"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!!!

"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.

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