Another Short Film From Fewdio - Anniversary

Okay, okay... one more post before we all get into the sauce this weekend.

I'm happy to share the latest short film from Fewdio, this one's called "Anniversary" and it's Marichelle Daywalt's directorial debut. Check it out!




To see all Fewdio's films and find out more about them, go to their site, which can be found here.

Film Fest Updates - Shockfest, Shock It To Me, Arizona Underground Film Festival, Festivus Film Festival and the Amberg Horror Fest

I feel that I'm always mentioning festivals that are closed for submissions, so I made a point of finding some that are currently open for submissions. Granted, not ALL of these are open for submissions, but I tried... either way, check these out.

It sounds SO familiar, but I don't think I've ever covered Shockfest (or Shock Film Festival, as it's been called). This is their first year and they are currently looking for documentaries, narratives, music videos that are horrifying, absurd, disturbing and/or controversial. Well, that covers almost everything I've seen in 2008, so far. It takes place in Hollywood this October 24 - 26. Click here to find out how to submit your film (try right click and "save as", it's a pdf) or click here to go to their homepage.

Shock It To Me! grabbed my attention, I had to look into it just because of the title... Now that I have, I can tell you that they're not a competition festival, they just screen old movies. However, they do have a massive dealers and vendors area, which is something I should comment on... Now, take note: just because you can't screen your film at one of these things doesn't mean you can't get involved. Take this festival, for example... you can't screen your film, but you can get a small booth at the festival where you can network, but, more importantly, promote your upcoming films and try to sell your existing films and merchandise (by the way, people at these things are in the mood to buy - you'll probably make more than your money back with a stack of DVD's). Also, who says you can't show people what you're doing? Bring in a little LCD TV and a DVD player and play your films, trailers and other promo footage. Not only that, you also get festival passes to all the films, you get your name on the dealers page (remember, it's about marketing - get your name out there) and you get a link on their webpage, so everyone that checks it out can find you. So, really, if you're in the area of one of these shows, they're worth going to and getting involved with. This one's in San Fran and it runs October 17-18.

That last fest may not be accepting submissions, but Arizona Underground Film Festival IS, although they're only accepting them until September 15th. The festival runs October 17th - 19th in Tucson and they showcase the work of filmmakers with "defiantly independent visions"... and, yes, that includes horror. In fact, they give out a 'best horror feature' and a 'best horror short' award. The entry form can be found here and the homepage can be found here.

Festivus Film Festival takes place in Denver during the second week of January and it truly is the festival for the rest of us! It's really not a horror festival, but I liked the name, they're accepting submissions right now and they're looking for "awesomely badass, truly independent film". So, it kinda fits the bill. I went through last years films and there's not a lot of horror in there, but that doesn't mean they won't accept it. Further to that, they seem like pretty cool guys, you could probably email them and tell them about your film to see if it's something they're interested in. Click here for information on submissions.

Through my unrivaled google skills, I dug up some info on the Amberg Horror Fest, a fest that I've never heard about. However, only ONE page on the web told me something about the Amberg Horror Fest and it certainly wasn't their homepage. Their homepage can be found here, click on that and tell me if it EVER loads. Otherwise, here's the criptic information that I uncovered... It's an international horror film festival that takes place in... well, I'm assuming in Amberg, but I don't really know where that is, so excuse my stupidity. I refuse to look on a map and figure it out. However, it does take place at the Amberg Park Theatre & Ring Theatre and it takes place this October 30th through Nov 2nd.

*a brief correction/update - the site DOES load, it just wasn't working from the computer I was on at the time... it's a very information heavy site, so it may take a while to load, but it's actually a really cool site. Also, Amberg's in Germany, if you were wondering.

Interview With Alexandre Michaud, writer/director of "Clean"

Every once in a while I just read the premise of a film and I know I'm in for a good ride... that was definitely the case with "Clean", from writer/director Alexandre Michaud. Here's how it reads, "A dangerous serial killer decides to go out with a bang when he is invited by a mysterious group of fellow murderers for an evening of snuff and torture". With a synopsis like that, the film promises a lot... and Michaud gives you what you want, plus a bit more. Reminicent at times of "American Psycho" and other times of "The Wizard of Gore" and blended with a wicked metal soundtrack, it's a great watch and definitely worth your time. Dead Harvey had the chance to talk with Alexandre Michaud about his film, "Clean"


Tell us about yourself as a filmmaker. Who are your influences? What's your directing style like?

I was always fascinated by the euro horror and action flicks from the 70s and 80s. I'm a big fan of Argento, Fulci, Castellari and also some Spanish and French directors. Back when I was a kid, I didnt even know those films were not American like everything else but these little bastards stuck with me... I have fond memories of watching Bronx Warriors, White Cannibal Queen and The Beyond for the first time as a kid or a very young teenager. Later on, I was much influenced by the golden age of HK cinema. Still today, Im looking up to the films of Ringo Lam and John Woo from the late 80s, early 90s as reference of quality.

My directing style is a little bit like Fulci probably... I'm a little messy but I like to think of myself as inspired... ;-) I dont have the talent Fulci had but our directing styles are similar in my opinion.

Film School: Yes or No?

No. I decided to lead a double life and studied in Finance.

So, at the risk of uncovering some not-so-hidden angst, where did the idea for "Clean" come from?

This is weird because CLEAN was conceived many years before we shot it so it felt a little out place when it came out. CLEAN had two inspiration. The first one is pretty obvious; Lewis' The Wizard Of Gore. I was looking for an idea for me to get back to gore cinema after a 5 years hiatus at trying other things. One night, I was half-drunk at a party at some buddy of mine's and we were all watching Wizard. Dont get me wrong... I didnt like the movie much but I think the idea of a snuff stage show was amazing and had a lot of potential. That's how the plotline came together.

The second inspiration is a little more left-field... Bill Clinton and the political climate at the end of the century. The way I looked at it, there was a lot of talking but nothing was getting solved back then. Nobody was prepared to take any action. Everybody looked the other way and nothing was really getting done. So... as I was writing the script, I put in that whole political sub-message that very few people get. Basically, what CLEAN was saying is... if you have the power to do the right thing, DO IT. We all learned how important this is in September 2001. Then again, its also important to know what the right thing is, so nothing is really perfect.

How did you go about securing financing and what was the approx. budget?

The film was self-financed. I already had a lot of equipment from prior project so that was not so expensive. Everybody who worked on the film did it for a differed salary and I still owe a lot of money to a lot of people. Thank God, everybody involved has been very understanding and ultra-cool thus far. Considering all debts I still have with those guys and gals, the budget was a little over 35k.

What did you shoot on and how long was the shoot?

We shot with a good DV camera. The shoot was 20 or 21 days spreaded over 3-4 months.

Let's talk about the gore and effects. There's was lots of it AND it looked great. I particularly liked the scene where the guy on stage is trying to cram his intestines back into his stomach. Who did the effects? What was your favorite? …and how was it achieved?

All the effects were done by Jef Grenier. Funny enough, a lot of it was recycled from our very first film URBAN FLESH (which recently came out on DVD from Sub-Rosa). Those guts you see in the stage snuff murder (in two different scenes in the film) are the exact same pieces of latex you can see in Urban Flesh. My favorite gore scene is the one were Eric Therrien is pulling the guts from the naked girl (Chantal Petrin). Eric really got into it and it got real mad.

How did you go about casting the film? It was a fairly large cast, even though each actor didn't have that much onscreen time. Talk about coordinating the set and managing a cast of that size.

For the first time in my life, there was not real casting sessions for CLEAN. Since this was a non-union project, we used pretty much everybody we knew from prior projects with whom we had enjoyed working with. Marco Calliari and Sebastien Croteau are both long time buddies... Eric Therrien is a very good friend of Martin Dubreuil with whom I had done Urban Flesh. Chantal Petrin was recommended by west coast director Ron Ford whom I've known for years etc etc

Directing such a large cast was difficult for the first few days (or nights) but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. You need a good booming voice and sometimes you also need to be kind of an asshole... ;-) If you keep a professional attitude, it works out fine.

After it was all said and done, what would you have done differently?

I dont know yet. Maybe wait a couple of years and shoot it in HD ;-) I would probably do a casting session and not overlook small parts.

Another highlight for me was the music. A lot of indie horror films use metal, but not effectively. It usually seems out of place or put in, just for the sake of being put in. It seemed to fit really well with "Clean". Where did you get the music and how did you go about using it the way you did?

The soundtrack has two parts. Half of it was original score by the incredible Colonel 32 from the band Otaku. Its a friend of a friend from San Francisco. I pitched him the project and he liked the idea and the opportunity to try his hand at an original soundtrack. I talked to him on the phone a couple of times for a few hours and then I let him work. He did the rest.

The other half is metal songs from around the world. I approached a few bands and record labels and asked for permissions for specific songs and that worked out. Everybody was extremely cool.

In my opinion, the reason why it worked is that I pursued the songs instead of using whatever bands where sending me. Of course, you cannot always get what you wish for but its worth a try. The fist cut of the film included a song by Danzig and a song by The Doors. The Doors were very cool but asked WAY too much money and Danzig simply ignored us (which is OK with me, I'm still a huge fan).

The film is just over an hour long… is this something that was done on purpose? At the end of the day, did having it just short of traditional 'feature length' cause any issues?

Surprisingly, it did not bother any of the distributors. I even offered to shot a few extra scenes to take it to 75 minutes but they all said it was fine as it is... The short running time is an accident. The script was about 90 pages long and we shot everything but the editing resulted in a shorter film. Thats fine with me. I think its a good length. I hate 3-hour movies... Also, please note that the Brain Damage version of the film excludes a cool scratch video sequence that was cut because of possible right-infringement problems. No lawyer wanted to give me a definite answer on the question so I told BDF it was their call. Their call was to cut it, thus an even shorter film...

How about the festival circuit. Did you enter any festivals? How did that go? What did you learn? And what can you pass on to other filmmakers who've finished an indie horror and want to enter it into festivals?

CLEAN played in only two festivals because I did not send any submissions anywhere. I gave a copy to Mitch Davis from the Fantasia in Montreal because we've been in touch for a long time and I wanted to know what he thought about it. He liked it and offered to play it at the festival. The film also played for two nights in a film festival in Argentina which was fun. Im not a big fan of festivals so I never pursue showing of my films there... Not anymore. People ask me for a permission and I say yes but thats about it.

What about distribution? How's that going? Are there any lessons that you would pass on to other indie filmmakers who've just finished a film?

CLEAN has been picked up by Brain Damage Films about 2 years ago along with GoreGoyles 1 and GoreGoyles 2. Im still under contract with them so I will not complain ;-) Only thing I can say is... be patient. I got an offer for Clean for a lot more money only two weeks after I had signed with BDF. Dont rush into a deal. Wait and see. The first bidder will still pick it up if nothing else shows up.

Where can people find out more about "Clean" or, better yet, buy a copy?

There is a little bit of info on my website at Helltimate.com . You can buy a copy there of course but the film is also listed on Amazon and all other online shops. In the US, you can find copies at your local store. If they dont have it in stock, ASK FOR IT. Theyll order it for you (ASIN: B0014567KC). As I said, you can also find copies of GoreGoyles, GoreGoyles 2 and Urban Flesh at the same places. Support 100% indy filmmaking. Buy copies!

What's next? Do you have any projects in the works?

Im currently working for Christian Viel's Movie Seals Productions (SAMHAIN EVIL BREED, RECON 2020, RECON 2022) as a producer. We are now in production on a VERY cool sci-fi film starring Anderson Bradshaw and Deke Richards. This should be ready by the end of the year. We also have a handful of other projects in the mix coming up this winter and next year. I should be returning to directing sometime next year if everything goes right. We are ready to take things to the next level.

You can buy the film off Amazon here or check out Michaud's website here. (love the pic on the front page, btw!)

Linkapalooza - September 4, 2008: Independents do what Dead Harvey said they would...

God bless this industry, there's always so much going on and, as usual, Dead Harvey's just trying to keep you on top of it all. By the way, the poster to the right is for the film mentioned in the second link there... now, wtf? It's JUST in post production now and it doesn't come out until 2009, how can they already have three reviews? Whatever... don't ask, don't tell.

Independents change tactics on Variety.com: I think this gives me a GREAT opportunity to bring up a post that I wrote a while ago that I really liked, if I don't say so myself... Remember Mark Gill's speech about how the sky was falling for indie film? Remember my semi-brilliant retort? Here's the link, if you didn't get a chance to read it the first time around... Anyhow, guess what? It looks like indie filmmakers are already figuring this whole new scene out and doing what we thought they would. I thought my post covered all the necessary stuff, but you could read this one too... it basically says indie filmmakers are going to have to look at new distribution angles or just self-distribute. Plus, if you're interested in the business side and the numbers, they get into that. Jokes aside, it's definitely worth the read.

Internet-Born "Perkins' 14" Hits Theaters in January on ShockTillYouDrop.com: You remember that project that we mentioned forever ago? (probably more like 3 or 4 months ago) The project that was developed online at Massify.com to be produced by After Dark Films, where writers submitted story ideas, actors submitted audition videos and the site's community voted on everything? Well, they're in post-production now, the film's called "Perkins' 14" and it's going to hit theaters in January '09.

Analog Meets Its Match in Red Digital Cinema's Ultrahigh-Res Camera on Wired.com: I'm not much of a camera guy, really... I like them and all, but I usually just employ the services of someone who really knows what they're doing. However, this link is for all of you who are camera guys. This is about Red Digital Cinema, a company that's revolutionizing motion picture cameras with their product, "the Red One". Sounds a little weird, I know, but you HAVE to check out the video clip they have on that link, it's unreal. "Red Digital Cinema" was founded by the guy founded Oakley, then went on to become a billionaire. Apparently he's dumped tons of dough into making this camera and all the camera guys out there are blowing their loads over it. So, if you're one of those camera guys, do yourself a favor and check out it out... read the whole article, too. They really delve into the tech and everything behind it.

Kindertrauma: There's a certain type of horror movie that exists because it's trying to dig up things that you may have been scared of as a kid... like the clown in "Poltergeist", Chucky, Freddy, the boogeyman, clowns or a hockey masked, psycho killers that'll get you when you go out in the woods. You know, those basic fears that everyone's had forever. Well, I came across this site, Kindertrauma.com... and it's dedicated to everything that scared you when you were a kid. I'm thinking that if you're looking to write a script and you're still in the idea stage, take a look through this site... I'm sure you'll find something to write about.

10 Ways to Increase Your Marketing IQ This Summer on Adage.com: I'm going to lay something out here for all you indie horror filmmakers... and this really is a fact. When it comes to making money in this business, you'd probably be better off to know more about marketing and advertising than filmmaking. As far as Hollywood is concerned, they have marketing teams working on films before a frame is even shot and marketing does make or break a film. When it comes to an indie film selling 20 copies or 20,000 copies, the difference is in the marketing. Knowing how marketing works will change the way you approach filmmaking... Anyhow, this is an article from Adage and it's this guys advice to marketers on what they should be doing during the dog days of summer. Now, two things... one, almost everything he says is pertinent to filmmakers, so you should read it anyhow. Two, he mentions a few marketing books to read in there. Think about reading them. If not them, pick up some basic marketing books. You'll really be surprised how much it'll help you.

Dead Harvey Interviews Kevin Wheatley and Jamie Bullock: Writer/Co-Director and Producer of, "Beach Party At The Threshold Of Hell"

"The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell" is f'ing awesome. Plain and simple. It's currently on our top ten list and deserves to be there because, among other noteworthy reasons, unlike most horror flicks who just throw five people in the woods and have them get chased by a monster, Beach Party ventures outside the box. It could be classified as horror, satire, post-apocalypic, comedy, action or cult. Take your pic and Beach Party weaves all these classic elements into a bizarre and thoroughly entertaining mesh. I see big time cult movie status in the future for this awesome flick.

If you can get your hands on the comic book, I also highly recommend it. Written and illustrated by the film's co-director and writer, Kevin Wheatley, it's a pre-quel to what you see in the film and is well worth checking out.

The film is like watching a comic book on acid, while maintaining a coherent story and solid script. It features Jane Seymour, Daniel Baldwin (I f'ing love that guy) and Richard Riehle as well as Kevin Wheatley and producer Jamie Bullock. Our interview here is with Wheatley and Bullock. The film's other co-director is Jonny Gillette. Our thank's for the interview and kudos to everyone involved in a movie that represents everything we here at Dead Harvey love about indie film: originality and spirit!

Now, trust us on this one and head on over to Amazon.com to buy yourselves a copy.

clip 1 - Brad's Pre-Drinking Message
clip 2 - Kevin and Jamie's Background
clip 3 - The National Lampoon Label
clip 4 - Merging Genres
clip 5 - A Group Of Friends
clip 6 - Shooting In Florida
clip 7 - Shooting Epic On A Low Budget
clip 8 - Pairing Kennedy And Castro
clip 9 - A Different Kind Of Horror Movie
clip 10 - Influences
clip 11 - Shooting Schedule And Getting Jane Seymour
clip 12 - Daniel Baldwin And Richard Riehle
clip 13 - Personal Sacrifices
clip 14 - Haters
clip 15 - Investors And Trusting Instincts
clip 16 - Doors Opened And Haters pt. 2
clip 17 - Advice
clip 18 - Finding Music
clip 19 - Distribution
clip 20 - Film School: Yes Or No?
clip 21 - Collaboration
clip 22 - What's Next?
clip 23 - Parting Words

Here are a few links with additional info on the movie:
Youtube.com/bpthmovie
Thresholdofhell.com/comic
Feedcannibalsue.com
Interview with Cannibal Sue on LA.com

September 2nd, 2008 - New Horror Out On DVD This Week

A decent week for horror releases... so, let's get right to it, but not before I remind you that you can click on the titles to buy them off Amazon and/or go to our youtube page to check out some of the trailers.

Right off the bat, I have to say that I love the fact that films like "Bachelor Party in Bungalow of The Damned" are making a bit of a come-back. As you can imagine, this is true micro-cinema horror at it's best. Produced, written, directed, edited AND score composed by Brian Thomson, it's about a group of guys who go off to the Hamptons for a bachelor party, but after the trio of strippers show up, all hell breaks loose. It's not released by Troma, but there's a lot of Troma ties, as a few of the actors have done a lot of Troma stuff... and even Lloyd Kaufman makes an appearance in the film. Then again, it was filmed in Long Island and I think Lloyd shows up in almost every indie horror that's filmed in the New York area. Long and short, expect horror, blood, guts, comedy... and boobs.

"Skeleton Key 2", also called "Skeleton Key 2: 667 Neighbor of the Beast" is not the sequel to the 2005 film "The Skeleton Key", which starred Kate Hudson, Peter Sarsgaard and John Hurt. It is, in fact, the sequel to the 2006 direct to dvd film, "Skeleton Key", which starred Conrad Brooks, Jay Barber and Shirley Bloom. The two "Skeleton Key" films are from writer, director, editor, producer, etc. John Johnson, who's now working on a film called "Plan 9"... and his films are as indie as they get, not to mention they look pretty good. The plot revolves around the town of Nilbog, which has been overrun by zombies, vampires and their lord, Dr. Nochas. If you dare to check these films out, be prepard for blood, boobs and musical numbers. More specifically, songs about soiling yourself and being left for dead.

"Deceptors" is also from the afore mentioned John Johnson and it takes place in the same fictional town of Nilbog. First off, I believe "Deceptors" was originally called "Shadowhunters" and came out in 2004 as part of the "Tomb of Terrors" DVD collection. So, it looks like Johnson just got the rights back and is rereleasing it, which is cool. The plot revolves around a team of conmen running a scam in Nilbog, by creating fictitious monsters and demanding money to get rid of them... until they actually awoke some real demons. I think you can consider this the prequel to "Skeleton Key" and "Skeleton Key 2", although it's really just sort of the first in the series.

"The Gleam" comes from Sridhar Ranganath, or Sri Rang, for short and it's an award winning film, having won him best director at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival in 2006. Released by Timesignature Entertainment, it's a 65 minute feature that's about an homeless actor given shelter by a mad scientist, who has successfully been bringing dead animals back to life and wants to give it a go on a human. They've got a pretty kick ass trailer, that's more like a music video, featuring an original hip-hop song from the film... we'll have it featured on our Youtube page, where you can also check out all the other trailers for all these films.

"Cannibal", from Marian Dora, actually came out a ways back in 2005, but it's worth mentioning because it was quite a shocking film when it came out. It's a German film, filmed in Germany and, believe it or not, it actually is based on true events. You may actually remember the story, too. Armin Meiwes, a German man, killed and ate a voluntary victim that he found through the internet - he posted an ad that said "looking for a well-built 18 - 30 year old to be slaughtered and then consumed". Well, it happened and it's a really f'ed up story. As you can imagine, the film gets pretty sick, as it delves into the sexuality behind the whole deal, as well. Basically, there's not a lot of talking in it and the last 30 mins or so get pretty twisted.

"The Morgue" is probably the biggest budget horror film release of the week and comes from director Halder Gomes and is being released by Lionsgate. It's got Bill Cobbs in it, who's one of those guys that, once you see him, you know exactly who he is. He's been in everything. The rest of the cast is quite experienced, as well. The film is about six strangers, brought together by a weird series of unusual events, who "latch on to each other at a desolate mortuary in hopes of making it through the night."

"Watch Me" is a J-Horror style film, made by Australians and filmed in China and Australia. It's the directorial debut from Melanie Ansley and the reviews are a little mixed, but the plot sounds interesting... even though it does borrow quite heavily from a lot of recent J-Horror films. Basically, people are getting brutally murdered after they read the 'watch me' attachment that's on an spammed email. That's all very cliched and everything, but there's also a creepy red-headed woman in a yellow dress, some guy named "freak boy" and victims get their eyes sewn shut.

Dead Harvey Interviews Carlos G. Gananian, Writer/Director of, "Akai"

We here at Dead Harvey were very excited to receive a horror film from Brazil in the mail. And we were not disappointed, to say the least. Carlos' film, "Akai", is a stunningly visual piece of work. It's a essentially a silent film shot with a seventies feel and it's really damn impressive. Dead Harvey highly recommends, "Akai" and thank's Carlos for the interview!

For more info. on, "Akai" check out Geral Filmes at
geralfilmes.com.br or check out this link for the trailer on you tube.

DH: Tell us about your background. Where are you from and what got you into making movies?

I was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and lived down here all my life. Started to be interested in movies at an early age, around 9, 10 years old. Always enjoyed horror films and other genre stuff (westerns, action, comedy, etc), caught a lot of foreign B-movies that aired on local television, staying up late at night to tape them. Also as a teenager, I collected posters, lobby cards, movie memorabilia in general, so when I got older it seemed to be pretty obvious that I should pursue film making, since I had a passion for it.

DH: Film school: yes or no?

Yes. I did attend film school, and while I think it's important, providing valuable information and networking opportunities, I also believe that nothing beats being on a movie set. You truly learn the craft by actually making films, simple as that.

Get your hands dirty, try to be informed about every aspect of the process, and be as productive as possible.

DH: What elements, do you believe, combine together to make a great film and why?

That rare combination of interesting material, done by a director with a strong vision, who casts well and let the actors do their job.

DH: Who are your primary influences as a director and why?

A lot of different stuff. Italian horror (Bava, Argento, Fulci, Soavi), Hammer movies, comic books, filmmakers like Enzo G. Castellari, Shinya Tsukamoto, Sergio Leone, Ridley Scott, Michael Mann, Alex Proyas, Alejandro Jodorowski, Kenneth Anger, and Clive Barker. I'm a
huge fan of artists such as Bernie Wrightson, Richard Corben, Frank Frazetta, H.R. Giger and Basil Gogos as well.

DH: Akai is brilliantly shot. Tell us about your choice for the look of the film.

My DP on the film, Gabriel Kalim Mucci, had a lot ideas and gave a ton of input. We settled on a style that was heavy on inky shadows, crushing the blacks, blowing highlights, separating areas with different colors, mixing temperatures. It's a very difficult look to achieve, and needed some adjustments with the art department to make it all work, but I'm fairly happy with what we pulled off.

This particular story lent itself to such an exaggerated look, so we went for it.

DH: Akai is essentially a modern day silent film. What are your thoughts on this?

I wanted to tell a story through images and sound, not relying on dialogue or any kind of exposition. It's more complicated to convey information that way, but we were up to the challenge. Since it's a short, we took chances, making unusual choices and attempting a different approach to familiar elements. In some instances it worked, and I'm pretty happy, in others it didn't, but that's ok. At the end of the day, we had freedom to be fairly experimental, so we tried to step out of our comfort zone whenever we could.

DH: Describe your directing style.

I'd say specific. Composition, colors, shooting format, method of coverage, acting style, I try to figure all that stuff out as I'm writing, very early on.

DH: What, in your opinion, is the biggest thing aspiring filmmakers need to know before going out there and shooting their first movie?

That's a tough one. It all begins with a good script. If your script isn't in shape, you're going to be in trouble later on, no matter how well you prepare. Changes and tweaks will be made, but I think that a solid game plan, that originates during pre-production is essential. If you have a starting point, you can deviate from it with confidence and not waste everyone's time on
the shoot.

Another key ingredient is hiring the right people for the job. Know you crew and their technical limitations, so that you are aware of how much you can push them. Get the best actors, audition them, see if they have chemistry. Rehearse as much as possible.

And above anything else conform your script to your budget, be creative with solutions, not wasting cash whenever there's trouble. Work with what you have.

DH: What is the one thing you'd most like people to take with them after they watch, "Akai"?

I hope people don't just watch it passively, and actually make an effort to figure out certain things that are left up in the air.

The movie is supposed to be a little bit of a puzzle, where we give you bits and pieces, but the audience has to fill in the gaps and come up with their own answers, regarding the main character's back story and his current condition.

DH: What has your experience been like with the festival circuit?

Pretty good. The short played over 20 festivals all over the world. I specially recommend Fantasia and Toronto After Dark up in Canada, Dead Channels in San Francisco, Zompire, Rojo Sangre in Argentina, RioFan and FantasPoa here in Brazil. Attending festivals is key because you get to meet people and spread the word about your work, gauge reactions to your movie too. Basically the exposure is essential.

DH: What's the best advice you can give to people out there who have finished a movie?

Submit it to anyone you can think of. Festivals, productions companies, distributors, agencies, websites, you name it. Don't be shy about knocking on doors and making an effort to get your stuff seen. You never know who might respond to your work, and help in some way. Be willing
to face rejection and take criticism.

DH: What's next for Carlos Gananian?

A feature. I'm writing a number of scripts and trying to figure out what to do at this point. There are also projects that may happen in the US, which is very cool, but those are bigger budgeted, and take a lot longer to move forward.

DH: If you had an unlimited budget, what would your dream movie be?

Something like "Blade Runner" or "Dark City", where I could get to build a whole universe, have total control over the look of the piece and shoot for as long as I wanted. That would be an ideal job.

Dead Harvey Interviews Nick Thiel and C.J. Johnson: Director and Writer of, "Creepers"

Nick Thiel and C.J. Johnson have their own take on the alien invasion movie. In their short film, "Creepers" they do an excellent job of conveying L.A. in chaos (isn't it always?) and then shifting that focus to a more internal direction: two people who have to trust each other to survive become increasingly paranoid of one another. The film is reminiscent of one of my personal favorites: "John Cartenter's The Thing". What Thiel has done really well here is use a low-budget to his advantage by focusing on the paranoia we as a society never seem to be able to get rid of. The film has done really well on the festival circuit and continues to gain kudos. Great job, guys! For more information, check out the, "Creepers" myspace site at: myspace.com/beparanoid or check out this link to watch the trailer.

Congrats on the film, Nick and C.J. and thank you for the interview!

DH: Tell us about yourselves. What's your background and what got you into making movies?

NICK: I was inspired by James Cameron's "Terminator 2" to get into film making. At 14, I got my first video camera and starting making short movies with my friends. In the following years, I studied acting at the highly respected South Coast Repertory for two years, excelling in its acting program. Once I decided to take it to the next level I attended the Art Institute of California – Los Angeles. Every few weeks we would be required to shoot a 5 – 10 minute project. I would usually make a horror or action short, which usually the teachers didn’t want to do. But, when I showed them to people the reaction was amazing and we always stood out from the crowed because 80 percent of the classes were making dramas. At one of the film festivals I ended up winning the top three awards for my horror short “The Last of the Zombies”. Since then I have made and worked on a ton of productions that have brought me a lot of success in film making.

CJ: Nick and I both attended the Art Institute of California - Los Angeles, majoring in film & TV production. We kept making horror and action shorts even though our professors repeatedly asked us not too. Everyone else made dramas and comedies but we had no real interest in being like everyone else or creating a bunch of ambiguous drama shorts. Although, our teachers didn't like us making shorts filled with cheap scares and fake guns, our peers seemed to enjoy it and we repeatedly kept receiving awards at festivals for it. We just wanted to understand how to make horror movies and we wanted to focus on what we wanted to do later in life. I think Nick posted a bunch of our old student projects on you tube (just type in "movieman11" and "kingcj316").

Growing up, there were three movies that blew me away and jump started my dream to go into film making. They were: "Big Trouble in Little China", "Jurassic Park" and "Aliens". Even as a kid I said to myself, "I have to be in the movie business".

DH: Film school: yes or no?

NICK: I’d have to say “yes”, I attended the Art Institute of California – Los Angeles where I met up with a lot of talented young filmmakers. CJ and I started taking classes together and formed a great friendship and film making relationship. I feel what I learned in school showed me the workings of a real set and the fast pace “always on the ball” nature of it.

CJ: I'd say "yes". Nick and I went to film school and it helped us narrow down our style of film making and gave us room for error. It's always good to be surrounded by like-minded people who share the same goals as you. One important element of attending film school is that you're able to create a network of friends and work associates that you can work with after school. Also, Nick and I learned how to shoot quickly, cost effectively, and develop a shooting style. We walked away from school with numerous projects and experience under our belts, not including what we were learning on film sets outside of school. At the same token, there are plenty of success stories of people who didn't attend film school. There are no absolutes to anything. It's what you make of your experiences.

DH: Where did the idea for, "Creepers" come from?

NICK: Creepers was an idea I had for years but never got around to doing it until CJ asked me if I wanted to work on another movie with him. I pitched him the idea and he liked it. Within a week he had written a great rough draft. CJ had taken my ideas about aliens using flesh to hide and blend in with us and made it more about two characters and how they deal with the possibility of one of them being one of these things.

CJ: Nick and I throw ideas out to each other all the time. For "Creepers", I told him I wanted to do a project that he directed and I'd write. He pitched me the idea of aliens with skin falling off their flesh. It's an idea he had years ago, that I remember he talked a lot about. I liked it. So, when writing the script, I wanted to make a more personal story with epic proportions in short film. This idea of an alien attack happening without any clear knowledge of what triggered it or why they're doing it... its happening and chaos ensues really got me going. "Creepers" is a bit of a mystery story. I wanted to have a man and woman who were physically and socially opposite of each other who were forced together under extreme circumstances. They slowly learn what's happening and it causes even more tension between them.

DH: What film and/or films have most inspired you as actor and director and why?

NICK: My main influence for “Creepers” was John Carpenter’s “The Thing”. With “Creepers”, we really tried to play up the fact that the end of the world is here and you can’t do a thing about it. “The Thing” really captured that dread like no movie ever has. The pacing and tension in that movie is so intense. “Creepers” pays a lot of homage to it and brings some new elements to it.

CJ: I often get inspired by John Carpenter's "Big Trouble in Little China". I'm not sure why but, it gets me pumped. I think it's John Carpenter's music score and just this whole "Fish out of water" element with a lot of action and Chinese mystique that's very appealing to me. The beginning of that movie always gets me hooked in no matter how many times I've seen it. As an actor I try to draw from my own imagination to make things a bit more unique and original. I do look a lot at what Denzel Washington, Will Smith, and Brad Pitt do. They have a wide range of performances that always draw people in whether they're quiet or speaking. With "Creepers", I watched Gerard Butler's performance in "300" and Matthew Fox in ABC's "Lost".

DH: Describe your particular take on the alien invasion movie.

NICK: Ours is different because its not the aliens coming down in spaceships, it’s about aliens taking over us. I love the character development that can come out of not knowing if the person sitting next to you is one of aliens unless they “creep” out on you.

CJ: In alien invasion movies you either see it two ways: one, it's from the point of view from various main characters in different places that unite to face an alien threat. The second is you're stuck with a small group of people, again facing an alien threat. With "Creepers" we wanted to create a more personal story that presented the question of "What would you do if aliens invaded earth?" No seriously...what would you do? When facing frightening situations, human instincts either present the worst or the best in you. That's what we wanted to show in "Creepers". You only see things from the perspectives of two characters throughout the whole story. What happens when the cell phones go dead? The radios are cut off? Your TV doesn't work and everywhere you look people are killing each other. The world is a frightening place when you don't have all the answers. Humans are unique species. Humans have emotions, feelings, and certain aspects that separate us from other life forms. We're a complicated, difficult species to understand...even to the "Creepers".

DH: Describe your directing/acting styles.

CJ: As far as our directing styles go, Nick and I tend to use more hand-held techniques, more so Nick than I. I tend to use more fluid moving shots juxtaposed with hand-held techniques. We also like to shoot more projects in digital video to give audiences a sense of realism combined with a "film look".

In acting, I usually draw from my imagination. I ask a lot of questions like "where is this character from?" and "where is he going?" I also ask myself "what makes this character unique?" In "Creepers", I tried to show an evolution of body language throughout the whole piece. I start out as a man with quick reflexes, to very still and quiet, and finally to an emotionally unstable person.

DH: "Creepers" moved from a spectacle opening to a two person one room style story, which I thought was f'ing awesome by the way. Explain to us the reason for this decision.

NICK: We started the movie that way to show the destruction that has happened in the world around the main characters. Once the characters move into the house I like the fact that it feels like their locked in and there’s no where to go or they will die. By opening the movie that way you set up the fear and tension of why they can’t leave the house.

CJ: I love to give people a catchy opening and when Nick and I talked about it, I said, "we should just have an insane opening where the audience is right smack in the middle of things". We knew we would be working with a low budget and that we wouldn't have a lot set pieces. But, this is an epic story, there needs to be some sort of action piece that separates our short film from others. From a story telling standpoint, we wanted to show audiences why two strangers would be extremely motivated to trap themselves in a house. Our opening sets up the stakes and what type of characters we're dealing with. All hell's breaking loose and if these two strangers get into it, it looks like it could be a pretty one-sided fight.

DH: How is "Creepers" different from anything you've both done before?

CJ: I think as filmmakers, as you go along with different projects your skills sharpen and you tend to push yourselves more on a creative level. With "Creepers" this was the next step for Nick and I. It showcases his visual style and my writing and acting style. Usually in the projects we've done together he usually writes and directs his own projects and I do the same. Now this time, he focused more on the directing aspect and I focused on more of the writing and acting portion.

DH: What were the biggest challenges you faced when making, "Creepers"?

NICK: Making a movie is like going to war. But, the crew did a really good job and kept really excited and pumped about making it. A big part of the crew were people who we had gone to film school with and they all knew the difficulty in making short movies on a little budget. Every movie I have ever made has things that go wrong but its at that moment when you and the crew have to be on your feet ready to switch things and make it through the problems that lay in front of you. I believe every one on set stood up to challenges that were put before us.

CJ: In the entertainment there are always challenges. We actually had a make up artist who quit on us the day before our first day of shooting so, Nick, true to form, said, "F** it, I can do it." So, sure enough, Nick did the make up for the grocery store scene. Then I found two friends who did the make up for the other days of shooting and they did a fantastic job. For the most part, production went smooth but post-production was a hassle because of the time and energy involved. Like, I said, there are always challenges but it's what brings out the best of you. In the entertainment business, no one cares about excuses or problems. Everyone just cares about the end result. We're happy with the end result.

DH: What did you shoot on and how long of a shoot was it?

NICK: The movie was shot on digital video because of the amazing look you can get. The main production was filmed in an apartment and a city block in Los Angeles California. We shot there for two days, with neighbors and people driving by giving us weird looks because half the cast were bloody and even some with faces torn off. The other day we shot at night at Pacific Ranch Market in Orange County California. The Market closed at 9 PM so we got the rest of the night to shoot the remarkable “News Report” scene.

CJ: We shot on digital video to give our story a sense of realism and it's our style of filmmaking. Specifically, we used a Sony HD-Camera, and (2) Panasonic DVX cameras. Filming went underway for three days in three different locations (Los Angeles, California-House Residence, Orange County, California-Pacific Ranch Market, and Los Angeles California-street block). The Pacific Ranch Market in Orange County provided a critical scene that has a suspenseful newscast filled with chaos. The crew for was able to shoot uninterrupted, for hours in the market for free because Nick worked as a manager at the market as a teen.

DH: What personal sacrifices were made to get the movie in the can?

NICK: Making a movie takes a lot of your time and money. So when you make one and it’s out of your pocket you have to sacrifice a lot. The Budget was very small. It only cost a couple of thousand dollars, which came out of CJ’s and my pocket. The budget went to food, blood and make up effects, visual effects, and postproduction costs.

CJ: Well, the budget for "Creepers" came out of our own pockets. So, for a while there, Nick and I were working all the time to make up for the money we invested into "Creepers". Also, time and energy were sacrificed. That's an element of filmmaking that never changes. There are always long hours and a lot of energy invested into one project at a time. Nick and I both edit for our main source of income and I write all the time, so, believe me when I say I was sick of being in front of a computer. Even now, I can't stick in front of a computer for too long like I used to. Imagine us working 9-10 hour days editing at our jobs. Then driving home and have to stick be stuck in front of a computer for an additional three hours doing the same thing you just did all day. But hey, like the man said, "No sacrifice, no glory."

DH: Will "Creepers" have a sequel and/if so, what can audiences expect to see?

NICK: Well, hopefully if the response is good we can get more work off this movie. CJ & I have talked about turning “Creepers” into a feature and have some really fresh ideas for it. But only time will tell what’s in store for “Creepers”.

CJ: One of our main goals with "Creepers" was to explore it as a feature franchise. I'm currently writing the first draft of "Creepers" the feature. When Nick and I first came up with the idea for "Creepers” we said, the story is pretty epic, so, a feature would do the world we created some justice. With a feature I’m able to give our story and characters more exposition and really polish what I thought didn’t work for us in the short film. I think now, horror films have lost it's meaning. "Horror" used to be something that will scare the living hell out of you and because it scared you so much you can't help but love it. Now, we're loaded with gore, cheap scares, and a predictable ending...I hope with a feature version of "Creepers" we can really do what "Jaws" or "The Shinning" did for audiences. The "Creepers" feature will be a lot scarier on a visual sense and "Bridget" and "Thompson" will be joined by two other main characters. The story is really flowing right now and the feature version of "Creepers" will hopefully be made the way we always dreamed of and deliver big scares unlike anything you’ve seen before.

DH: How was your experience on the festival circuit?

NICK: The festival circuit has been really great. The reactions have been amazing and it’s so nice to watch the movie with an audience to see their reaction. So far we have gained a lot of attention and the response have been great.

CJ: Thus far, it's been very cool. With horror there's a market to show your film everywhere, so, it's nice to get a chance to show your film to people who can not only enjoy it but, see the "Easter eggs" you placed in your work. Horror has a great fan base and is great beginning for up-and coming filmmakers. From film festivals, small to large, I always enjoy speaking with true fans of filmmaking and horror.

DH: Tell us about distribution. What's your experience been in that arena and what steps do you recommend aspiring filmmakers take to get their movies out there?

CJ: We had a specific marketing strategy for "Creepers" and we wanted to begin revealing the world of "Creepers" online. The Internet is an easy outlet for independent filmmakers, especially those like Nick and I who are a part of the "myspace/youtube" generation. We're also looking at different avenues at what would work best for us as far as showing or film in other ways besides film festivals. I'd recommend for aspiring filmmakers to create a solid game plan of marketing and distribution. Sometimes that can get lost in translation because you're usually focused on the whole "creating a movie" task. For us, we presented a two-minute clip and teaser trailers online and circulated them that way to spread word of mouth and to gain interest from people. Now, you can post clips on you tube, myspace, etc. and send your films to different avenues. We sent our film-to-film festivals and different places for film review that we thought would best suit us. Now, you can even sell your movie through Amazon or itunes. It's all about how you want to present your film.

DH: What's next for Nick Thiel and CJ Johnson?

NICK: CJ and I have talked about making more movies. I have also been working on ideas for other movies in the horror genre. I’m always working and still deciding at this point what to make next.

CJ: Right now, we're still promoting "Creepers" and riding the film festival circuit. I’m also writing the first draft of the feature version. Besides that, Nick has been brainstorming about some new ideas. I've been busy writing several projects and developing a promo for a new web series I created.

Dead Harvey Interviews Steve Kahn: Writer/Director of, "Ninja Zombies"

Like peanut butter and chocolate, ninjas and zombies are two great things that go great together. "Ninja Zombies" is an upcoming film and graphic novel. Our interview here is with Steve Kahn, writer and director of the film. The graphic novel adaptation is being done by Stephen Stern, author of the "Zen: Intergalactic Ninja", "War of the Worlds", and "Beowulf" graphic novels. Be on the lookout for both, which should be arriving in the near future. For more information, check out the website at: ninjazombiesmovie.com, as well as Steve's myspace site at: myspace.com/konspirefilmworks. This certainly looks like an awesome project. Thank you for the interview, Steve! Dead Harvey is looking forward to both the film and graphic novel!

DH: First off, the title for your comic, "Ninja Zombies" is f'ing awesome. Ninjas and zombies are two great things that go great together. Where did the idea come from?

SK: Ummm. My writing partner at the time. Glad you like it! She said I've got your next project: "Ninja Zombies"! And I said Ninja Zombies??? Then I said NINJA ZOMBIES!!!

This movie is definitely a fun thing and that's reflected in the title which says it all: crazy fighting, zombie gore and humor like "Shaun of the Dead" but maybe not so British. The main character is this sex obsessed guy so the movie has elements of sex and sensuality as well. It's crazy, fast and fun!

DH: What led you to working on, "Ninja Zombies"?

SK: I was studying martial arts at the time and happened to have the worst Grandmaster in the history of Grandmasters. This guy would literally lie and cheat people and use his 9^th degree back belt status in that community to do so – and to me that had to be the villain in this screenplay I was starting to write. In the similar way that he dominated and controlled people in real life I made his character (the evil and actually fake NINJA ZOMBIE) dominate and control the people in his sleepy little backwards village.

My old Grandmaster was a complete sociopath-narcissist and the funny thing I found first-hand about those kind of people was that others followed them like sheep. He would do things like try to sleep with only the hot female students (he had western taste) and when she would inevitably reject his advances. He was in his 70s by the time I was studying with him and though he still could sparr and do the splits he had grown fat and a bit out of shape. Anyway, he would tell everyone that the female student was the one who was actually hitting on him! And people would believe him! And she would get kicked out of the studio or leave in shame!!!

Real dishonorable stuff went on and on and I have a book full of stories but the guy wasn't above stealing or cheating on his wife with a girlfriend he kept for years!

Most of us will never meet a Charles Manson or David Koresh or Jim Jones. And when we hear those stories we say to ourselves "well those followers must be so dumb" and "how could they be so blind" but that kind of power wielding by a sociopath is amazingly powerful – as my Grandmaster proved to me.

So my "NINJA ZOMBIE" character, Master Foo, was the same – he has his own stable of sexy girl students. But, everything changes on the day that the story's hero, Owen (think Owen Wilson type), comes to town and falls in love with Foo's number one girl.

So when our hero Owen – who works for a powerful land development firm - comes to town to gain control over the land for renovation but instead falls in love with Foo's number one girl, Tia, we have a perfect setup for the comedy and drama that ensues.

DH: How will the film and comic book differ?

SK: I'm not sure because Stephen Stern (author of "Zen: Intergalactic Ninja", "War of the Worlds", and "Beowulf" graphic novels) is doing the adaptation.

Of course I'd like the graphic novel to be exactly like the screenplay and Stephen has his own ideas so we butt heads. Sometimes he's right and sometimes I am. But, the great thing working with him is that we both agree that the project and not our ego comes first. So as long as the best idea wins we're both happy and we both could care less who came up with the "best" idea as long as one of us did.

DH: Do you see, "Ninja Zombies" as an ongoing series and, if so what do you have in store for us in the future?

SK: Stephen's interested in turning it into a comic book series (he's even been talking action figures!) so maybe after the film's released those comic books will spark some other paths to follow. That just seems too in the future to think about right now though.

DH: Ninja and Zombie stories have been told in various ways over the years. Tell us about your own particular approach?

SK: That's the danger of telling yet another zombie film. A filmmaker can't be afford to be boring. As one of my mentors (Quinn Redeker, who wrote "The Deer Hunter") says: "Takes us to where we've never been! Show us things we've never seen!" And with Ninja Zombies, though we have zombies and martial arts, that was (as it is always) my aim.

So, there is nothing traditional with the zombies or martial arts in this film. The Ninja Zombie mythical creature is a new type of mythical creature and really represents the bringing together of opposites – which to get deep for a minute, is a theme running through the film. A ninja is a graceful agile artist and a zombie is a dirty out of control ogre. The film dares to bridge these two unlikely paths. But, when you think about it life really is like that. We often do have to bring two drastically different parts together in union and rationalize them somehow.

For example I really believe that man's nature is basically polygamous but then as men we have to somehow rationalize that with another part within us when we fall in love and get married – as does my lead character Owen who boffs the bosses secretary in the first scene and proceeds to try to nail every girl he sees – until he sees the girl of his dreams, Tia.

DH: When will "Ninja Zombies" be attacking the masses in both graphic novel and film?

SK: Soon. Very soon!

Interview with Christine Parker, writer/director of "Forever Dead"

The world of indie horror has seen an onslaught of zombie films lately and, quite frankly, I'm cool with that... mainly because I love the zombie genre and, also, because a lot of them are pretty f'ing good. Now, I don't think people are just aching to make zombie films, I think there's more to it than that. I mean, first off, they're probably the easiest sub-genre to make and secondly, it's tough to f up a zombie film. The only problem is, when you're flooded with zombie movies, you better be able to stand out ...and I think "Forever Dead" does just that. As soon as I saw this crazed rabbit escape from some suspect labratory and wander off into the woods on a mission to bite people, I was sold. Oh, and from there, you'll get all the low-budget blood, guts and gore you need. That rabbit keeps showing up, too... although he doesn't look so good by the end of the film. "Forever Dead" comes from the extremely talented Christine Parker, who is also behind the upcoming "Fistful of Brains". She's doing some great work in the world of indie horror and Dead Harvey had the chance to discuss her film with her...

Tell me about the idea behind “Forever Dead”… what made you go out and make a zombie flick?

It actually started with a short film we did the year before (2004) called Second Death. Me and a few of my classmates from our Television Production class were inspired by our teacher Joe Wilson who said he’d help us make a short zombie film if someone would come up with a script. I wrote a script about 6 people trapped in a creepy old house surrounded by zombies and Joe directed it and edited it for us. We had so much fun and really felt the story needed to be explored more extensively. So I wrote the prequel to the story Forever Dead. This time I bought my own equipment and ultimately ended up as Director and Editor for the movie. You can see excerpts from Second Death at the beginning and end of Forever Dead.

How did you go about securing financing and what was the approx. budget?

Financing was initially what I had in my bank account. No one in this movie was paid so that wasn’t an issue. We mainly needed to pay for food for cast and crew, equipment, makeup, and lots of mini dv tapes. Darrell Parker who is a good friend of mine and a fellow filmmaker came up with the idea of raising money on ebay by selling credits for the movie. This turned out to be an excellent idea and we raised about $2000 dollars doing that. We still keep in touch with all those guys and some of them have followed us into our next project, Fistful of Brains, and have continued to contribute.

What did you shoot on and how long was the shoot?

We used a Canon GL2 and shot it all on Mini DV. It took us about 8 months of weekends to shoot with is a total of around 32-35 days.

One of the highlights for me was the gore… “Forever Dead” was filled with it AND it looked great. I especially liked the various ‘Romero-esque’ stomach’s being ripped open. Tell us about the effects. Which were your favorites and how were they achieved?

Well our FX guy Bill Mulligan should really be the one to tell you all about that. He was absolutely amazing, the stuff he did with nothing really. I have to say the stomach rip with that guy running out of the woods was my favorite because it just looked so real! Bill used a lot of foam gelatin for this movie because it looks very realistic, it’s reusable, cheap, and lightweight, and not as irritating as latex is. He made a pocket with plastic wrap that he stuck to the guys chest and filled with all sorts of stuff. Then he covered it with a layer of flesh colored foam gelatin. Covered is with a shirt and it looked just like his own skin. It ripped really well too. We also bought hog casings at the local butcher shop and stuffed them with a mixture of cherry pie filling, brownie mix, cherry jello mix and caramel syrup. I’m told it was fairly tasty! Some people actually think we bought real intestines and innards from the butcher shop, which is a pretty high compliment.

I couldn’t get enough of the puppet rabbit. Any reason there was a reoccurring rabbit theme? Where’d that idea come from?

Well let’s just say I’m a big Monty Python fan. A lot of people loved the rabbit and I wish we could have used him more but he was a bit of a stinker. We kept him in Bill’s freezer and thawed him out whenever he had a scene. By the end of the shoot he was looking pretty nasty!

There were a lot of characters in the film, which you rarely see in low-budget films. How did you go about managing such a big cast and not have any glaring continuity problems?

That was pretty difficult coordinating everyone’s schedules etc. It was made more difficult when one of our lead actors Patrick Loree who played Lupus quit halfway through the movie. We’d shot the last half of the movie first fortunately so I had to rewrite it to cover the fact that he wasn’t in it. That’s why you see a lot of POV stuff and just hear his voice. I had taped our first read thru so I had him reading the lines and used that. We also used a fake Jeff Shemp for a lot of stuff. The first shot of the movie with him in the car and entering the building was someone else. Everyone else was great. They were all really committed to the movie and a lot of them had worked with us on Second Death so I never had a problem with people not showing up or not knowing what was going on. When you find a good group of people you stick with them. Many of them continue to work on our projects and I’ll keep using them until the get sick of me.

Let’s talk about the scene where you blocked off traffic, had all the cars piled up and, generally, caused havoc. To me, it would seem like an impossible scene to pull off when you’re a low-budget production. How’d you do it?

Again Darrell helped us out. He’s always looking for good locations. And found this cool dead end road that had been cut in half when the highway went through. There were no houses or traffic to deal with. We contacted the DOT for Moore County and got their permission to shoot for two days. They even gave us some roadblocks to use just to make sure no one interfered with the scene. Didn’t cost us a thing.

After it was all said and done, what would you have done differently?

Oh a whole lot of stuff. I would have shot in frame mode so it looked less like video. I would have not gone so overboard with the filters and effects. I would probably have cut back on some of the gore so people weren’t numb to it by the end of the movie. But that’s what first movies are for, learn from your mistakes and make a better one the next time.

Did you enter any festivals? If so, how did that go and what did you think of the experience?

Yes we did. We put it in the Ava Gardner Film Festival in Smithfield and won the audience award for best Narrative Feature. Of course that was a great experience. We also showed it at the Atlanta Horror Fest. Didn’t get to go to that one but we heard it was well received. Last February it showed at Connooga in Tennessee. I have to say that’s been our best experience so far because we actually got treated like celebrities. We got the luxury suite and a free table at the Expo with the other celebrities. We did a lot of panels on filmmaking and FX. Made a lot of friends. It was a great time!

What about distribution? How’s that going? Are there any lessons that you would pass on to other indie filmmakers who’ve just finished a film?

Distribution is going great! Brain Damage Films has been very good to us. We had an excellent turnout at both of our DVD release signings at Sam Goodys in Sanford and Suncoast Video in Cary. I would say make sure you specify that it has to be a stand alone release if it’s a feature. Also put a limit on how long they can hold onto it before releasing it. We had them release it within a year of getting them the files. Also make sure your files are really well organized!

Where can people find out more about “Forever Dead” and, better yet, buy a copy?
You can visit the website at theforeverdead.com or go to our company myspace page where I’ve chronicled the making of Forever Dead in numerous blogs myspace.com/adrenalin_productions. You can buy copies at Amazon.com, Suncoast video, FYI, and Sam Goodies. You can also get it through NetFlix, Blockbuster Online, and Best Buy online. Or if you’re really poor it’s a pretty popular torrent download.

What’s next? Do you have any projects in the works?

Oh yes we have lots of stuff coming up. I’m in post production now for our latest feature Fistful of Brains. We’re premiering it September 27th 2008 at 9pm at the Ava Gardner Film Festival. It’s a horror western and once again we were very lucky to have some of our old e-bay friends help us out with the financing. Check out fistfulofbrains.com or myspace.com/fistfulofbrains. In our spare time we also did a short film called Getting a Head in the Movie Biz about a special FX guy (Bill Mulligan) who loses his mind trying to make the perfect head for a low budget horror movie. We’re also premiering that one at Ava Gardner. We have another short we’re doing for one of our contributors/Executive Producers this winter and we start production on our next feature A Few Brains More: Summer of Blood in 2009. It’s a continuation of Fistful of Brains but takes place in the late 1960’s. We’re really hoping someone will throw a substantial amount of money our way this time so we can actually pay people. And I really need a new camera!