"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.

"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!

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.

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.

"Terror Tube" playing at FABA! event

Sunday, May 30, 2010 - FABA! fundraiser event

FABA! (For Artists By Artists) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping artists, filmmakers, and musicians in the Memphis, TN area. "Terror Tube" will play in this year's event. And an autographed dvd will be raffled off as part of the fundraiser. It should be a good time. Looking forward to seeing a lot of our local film friends!

FABA! on Facebook

"FRIDGE" playing @ Women in Horror Fest

The awesome and talented Andrew Shearer and the Gonzoriffic crew are celebrating Women in Horror month by holding a festival in Athens, GA. Feb 27th at 10 PM. Cinegore Pictures is proud to announce that our short, "Don't Look in the Fridge", will screen at the festival. I am thrilled that even more movie fans will get to see our movie! "Fridge" was a blast to make and will always hold a special place in my heart as it was my first directorial effort. A big thanks to Gonzoriffic for all their hard work in making this festival possible!

Women in Horror Recognition Month is the brainchild of Hannah Neurotica. February 2010 marks the first annual celebration. Ms. Hannah also runs the regular Ax Wound: Gender & The Horror Genre 'zine.

Movies screening at the Athens fest:

Belated by Valentine's Lover (Ruby LaRocca)

Wretched (Heidi Martinuzzi)

Safety F.I.R.S.T. (Dayna Knoffke)

Death In Charge (Devi Snively)

Gimme (Monica Puller)

Taste of Fear, Taste of Flesh (Stacie Ponder)

Perfect Harry (Countess Samela)

Lip Stick (Shannon Lark & Stacie Ponder)

Brains (Brandy Rainey)

Don't Look In The Fridge (Valarie O. Morris)

I'm A Little Tea Pot (Sallie Smith)

Snuff (Maude Michaud)

Check out the cool festival poster:


by Andrew Shearer



And the festival flyer:


by Rachael Deacon


How can you join in the celebration if you aren't near a festival? Easy! Rent a horror movie either written, directed, or produced by a woman. You would be surprised at just how many mainstream horror movies there are! To name a few (old and new):

Halloween
Pet Sematary
Near Dark
American Psycho
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Slumber Party Massacre
Jennifer's Body


Women in Horror Recognition Month: www.womeninhorrormonth.com
Gonzoriffic: www.gonzoriffic.com

Thoughts on my first public showing

Li'l Film Fest 10: Family has come and gone. Despite losing several attendees due to the schedule change, we still had a decent sized support group of friend/family for our film "Sunday". We didn't win anything, but... I did experience something that for a filmmaker is greater than any award. Audience acceptance! We got a nice applause and a good reaction from the audience during the showing. I even had a few people come up to us afterwords to tell me they liked it. I enjoy making movies for people, an audience. That is what filmmaking is all about! So to have it perform well is a dream come true!

Postponed - Li'l Film Fest 10 (Updated!)

Due to inclement weather, Li'l Film Fest 10: Family was postponed from last Saturday. The building the fest is being held in has been without power for several days. Still waiting on a confirmation for the rescheduled date.

Stay tuned!!!


Update!
The fest will take place Sat, June 27th. Can't wait!

"SUNDAY" playing in local film fest!

In early May we made a 5 minute short for a local film festival, and I'm happy to report that it has been selected!!! It'll play in the Li'l Film Fest 10 this Saturday along with 12 other entries. This "little" fest is put on by Live from Memphis. By entering, we are granted consideration for the Indie Memphis Film Fest that is held every October. Live from Memphis holds the Li'l Fest every quarter with a required theme and a time limit of 5 minutes. This fest's theme is 'family'.

"Sunday" was put together in about a week and was filmed over a rainy weekend. It was edited and scored within a few hours. We definitely beat our editing time from "Don't Look in the Fridge". While awards will be given at the festival, I'm just thrilled to be a part of the event and to see our movie played on the big screen!


"Sunday"
directed by: Val Overstreet
written by: Dolan Mills
shot by: Craig Morris

Staring:
Jake Mills
Lori Mills
Dolan Mills
Valerie Campbell
David Jacks

For more information about the fest vist:
Li'L Film Fest 10

Li'l Film Fest 10 Entry - "SUNDAY"

I'm superstitious when it comes to filmmaking (among other things) and did not want to post this until after I knew whether or not "Sunday" was accepted into the Li'l Film Fest 10. I'm very thankful that it has been selected and now I present to you the story behind how it came to be.

Back in March, one of my filmmaking buddies invited me to a local film fest to see his movie screened. I thought it was a cool experience and mentioned that I'd like to participate in the next one. Live from Memphis hosts a quarterly fest every year with a required theme and a 5 minute time limit. The event is called "Li'l Film Fest". The theme that my friend's movie, "Journeyman", was a part of was "Memphis - Fact or Fiction?".

When Arnold sent word about the next fest (#10), I was very excited. The theme was "family" and you can imagine the ideas my dark and disturbed brain immediately thought of. However, all of those ideas seemed too easy, too cliche. So, I turned to a script idea that I've been working on that fit the theme of family perfectly - and was not horror. However, it turned out that there was no way to write a 5 minute script without jeopardizing the story, which I was NOT about to do. I was bummed.

But... all was not lost. Dolan, my brother-in-law, saved the day by coming up with an idea that could benefit from a shorter time limit. Oddly, it wasn't really horror either. He wrote the script, sent it over, and I immediately went to work storyboarding. "Sunday" was literally put together in about a week. I would have preferred to have had more time, but circumstance didn't work out that way. Considering the time that went into production, I am pleased with the outcome.

We filmed "Sunday" on a rainy weekend in May. The production went well. All of our actors were prepared and hit their marks as expected. Jake, our nephew, shined once again. It was a good experience. I missed a couple of shots due to how rushed we were, but that's how it goes in the world of amateur filmmaking!

Craig got the footage edited and we scored it within a couple of hours. I even mailed our entry with a few days to spare! Today (6-10-09), I learned that our little movie was chosen to be screened in the fest! I'm very excited. This is the first time this has happened for us in our very young filmmaking endeavor. There will be awards given at the fest, but I can honestly say that I'll be happy just to be there. I can't wait for my friends and family to come out and support our efforts and see our movie on the big screen!

A big THANK YOU to all of our awesome cast/crew!