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!!

"Suffering Fools" wins Unreal Film Fest

Back in July I got notice that "SUFFERING FOOLS" would screen at the inaugural Unreal Film Fest in Memphis. It is a fest that played during the Memphis Comic and Fantasy Convention. Being their first year I knew it would be small and we wanted to come out and support the fest and Jim Weter, the festival director. We are very appreciative for being selected to screen. That is an honor that never gets old no matter how big or small the venue.

As the movies were being introduced, it was stated that there is some language and sexual situations in some of the movies. I think the fest runners did that for the benefit of a family with pre-teens in attendance. Well, they hung around for several short films. And then ours came up. Within the first 3 minutes they were already gathering their belongings to leave. Yes!

Now I'm sure some filmmakers would take offense to that. But not us. We make horror movies after all. It gave us a little validation that we did something right. And I have no problem with parents looking out for what their kids watch. Although I'd be willing to bet it was the parents who were disgusted for their own eyes.

And speaking of audience, we got one more validation. Our little short won the Audience Choice Best Short Award!! Thank you to the festival and Jim and everyone who put their time and effort into making the festival. And a huge thank you to our amazing Cinegore family!!!

"Blood Therapy" on TV!

So, "BLOOD THERAPY" had its television debut. How cool is that?! Well, it's a bittersweet story that I must tell. Back in August, I was approached by the producer of Professor Ghoul's Horror School, a local TV show that airs on WKNO (Memphis' public television station). He was putting together a Halloween episode and wanted to show "BLOOD THERAPY" along with a few other local shorts. Of course my answer was YES! Of course you can play my little short on TV!

Several weeks went by and the producer emailed and asked if I'd be interested in being on camera to do a little skit and introduce my movie. Even though I prefer being behind the camera, I said sure. Why not? These opportunities don't come along very often. So, he wrote a little skit and sent it to me. I'm a big fan of horror hosts (and even made a short called "TERROR TUBE" - our love letter to horror hosts), and the skit had something to do with jokingly comparing Professor Ghoul to the awesome Elvira. It was cute. Well, cue the doom and dread music, because that skit wasn't meant to be.

Four days before we were to record our segment, I got the worst case of laryngitis I've ever had. I literally lost my voice for six straight days. And when it did start coming back it took several more days to get back to normal. See, I had caught a viral infection (ugh). Well, there was no way I was going to miss this opportunity. Feeling awful, be damned! We went to the studio to shoot, and poor Craig, he had to fill in for me. Now, we were planning on both being on screen all along, but now it was up to him to do the talking. And if you think I prefer being behind the camera, I can assure you that Craig does not like being in front of the camera. But he was a champ! Obviously, we changed the skit to be just a simple "which filmmaker has inspired you, blah blah blah," sort of thing. He did great. He talked about how John Carpenter is a great influence to us.

And I'm happy to say the whole Halloween episode turned out great. I told everyone I know to be sure to tune in. "BLOOD THERAPY" has been good for us and I'm forever thankful.

Hauntedweb Commercial 2012

The costumes looked wicked as always! They've got a new character this year and he is badass! Reminds me of a cross between a Big Daddy from Bioshock, Brotherhood of Steel from Fallout 3, and those creepy guys with the birdcage in the Silent Hill movie. We absolutely love working with the Hauntedweb guys and are so appreciative they trust us to bring their vision to life. (Bring to life like Dr. Frankenstein?) It did not air on local TV this year, but it did run on their website. Check out the finished commercial below.

For more information visit Hauntedweb.com.

"Suffering Fools" Premiere

"SUFFERING FOOLS" premiered at On Location: Memphis on April 21, 2012. While I'm always eager to get the crew back together again, I wasn't really impressed with this festival. I felt very disconnected from everything. And maybe that's because the block of shorts we were screening with wasn't the fest's idea of "top tier," but I expected a little more attention given to the filmmakers. 

Full disclosure: I can say that because I did not direct "SUFFERING FOOLS," Craig did, and I was hoping he would have a similar awesome experience like I did when "BLOOD THERAPY" premiered. We went to a friend's premiere the night before and they had a full Q&A session after the movie. Again, perhaps that was because it was a feature and ours was a short. Still, it was nice to see so many friends again. And I'm glad the cast and crew met for dinner before hand.

Our First Oxford Film Fest

Friday, Feb 11 - Tonight we head down to Oxford for their annual Oxford Film Fest. "Blood Therapy" is screening along with several other horror short films at the Malco. This will be the second time I've watched my movie on the big screen. I could get used to this.

We were put up in an inn on the square. It was a nice place with a touch of old Southern charm. We arrived with just enough time to check in and head to the theater. We met up with Christian Walker, our lead actor, and a couple of his friends before the screening. I felt good about our showing. The audience laughed at the appropriate spot and a few even jumped at the end. Yes! A man and woman were sitting to my right who I did not know that appeared to enjoy our film. That was neat to see them reacting to it.

Sunday, Feb 13 - The fest has come and gone. It went by way too fast. My only regret regarding the festival is not staying longer. Our schedules weren't jiving with the festival dates this year. But I so could have hung around all weekend making new friends, watching movies, and eating good food. I'm a southerner... we have the BEST food!

Oxford, MS is a beautiful place. Its gorgeous architecture on the square and rolling hills make for a perfect setting for a film festival. My only minor suggestion for improvement would be to hold the festival during warmer months. Oxford screams photo opportunities and with the landscapes in bloom, it's my guess that the city would be picture perfect.

"Blood Therapy" played in the late night block of films along with other genre fare from all over the country. That was really cool seeing our film amongst films from all over and not just from our own city. The stand out short for me was "Night of the Punks", a fun and funny journey into the world of rock n' roll and demons. The performances were spot-on and the standout element for me was the special f/x. If this gets made into a feature (it's a possibility), horror fans like myself will be in for a fun treat. To see our little short play alongside something as polished as "Punks" was exciting! And it gives me a higher standard to strive for.

I've only been making films for a few years. And even fewer have I participated in festivals. I would wager that the Oxford Film Fest will be one of the better fests I ever experience. The directors of OFF really make us filmmakers feel like royalty. But they're the royalty. They've done a fantastic job bringing in movies from all over the country. Coupled with the beautiful setting of Oxford, it made for an inviting experience. It has been an honor to participate in such a well organized event that was clearly designed by people who love movies as much as us filmmakers. It is my hope to have the opportunity to be involved with many more OFFs.

Thank you again to Oxford Film Fest. I hope to see you again soon!

Suffering Fools - A Note from the Director

As I sit and edit the footage from Suffering Fools, I can't help but laugh. The outtakes make me giggle constantly. Our actors are pure entertainers, not only for the viewers of the finished film, but for the crew as well. Allow me to recount a few things I learned during principle photography:

1. It's a bit awkward to be 3 feet away from 2 actors filming them making out, especially when they start before I even say "Action" and then having to hear the boom guy laugh at me when I clumsily whisper, "Umm, action" instead of saying "Cut!".
2. Designing creepy costumes can give me nightmares, even when I'm the one who wrote the script and designed it. The actress scared me then. She scares me now. lol (Teresa, you rock!)
3. I saw more girls touching each other during this shoot than I have in my entire life. The DVD extras will be interesting!
4. What happened to all the cookies?? Wait, what's that crunching sound I hear in the headphones? Oh, it's Rodney...and the cookies!!
5. Speaking of Rodney, he is unable to eat pizza while watching 2 girls make out. And I can't aim a camera either.
6. Christian's pants are too tight, but not all the time.
7. Never, EVER, buy a disco light that only responds well to the sound of "Around the World" by Daft Punk. Your cast and crew may start to hate you.
8. Get bigger breakers and upgrade the wiring in a house before using tons of high-wattage lights.
9. "Thumper" is a mysterious figure. He's kinda like Quato from Total Recall. *giggle*
10. No matter how many times you practice and perfect practical FXs, they never work when the camera is rolling.
11. Irish Spring soap is EXCELLENT at removing fake blood stains from skin. Highly recommended!
12. And finally, take the time to light properly and never rush. I'll eventually learn this.

Filmmaking is a lot of work, but it is worth it when you see the footage come to life for the first time. Last night, I burned the first test DVD to check out the sound mix and color correction in the home theater setup. At that moment, I knew we had accomplished what I wanted. It looked and sounded great. I think I'm getting better at mixing 5.1 surround.

Thank you to all who were involved in this project. You will see the fruits of your labor soon. And a HUGE thank you to my precious wife. Her encouragement, enthusiasm, and support is what keeps me going.

~ Craig

Ours goes to '11

Last year was a good year. We shot 2 shorts that each played in festivals, prepped another short which we filmed in early Jan '11, and shot a commercial for local tv. Our goal every year is to top the previous year's accomplishments and to go further with this mad passion.

2011 is shaping up to be a good one! "Blood Therapy" is set to screen at the Oxford Film Fest on February 11th, and our latest project, "Suffering Fools" is in post-production now. Plus, we've got some very cool new things planned that guess what.... I can't spoil yet! I will give one hint: We are working on ways to get our movies to more people. We are honored that people have asked for this.

As for more movies.... We've got some projects in the works that we cannot wait to reveal. From teaming up with some film friends to making our own movies, we are really excited about the stories we get to tell in 2011!

Which brings me to an important point. We want to take a moment to say "thank you" to all those who have helped us over the past 3 1/2 years (wow, has it been that long?). We could not do this without our awesome Cinegore cast and crew, and are very appreciative of their hard work and enthusiasm. Your enthusiasm and excitement make filmmaking fun!

Break out the ear buds baby, because ours goes to '11!!!!!

all Roped up

While writing my current feature script I am also watching movies that take place in one location. Hey, when I get to use the excuse of "research" to watch MORE movies, you better believe I'll take it! Last night I watched Alfred Hitchcock's gem, "Rope". Now, if you don't know anything about this movie, stop right here and either go read about how it was shot, or rent it. Better yet, do both.

"Rope" is a remarkable piece of cinema. "Rope" was originally a stage play, and when Hitchcock decided to adapt it, he was adamant about making his film "look" like it was unfolding just like a play would - in real time and as one single continuous shot. While dialog heavy (like a play), it is quite engaging thanks to the remarkable cast.

But the real beauty comes in how it was filmed - how the filmmakers pulled off this "continuous shot". Sir Alfred employed a mobile camera setup that would allow it to freely follow the action on a studio set. Since a reel of film only holds 10 minutes of footage, Hitchcock hid his cuts by pushing in on the darkness of an actor's back or furniture in order to mask any cuts. I can only imagine what pre-production planning was like!

This unique approach to photographing movies isn't very efficient by traditional standards, but I think it's important as a filmmaker to study different techniques. I employed the traditional "coverage" shooting for my first 3 shorts with fairly short takes, but I hope to move into more lengthy shots in my first feature. Longer shots, while requiring extra rehearsal and time, add to the overall cinematic feel to movies. "Rope" is an excellent reference tool for any filmmaker.

~ val

Banned From TV! - Hauntedweb Commercial 2010

In a previous blog I told the story of how we got hooked up with Hauntedweb of Memphis to shoot their commercial. And I teased how that commercial got banned from TV. Yup, the first commercial we ever had to play on local TV and it lasted maybe 2 days. 

Remember the "infamous face rub" moment I mentioned before? Well see, once the commercial started running, someone called the sponsor and complained that it was depicting violence against women. Now I agree that scene was unsettling. I was there when we shot it and I can tell you, it was pretty fucking creepy. So I do understand and empathize with any complaints. I even remember watching Craig edit the commercial and saying to him, "That's gonna air on TV?" Even I knew then it was a little too risqué. But, as a horror fan I can also appreciate the story/vibe we were telling with that scene. 

What I don't get is why they (whoever the "they" is that made this decision) decided to run a haunted house commercial at 9 o'clock in the MORNING during the local news program. Marketing 101 tells me that's not exactly the target audience for such a thing. My guess is that it was the most affordable air time. 

But it was a fun and interesting experience and I certainly don't regret any decision. After all, we gave the client what he wanted in this commercial, so we did our part. I hate it for him that he had to pull the commercial. However, there is a silver lining. They continued to run the commercial on the Hauntedweb.com website and wound up raising $78,000 for Youth Villages! 

Hauntedweb Commercial 2010

You know the saying, "if you want something done, give it to a busy person"? Wow, is that ever true. I get so much more done when I'm in the thick of things, going with the flow, moving from task to task than I ever do sitting on my ass. Such is the case with this past August and September. 

Fresh off of shooting "BLOOD THERAPY," we get asked to shoot a commercial for a local haunted attraction. It's called Hauntedweb of Memphis and it benefits Youth Villages. On a side note, isn't it cool how horror people are the nicest people in the world? Most of them are family guys/gals, and enjoy donating their time to benefit others and have a little fun doing it. That's the atmosphere we walked into at Hauntedweb. 

First, a little backstory. In 2009 when I was co-producing "A Disjointed Proposal" (directed by Derek Steiner), it was my job to find an F/X person. I asked around the few film contacts I had made by that time and was referred to Duane P. Craig. After getting in touch with him we agreed to meet at the haunt one afternoon since he was already there prepping for the haunt season. This was probably early Sept 2009 if I had to guess, because we made "Proposal" in Oct. Anyway, we meet and agree that Duane is the guy for the job. While we were there, he introduced us to Patrick and the haunt crew and then we got the grand tour. Wow! The amount of talent drifting through that place at that moment was astonishing. The haunt was and is still housed in an old movie theatre. The scary scenarios change every year or two, and at that time we got to walk through an asylum, a creepy shack complete with creepy cannibal family (played by real actors), and a dark vortex of neon paint and 3D clown effects. Holy shit I was in heaven!! Craig put it best. It's like a horror fan's Chuck E. Cheese. 

Fast forward to the following May (2010) and we're downtown at the annual zombie walk. By this time we had become friends with Duane so we stopped in to say hello. He and Patrick from Hauntedweb had a makeup stand set up for attendees to come by and get a zombie makeover before the walk. We didn't hang around long. They were very busy. But after the walk was over we ran into them again. Patrick immediately came up to us and started chatting. 

Cut to July and he asks us if we'd like to shoot their next commercial for the haunt. Hell yeah! But we were deep into pre-production on "BLOOD THERAPY" and if we could fit it in we definitely wanted to. Fortunately it did work out and we finished "BLOOD THERAPY" on time. But there was one catch. 

The deadline for the Indie Memphis Film Fest had passed and the start date for the fest was fast approaching. I was gonna do whatever it took to get our short in that fest. I contacted the director and pled my case and he agreed as long as I could deliver a screener within a very short amount of time. I mean, he needed it like soon. The thing that saved us is, Craig edits as we're shooting so by the time we wrapped production, we were already close to picture lock. Now all that was left (I say "all" like it's no big deal, heh) was color correction, sound, and all the zillion other things that goes into post-production. But at least we were close to picture lock. It gave us the confidence we needed to put "Blood Therapy" on hold to shoot the commercial for Hauntedweb. Now keep in mind that the commercial also had a deadline. I don't remember the exact date, but it had to be delivered *before* the screener for "BLOOD THERAPY". Whew!

So we shot the commercial at the end of August (we shot "BLOOD THERAPY" in early August!). What a great, great time we had! We met some amazingly talented people at the haunt. Many of whom I'm proud to call friends today. Here's a quick little story about one of the moments of filming - and this moment is in the final edit. It involved the character of the girl who gets taken captive and the character of the henchman. The actress is lying on the table and Craig (director) gives the henchman actor direction to hold her down as she's squirming and then gently rub her face as if he's admiring her. Oh my God! Let me tell you! It was a genuinely creepy moment to witness and I'm thrilled to say it also came through on camera. I (and everyone else there) got chills. There was a literal gasp heard after Craig called cut from everyone exhaling. And then the room burst into applause. In another blog entry I'll tell the story about how this "infamous face rub" moment got our commercial banned from local TV!

In the end it all worked out. We shot and edited the commercial, and delivered it to the TV station on time. And we worked on "BLOOD THERAPY" at every opportunity and delivered it on time to play in Indie Memphis. Everybody got what they needed and we were of course extremely happy for the opportunities!

Post-Indie Memphis

What an amazing week this has been! Not only did Craig and I celebrate our 11th anniversary, but we also watched one of our movies in a THEATER for the FIRST TIME EVER! We were pretty stoked about that.

The day started out as any other Saturday. I played with the dogs, did a little exploring in Fallout: New Vegas, and cooked dinner. But by that night, we were surrounded by friends, family, and cast/crew. I admit, I was nervous sitting there in the darkened theater, watching each movie before ours. My mind was full of so many thoughts. "Will it look good?... Will the audience clap or boo?... Are they really gonna make me come down front for a filmmaker Q&A?... Mm'mmm, how I love Malco's buttered popcorn..."

Turns out, we did not get booed. But I did have to go down to the front with the other filmmakers and say a few words. God, I hate speaking in public. The thoughts are so much clearer in my head than coming out of my mouth. That's why I enjoy writing so much. Fortunately, "Blood Therapy" cemented my desire to direct.

Oh, one cool thing did happen to me at the premiere. A total stranger, a non-filmmaker, came up to me after the Q&A and shook my hand and told me he really enjoyed my film. Man, that's what it's all about right there. If I entertained one person, I've done my job.

Review: "Blood Therapy"

A big thanks for the favorable review from Live From Memphis!


"Blood Therapy"

After being attacked by an unknown assailant, Eddie (Christian Walker) finds himself out of sorts. He's depressed, photophobic, and can't seem to find anything appealing to eat. Thinking he's having trouble adjusting to working the night shift, he decides to see a psychiatrist, played by Donald Myers. Needless to say, this is not going to end well.

Written and directed by Valerie O. Morris, "Blood Therapy" boasts a distinctive visual style, buttressed by some excellent cinematography from Craig Morris. Walker holds the screen like the stealth leading man he is (seriously, somebody write a feature around this guy), Myers slips comfortably into the professional, soothing tones of the shrink who has no idea his current client is special. Tight, efficient, and well-executed without being showy, "Blood Therapy" brims with promise for future projects from Cinegore Productions.

-Chris McCoy

"Blood Therapy" screens at Studio on the Square on Saturday, October 23 at 10:00 PM as part of Shorts Program 3.


Link

Indie Memphis bound!

"Blood Therapy" has been officially selected to screen as part of the Indie Memphis Film Festival in Oct. It will play at Malco's Studio on the Square on Oct 23rd.

Official "Blood Therapy" Trailer

The final edit is complete! Enjoy the trailer!

"A man must learn to embrace change before he can discover his true self."

Blood Therapy trailer

Staring:
Christian Walker
Donald Meyers
Duane P. Craig

Cinematography/Editing: Craig Morris
Co-Producer: Arnold Edwards II

Written, Produced, and Directed by: Valarie O. Morris

facebook.com/cinegorepictures

"Blood Therapy" - Day 3

8-14-10

That's a wrap, folks! Principle photography is finished!

What an amazing day! Everything came together so effortlessly. The actors were amazing and the blood f/x were yummy! I could have done without it being 87 degrees in my kitchen while we were shooting, but you take what you can get during Memphis summers. But the cast and crew were troopers, always professional!

You know what I loved about today? Those little moments that make me giddy about being a filmmaker. I witnessed several of those today. A heartfelt line, an intense head movement, a gleam in an actor's eye... those little moments are special to me. Seeing it happen before my very eyes and because of something I wrote is one of the greatest feelings a filmmaker can experience. I hope I never forget that.

Something kinda wicked and cool happened during one of our scenes. It was an exterior attack sequence. It was about 9pm, and while we were discussing the shot, one of the bats from our trees flew right through our little group. It was creepy watching him zig zag through us!

All in all, it was a wonderful shoot. I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with this talented group of people. Having seen the rough edit coming together, I can honestly say that this is our best yet. And it's all thanks to our amazing Cinegore cast and crew!

"Blood Therapy" - Day 2

8-8-10

We shot two scenes today. The shoot went great. We even finished ahead of schedule! Craig did a great job with lighting. This is as much his design as it is mine. I just told him what I'd like to see and he works his voodoo magic to make it happen.

Craig is already hard at work on getting the tentative edit done. The pool scene from the 7th came together nicely. And the footage from today is looking good, too.

One nice thing about finishing ahead of schedule is being able to sit around with cast/crew and just chill. Talk movies, or whatever. I like working with this bunch!

"Blood Therapy" - Day 1

8-7-10

Day 1 is in the can! The pool shoot went better than I ever expected. We came prepared and we kicked butt! The actors and extras were great, the shots went off (mostly) problem-free, and I had some of the most talented filmmakers supporting me today. Couldn't ask for a better shoot.

The underwater shot that I got turned out great! A big thanks to one of our actors (Rodney!) for assisting me. Couldn't have done it without him.

Unfortunately, the crane shot that Craig planned got ruined. A brand new tape was no good and didn't record properly. Ahh, such is no-budget filmmaking. Fortunately, we had alternative shots planned. Whew!

Just saw a very rough cut of today's footage... me like!

"Blood Therapy" shoot begins!

It has been a while since my last update, but I am pleased to say that we have been working on various projects (update on that later) during that time. And tomorrow, Aug 7, we go into principle photography for our latest project, "Blood Therapy"! I am very excited about this one! It's a script I wrote back in January and began pre-production on back in April for a summer shoot. The stars have finally aligned and it's time to shoot!

Blood Therapy is about a guy who must learn to embrace change before he can discover his true self. It's a horror short that I wrote and will direct. It stars some of the best in Memphis: Christian Walker, Don Meyers, and Duane P. Craig. I'm honored to get to work with these fine actors.

Check out a lighting test Craig and I did for the shoot. Please pay no attention to me in the pic or the sloppy background. It was simply a lighting test. :)



"Blood Therapy" will be shot in a film noir style. The dark tone of the film lends itself well to this type of design.

I'll be updating this blog as production rolls along!