definitely an exception. Anyone who likes werewolves and military-like settings should check this out. You'll enjoy the characters and appreciate the developed plot. Oh, and the werewolves are badass.

The Changeling - I'm embarrassed to admit that I had not seen this before until recently. But it's never too late, right? Great ghost story/haunted house movie. It's without a doubt one of the best ghost stories and does not get the attention it deserves. Well acted, well written, well paced and well directed.

The Host - Good movie. Cool monster. I was very impressed with the mix of sadness and humor and really liked the lead character. The bonehead in all of us can relate to this guy, lol. I didn't really understand why the need for an epilogue, but whatever. Maybe not the classic Jaws is, but I think The Host lived up the expectations I had for it.

First Draft Blues

Actually, I don't have the blues, it's just the best I could do on short notice.

Whew! Who would've thought that writing a script for a 20 minute short would feel just as taxing as if I were writing a feature length script? Not me! But I'm not complaining. It's good practice working on a 3 act structure and character development regardless of its length.

The good news is that I am officially done with the first draft of Project: Bigfoot. However, there is still work to be done. Like adding more suspense and tension!!!

*cue scary music*

Top Ten Horror Movies

After making a list of all of my favorite horror movies across all decades and seeing how long it is, I had a thought. Could I make a top 10 list of my all time favorites? Could I actually single out 10 of them? It was a painstaking task, but here it is.

10. Jaws
09. The Exorcist
08. Puppet Master
07. The Thing
06. The Fog
05. A Nightmare on Elm Street
04. The Mist
03. Poltergeist
02. Children of the Corn
01. Halloween

Developing Characters Can Be Fun?!!!

Ideas come about in the oddest of ways. This latest project I'm working on came about in such a way, as I'm sure a lot of stories do, that wasn't what I originally planned. Craig made an off-the-cuff remark about making a bigfoot short. Well, I started outlining an idea I had and BOOM! a story was born. However, now "Project: Bigfoot" is shaping up to be much more.

When I started this project, I had a central idea in place which I would then have to build characters around. Once I laid out the action and various scenes, that scary thought arouse. I had the task of creating characters, giving them depth, and making them likable to the audience! Scary stuff to be sure. But this is the challenge that I think I've been seeking.

The thought of developing characters is overwhelming, especially when the project is new, but getting to invent these characters' personalities, their backgrounds, and even lines they deliver during conversations can be very exhilarating. I mean, I can do anything I want! It's so freeing. I think more than anything "Project: Bigfoot" (I'll reveal its final name soon) will be the launch pad to help me get into the groove.

Ramblings From an Ex-Frustrated Writer

It feels good when the ideas flow out of me naturally. After several months of assisting Craig with Legion, adapting a short story of mine into a script, and brainstorming ideas for future stories, I am finally nearing completion on a script for another short film. It feels good to create something from nothing. It's been a long time since I wrote something completely original (aside from assisting and adapting). The satisfaction I already feel, and the first draft isn't even complete, is so liberating. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. And at the other end is another idea waiting to be harvested.

Plus, I'm learning that we have a niece who may have some natural acting ability and who may even have some friends who do, too. Things are definitely looking up. Casting for future films may not be the most horrible thing ever to pull off after all.

It's funny, I stopped gaming because I felt I was wasting my life away. Now that I'm using that spare time to write (among enjoying other life activities), I'm finding I can squeeze in time for gaming and actually enjoy it again. I'm not gaming every single spare moment I have - I hope to never fall into that rut again - and it allows me to appreciate my time much more.

Because of my breakthrough, I'm feeling a little less frustrated. At least for now.