"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.

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!

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!