The Life of Florence Rae

So here's my attempt at another short film.
I'm not sure if anyone is reading this, but I'll drop the link.
Thanks to whomever may be watching.

https://vimeo.com/104987526


I've made a radical change in my workflow. I've become tired of writing feature scripts in a market where it seems everyone is doing this. Competitions are nice, but they are kinda just pats on the back and ego boosters. I've rarely seen a win get any place beyond that. Shifting my focus to writing short scripts that  can make into short films.

I realize my films are no budget and not full of technical marvel, but its better than wasting the 100's of dollars on these dead end competitions.

A new short movie.

On August 2 and 3, I shot a new short movie. THE LIFE OF FLORENCE RAE went without almost any problems. Had a great cast and small crew. Hoping to get started on a rough edit soon.

I went with a look that really does not define one time period. There are clothes that are out of the 60's. Cars that are modern and from the 70's. Gothic looking paintings from when I don't know. Flip cell phones. Once the edit is done, I hope the music will convey this feeling as well. There will be a lot of theremin featured.

Here are some behind the scenes pics from the two day shoot.

Here's some of the cast and crew sitting inside of *Rex*, the vehicle that we were so kindly allowed to use for the shoot. It was incredible to have him on set. Oh by the way, I'm in the passenger seat...not too many pictures of myself make their way in the web.

Here is a grab from the actual footage. It's a raw shot, but it's a nice start. Notice the blood. Yes, this gets a little bloody towards the end.

There's a lot of other cool pics I'd like to post, but that would give away too much of the plot, so they will have to wait until the completed short.

I'm not doing much *promotion* or *talk* about this one. I did too much of that with my last short. I was under ...or I put myself under perhaps....a lot of stress to try to impress because the script won an award for short screenplay. Awards are nice, but they don't get you jobs. Maybe I put the stress on myself, or maybe there were people who were expecting a better product. Anyway, I dropped the ball, spent too much time trying to get attention for the short, too much promotion on Facebook and the like. Bottom line is...no one cares about a short film until it's done....other than the people who worked on it.

Less promotion and more focusing on a better product. That's the lesson I learned. So these pics will most likely be it. I'll post more when I get a great final edit locked.



On the writing side of things, I'm looking at some options for a new feature script for next year's round of festivals. I may return to a script that was even too dark for me, and left it about five years ago. Or I could start a new dark script. Or I could complete my grindhouse steampunk fairy tale script. Or do what I call a Lovecraftian Super Hero script. Yup. I just typed that.

Choices.

There. I'm done. As I always say, I'm most likely talking to myself. But that's OK. It keeps the demons in my mind and not out in the world.

Right?

ALIEN. Thirty-five years ago today. I remember being there like it was yesterday.

http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3295762/alien-scared-shit-audiences-35-years-ago-today/

So, wow. Thirty-five years ago today, ALIEN came out. This makes me feel terribly old. I would have been at the end of first grade in 1979.  Despite the young age, I was fortunate enough to see this masterpiece the day it came out....with my parents of course.

Things were different back then. Before major movies like this came out, the comic version came out months before the movie. Novelizations came out. Picture books, magazines, etc, etc. I had the *graphic novel* version of the movie...published by Heavy Metal of all magazines....and the Making Of Alien book (I still have these today). I was prepared for all the gruesome things that were about to unfold before my eyes....the egg chamber was creepy, the facehugger jumping out startled me. However, despite my knowing *exactly* when the chestburster scene was about to happen, nothing prepared me for what was happening from that point on. I was *amazed*.The last half hour had me terrified and thrilled and overjoyed....the same feelings I get to this day. It was like being in the ultimate haunted house. From that point on in my life, I was amazed with everything Giger made up (well...mostly....what they published in the sci-fi magazines....I only later discovered just how sexually warped the man was a few years later in middle school). 

ALIEN became a turning point in my life kind of....something I always remember. Gone was the *innocence*  of STAR WARS and Spielberg. This was the *real shit*. I was inspired...not scared...it dared me to dream stories and not have nightmares.

Finally in December of that year, the giant ALIEN figure was released....in time for Christmas. Of course it was sitting under our Holiday Tree.....and...I still have it.

ALIEN. That was some experience back in May of 1979. Something that never will be replicated, recreated,...no matter how or where I see it today. Needless to say, I'm going to watch it tonight...

The *final* edit of Dead Therapy

Here it is. The final edit of my short film DEAD THERAPY with all color correction applied and some extra sound effects in the deep background. This is the version that is supposed to look old and faded...like a lost film that's been discovered from the 70's or 80's.

There is A LOT wrong with this movie. There is also, in my opinion, A LOT that is good. . I only ask anyone who watches this, to keep in mind that I have not made a movie in 13 YEARS.  I made or tried to make a feature that long ago....since that time all my efforts have gone into writing and writing only. So while there is a lot that I as the director and editor could have done better, everyone else did a great job. It is what it is....there's not much more I can do to *fix* it.  I'm *happy* with it and so here it is....

New Short FIlm Coming Soon

Even though I'm still kind of in post production (again) with Dead Therapy, I am attempting to get another short film of the ground. So here's the promo for it. It's a story of a woman who comes back home to aid her brother and the family restaurant and help her mother, who has developed a nasty habit.

I hope to start production sometime late summer.

RED FLUSH is here.....kind of ....sort of....I think.

New screenplay....three years in the making. Finally done to a point that I like it....I think.
It's a tribute to 80's underground horror (note the 80's retro fonts), Japanese urban legends (note the bathroom IS Japanese) and Body Horror. It's disgusting, gross, disturbing, and yet almost so over the top it's funny.
Bigger news.....I'm going to try do film the damn thing myself....someday. We are moving shortly (can't say where to yet publicly) but if I have to fund that damn thing myself, I will.
Look for a crowd funding campaign shortly. I'll post the links to it here.
Excited about my new future and the chance to hopefully do this in the next few years.

Dead Therapy

Here's a *version* of the final edit for my short film DEAD THERAPY.

If ANYONE is watching, let me know what you think. Good or bad.

Mind you this is a highly compressed version...there are better versions available.
Here is a link to an HD version or just play below if you wish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ildxGqxVTDM

March / April Update

So...I guess I don't really post here too much anymore. Now is as good of any time to do so, huh?

So.....my screenplay for Dead Therapy won an award.

Went out to California for the RIP Horror Film Festival last week.  Had a great time taking in some short  and feature films. Met some cool people and got to briefly meet Sid Haig.

Had the pleasure of being interviewed by Dawna Lee Heising for MoreHorror.com

Here is the interview as posted on Youtube!!

...and the awards ceremony. Nice little statue!!

Speaking of DEAD THERAPY, the short film is shot and edited. Waiting in line for color correction and music to be done. Hope to enter it into a few film festivals maybe.

I slapped together a trailer for it. It's almost never done for a short film, but I just wanted to have fun and do it. It played at the RIP Horror Festival and will also be playing at the New Art Film Festival, here in Champaign IL.

Here is the trailer.

IMDb link!:

Dead Therapy on IMDb

As soon as the short is done, I'll be posting info here.

I've collected a few awards and made some finals in my short two years of entering competitions...so not too bad. Yes...I am bragging here.

Until next time....