A lot has happened since my last post, the one about Ruminations on Time. Something must have clicked, because I’ve been in high gear pretty much ever since.
In late February, I decided to make a movie, so I sat down and hammered out the first draft of a script that became Demon for Hire, a horror-comedy short about a fuzzy blue demon — a puppet — who helps mortals with their problems while he corrupts them to the Dark Side.
I’m making my first short film, a horror-comedy called Demon for Hire. Rather than tell you about the project itself, I’ll point you the attached link for the upcoming crowdfunding campaign.
What I want to tell you about here is what I’ve been up to.
When I was in seventh grade, my home town’s auditorium burned to the ground, the only building with a stage. So I was in a couple of gradeschool theater productions, but nothing in high school, because the town council was too cheap and shortsighted to rebuild the building with a stage. Stage theater didn’t exist where I was from, so I’ve never really been around “The Theater” (imagine a British accent here).
So now that I’ve jumped into filmmaking with both feet, I’m neck deep in theater people. Writers are different from theater people. Like that old Garrison Keillor joke, the extraverted writers look at the other person’s shoes.
But I digress. For the last few weeks, I’ve been setting up everything that necessary for this film venture.
- Wrote a first draft of the script.
- Launched a new film company, Bear Paw Films LLC, and built the website.
- Since this movie has creature effects, I found a local guy, Kevon Ward, who does incredible stuff in the movie monster realm and hired him to get on board.
- Acquired a whole suite of digital effects (flames, smoke, shockwaves, etc.) and musical score.
- Put out feelers through all the filmmakers I’ve met over the last few years, and brought on an experienced team, Michael Epstein and his wife Sophia Cacciola of Launch Over, who do Production Sound and Cinematographry respectively.
- Started putting together the crowdfunding campaign and all its attendant work, pitch video, incentives, etc., along with the help of the inimitable Ann Myers on the graphics.
- Through the grapevine, acquired a Production Designer, Troe’ Williams, who has forty years of theater experience to handle costuming and set design.
(this project is already WAY more work than I was imagining)
- Over the last couple of weeks, put out a casting call and started auditioning actors for the four roles in the film. I was really gratified that over 30 actors applied, and over the weekend we made the decisions. I’m super-happy with the folks we found.
- Secured two of four locations to shoot. I’m still looking for a noir-style P.I. office.
The list of things to do is still enormous before we’re ready to start shooting.
- Find the location for Sully’s office.
- Develop storyboards and shooting script.
- Launch crowdfunding campaign and see it through to successful completion (a full-time job by itself).
- Buy props.
- Actor rehearsals.
- Shoot some test footage and practice greenscreen compositing and digital effects so that when we get to the real shots, I know where the pitfalls and must-dos are.
It’s going to be an interesting summer. All this is, of course, on top of all the writing I need to do. Tokyo Monster Mash is out. Tokyo Demon Parade (Book 3) is on hold for a couple of months.
I would be much obliged if you could click the link to Seed & Spark, then click FOLLOW.
Even if you’re not interested in monetary support, a simple Follow helps a great deal.
Why? Because if we can get 250 followers, Seed & Spark unlocks some really sweet bonuses that will help the film get attention both before and after it’s finished.
Thank you for being here! It’s going to be another wild ride.
