I'm about to start back up production on OUT OF SEASON which I started to film late last year but then had to stop due to the writer/director going back for reshoots on his previous film BREAKING THROUGH. In this new film I play a lawyer to a woman accused of murder. Even though I originally only had the one scene in the film it's been expanded (to which as big I am still not fully aware).
This is not the only film I will be acting in as I'm also one of the main stars in the Southlan-Films fan film FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE MAN IN THE LAKE. In this film I will have my largest role since starring in JACK O'LANTERN. Although I will ultimately die in this film, this will be a great experience and role that will compliment my work in OUT OF SEASON
All in all this year is looking pretty good for me. I wonder what I will be able to look forward to next?
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Showing posts with label Ron McLellen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ron McLellen. Show all posts
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, June 25, 2009
"Itching To Act"
It's been a while since I've done any real acting, in fact, it hasn't been since I played the gypsy crone in CREATURES OF THE NIGHT that I've had a role with speaking lines so I've just been itching to get back into the acting groove. Although I've never considered myself a real actor I love to dress up as a different character other then myself and emmerse myself in a personnae other then my own.
Some of my favorite roles were as a Joan Crawford clone in the short play MOMMY DEAREST 2 (an original student play that will never be performed again although I still have the pix), the old gypsy crone in CREATURES OF THE NIGHT (because I loved getting in the make up and becoming a white person), and my favorite role is as a possible Vietnam vet in a mental hospital in the original play PSYCHED (which remains one of my only true roles for which I created a full fledged character). I've also played a postal worker (in the short film FROM ABOVE), a claravoyant (in the short films SEANCE and the feature THE SAYER), and a college student in the film JACK O'LANTERN.
These are few of my more notable roles as I've played extras in several films. These pale in my memory next to the roles that I actually believed help my ability as an actor. I'll never admit that I'm an actor but I do enjoy playing in front of the camera. I have nothing really lined up other then a few lines as a lawyer in Ed Harlaque's next film, so, I can at least look forward to that.
Some of my favorite roles were as a Joan Crawford clone in the short play MOMMY DEAREST 2 (an original student play that will never be performed again although I still have the pix), the old gypsy crone in CREATURES OF THE NIGHT (because I loved getting in the make up and becoming a white person), and my favorite role is as a possible Vietnam vet in a mental hospital in the original play PSYCHED (which remains one of my only true roles for which I created a full fledged character). I've also played a postal worker (in the short film FROM ABOVE), a claravoyant (in the short films SEANCE and the feature THE SAYER), and a college student in the film JACK O'LANTERN.
These are few of my more notable roles as I've played extras in several films. These pale in my memory next to the roles that I actually believed help my ability as an actor. I'll never admit that I'm an actor but I do enjoy playing in front of the camera. I have nothing really lined up other then a few lines as a lawyer in Ed Harlaque's next film, so, I can at least look forward to that.
Monday, June 8, 2009
WHEN I LEARNED TO LOVE FILMMAKING
I’m a writer by trade who started off making short films in college as a lighting designer. I must have worked on maybe three to ten short films in my Junior year at Georgia State University and this was not even part of any class. I happened to help on a friend’s film who was in Filmmaking 1 and he liked my work so much that he mentioned my name to other students in his class and from there I just continued to work on all manner of films. When I eventually made my way into Filmmaking 1 a year later I had already had a lot of lighting experience and again I became known as the go-to guy for lighting (so much so that I never finished my own filmmaking requirements for the class because I was always too busy working on other people’s films. My teacher passed me with a B in the class anyways – I ended up helping him on his film as well).
This is when I loved doing lighting for films. Whether it be on 16mm, 35mm (I actually got to do a short film in this format), video, or eventually digital video, I tried to get my hands dirty on whatever I could. I didn’t really have any influences on how I lit films. It was all trial and error as I discovered that gels changed not only the color of the light but the color temperature and that using scrims and bouncing light was more pleasing then direct light (which some of my fellow students could never grasp).
Although I loved doing the lighting on films it was never something I intended to do for a living. I’m a writer and writing stories and screenplays is where my interests is. I just happened to be good at lighting and enjoyed it more then any other student in my class (they, after all, all wanted to be directors or actors).
The moment when I truly loved being on a film set didn’t come from all those short films I shot during college (nor my feature length documentary on the GSU production of DRACULA, still yet to be edited) but instead came when I was an “accident” actor on a little zombie film called NIGHT OF THE HUNGRY DEAD.
One night during the whole college craziness a good friend of mine by the name of Brent Brooks had a film shoot in which he invited me along not as an actor or a lighting person (in fact, I can’t even remember why I went anyways). All he could tell me about the film was that it was a zombie short that had the potential to be aired on a local television station as part of a Halloween-themed event. Well me being the big zombie-lover that I am I jumped at the opportunity to be on the set in whatever capacity. Of course, Brooks never told me that the film shoot was all the way north in Gainesville, Georgia (a place I only knew as being home to the Ku Klux Klan). He also didn’t tell me that the location was in the middle of nowhere and would be all night long, so I wasn’t exactly in my element.
The film NIGHT OF THE HUNGRY DEAD was directed by a newcomer filmmaker by the name of Ron McLellen whose only other film work was the unseen film MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. McLellen and actor Dave R. Watkins wrote the screenplay as they were filming it. The film concerns the night of the zombie apocalypse (as dictated by events from the ’68 film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD) as a group of young people get stranded at the home of a serial killer whose house is swarmed by all his past victims whom were buried in the backyard. The film is very much a collection of greatest hits from various zombie films that inspired the two writers. The cast was filled with complete unknowns, some of which were on McLellen’s previous film. I on the other hand had my own camera on hand and started filming “behind-the-scenes” stuff with no means of what was going on (I still plan to put this footage together in a short vignette one of these days).
At some point in the night McLellen realized that he didn’t have enough zombies for the big siege scene so I was thrown in some cover-alls and make up and made to be a farm hand (with an afro since I forgot to cut my hair) zombie. It was a great evening of zombie gut munching zaniness as I’m not an actor but being a zombie was one hell of a great time. What made things even funnier was that Brooks tried to teach us zombies how to walk and act (this is on video) and McLellen had so much screaming in the movie that you’d think we were making a slasher film instead of a zomedy.
Now prior to this experience I had made lots of short films but this was the first horror short that I had done, never mind the fact that NOTHD had a huge cast and lots of action and deaths. And did I mention the fact that we filmed until well into the rising of the sun of the next day? The film was on a deadline in order to compete in the television contest and we were filming like mad to get it done. It was both exhilarating and exhaustive but we lived through it (or at least most of us did. Some left early so the original cut of the film was choppy in parts).
Everything that was missing from those previous film experiences at college were present here which is mostly that I had fun on this film. The films I did in college were all pedestrian in story (as many of the filmmakers were not writers) and the stories were mostly dramas or comedies (that really weren’t that dramatic nor funny) – films that you would watch once and never again (which is why I remember so few of them now). NOTHD was extremely fun and gory and I met a lot of people I would subsequently work with on other productions.
I fast became friends with McLellen and Watkins and we all worked on numerous horror films and crazy productions such as JACK O’LANTERN, HELL’S END, CREATURES OF THE NIGHT, BAD LAND, and SHUDDER, among a plethora of short films for both of their individual production companies. McLellen liked my performance so much as a zombie in NOTHD that I became one of the stars of his next film JACK O’LANTERN (I’m not even an actor and I survive the film) but after that film I realized that my talents were best spent behind the scenes as the guy who helped produce the film and do all the technical “paperwork” on the production so that McLellen could concentrate on the actual production of the film. I was production manager on HELL’S END and CREATURES OF THE NIGHT moving up to producer on BAD LAND and SHUDDER.
I’ve since worked on both horror films and all other manner of genres from teen comedy (Movie Tao’s 6 DEGREES OF DESPERATION), urban film (BREAKING THROUGH), and suspense thriller (my own feature film HOUSE OF SECRETS), among others.
I can honestly say that I may not be in the indie film business if not for Brooks and McLellen and that little zombie film NOTHD. If NOTHD had not happened then I wouldn’t have worked with all the great filmmakers that I’ve become acquainted with since that dark night in Gainesville.
I could have easily become one of those people who went to film school but never did anything with their degree other then work at UPS (which I’ve done) or the neighborhood gas station (which I worked for two separate gas stations in my life). Instead, whether for good or bad I make indie films in Georgia where I get to work with a huge talent pool of people in any and all genres.
I’m currently working on finishing up HOUSE OF SECRETS as well as a short film for a vampire anthology, finishing up the screenplay for my next film which is a love story (A LOVE SONET), filming a documentary on remote viewing, working on a documentary on drag Queens (should be very interesting), and finishing up a script for the reboot of the JACK O’LANTERN franchise tentatively called JACK O’LANTERN REBORN, so I’ve managed to curtail my little experience as a zombie on a no budget short film into an ongoing love affair with filmmaking.
Not bad if I say so myself.
And if you’re wondering NOTHD may not have screened on television but we did go back and shoot additional footage for the official DIRECTOR’S CUT version which is far superior and far bloodier then it probably should be but it has screened in several film festivals and can be seen on You Tube among other places.
This is when I loved doing lighting for films. Whether it be on 16mm, 35mm (I actually got to do a short film in this format), video, or eventually digital video, I tried to get my hands dirty on whatever I could. I didn’t really have any influences on how I lit films. It was all trial and error as I discovered that gels changed not only the color of the light but the color temperature and that using scrims and bouncing light was more pleasing then direct light (which some of my fellow students could never grasp).
Although I loved doing the lighting on films it was never something I intended to do for a living. I’m a writer and writing stories and screenplays is where my interests is. I just happened to be good at lighting and enjoyed it more then any other student in my class (they, after all, all wanted to be directors or actors).
The moment when I truly loved being on a film set didn’t come from all those short films I shot during college (nor my feature length documentary on the GSU production of DRACULA, still yet to be edited) but instead came when I was an “accident” actor on a little zombie film called NIGHT OF THE HUNGRY DEAD.
One night during the whole college craziness a good friend of mine by the name of Brent Brooks had a film shoot in which he invited me along not as an actor or a lighting person (in fact, I can’t even remember why I went anyways). All he could tell me about the film was that it was a zombie short that had the potential to be aired on a local television station as part of a Halloween-themed event. Well me being the big zombie-lover that I am I jumped at the opportunity to be on the set in whatever capacity. Of course, Brooks never told me that the film shoot was all the way north in Gainesville, Georgia (a place I only knew as being home to the Ku Klux Klan). He also didn’t tell me that the location was in the middle of nowhere and would be all night long, so I wasn’t exactly in my element.
The film NIGHT OF THE HUNGRY DEAD was directed by a newcomer filmmaker by the name of Ron McLellen whose only other film work was the unseen film MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. McLellen and actor Dave R. Watkins wrote the screenplay as they were filming it. The film concerns the night of the zombie apocalypse (as dictated by events from the ’68 film NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD) as a group of young people get stranded at the home of a serial killer whose house is swarmed by all his past victims whom were buried in the backyard. The film is very much a collection of greatest hits from various zombie films that inspired the two writers. The cast was filled with complete unknowns, some of which were on McLellen’s previous film. I on the other hand had my own camera on hand and started filming “behind-the-scenes” stuff with no means of what was going on (I still plan to put this footage together in a short vignette one of these days).
At some point in the night McLellen realized that he didn’t have enough zombies for the big siege scene so I was thrown in some cover-alls and make up and made to be a farm hand (with an afro since I forgot to cut my hair) zombie. It was a great evening of zombie gut munching zaniness as I’m not an actor but being a zombie was one hell of a great time. What made things even funnier was that Brooks tried to teach us zombies how to walk and act (this is on video) and McLellen had so much screaming in the movie that you’d think we were making a slasher film instead of a zomedy.
Now prior to this experience I had made lots of short films but this was the first horror short that I had done, never mind the fact that NOTHD had a huge cast and lots of action and deaths. And did I mention the fact that we filmed until well into the rising of the sun of the next day? The film was on a deadline in order to compete in the television contest and we were filming like mad to get it done. It was both exhilarating and exhaustive but we lived through it (or at least most of us did. Some left early so the original cut of the film was choppy in parts).
Everything that was missing from those previous film experiences at college were present here which is mostly that I had fun on this film. The films I did in college were all pedestrian in story (as many of the filmmakers were not writers) and the stories were mostly dramas or comedies (that really weren’t that dramatic nor funny) – films that you would watch once and never again (which is why I remember so few of them now). NOTHD was extremely fun and gory and I met a lot of people I would subsequently work with on other productions.
I fast became friends with McLellen and Watkins and we all worked on numerous horror films and crazy productions such as JACK O’LANTERN, HELL’S END, CREATURES OF THE NIGHT, BAD LAND, and SHUDDER, among a plethora of short films for both of their individual production companies. McLellen liked my performance so much as a zombie in NOTHD that I became one of the stars of his next film JACK O’LANTERN (I’m not even an actor and I survive the film) but after that film I realized that my talents were best spent behind the scenes as the guy who helped produce the film and do all the technical “paperwork” on the production so that McLellen could concentrate on the actual production of the film. I was production manager on HELL’S END and CREATURES OF THE NIGHT moving up to producer on BAD LAND and SHUDDER.
I’ve since worked on both horror films and all other manner of genres from teen comedy (Movie Tao’s 6 DEGREES OF DESPERATION), urban film (BREAKING THROUGH), and suspense thriller (my own feature film HOUSE OF SECRETS), among others.
I can honestly say that I may not be in the indie film business if not for Brooks and McLellen and that little zombie film NOTHD. If NOTHD had not happened then I wouldn’t have worked with all the great filmmakers that I’ve become acquainted with since that dark night in Gainesville.
I could have easily become one of those people who went to film school but never did anything with their degree other then work at UPS (which I’ve done) or the neighborhood gas station (which I worked for two separate gas stations in my life). Instead, whether for good or bad I make indie films in Georgia where I get to work with a huge talent pool of people in any and all genres.
I’m currently working on finishing up HOUSE OF SECRETS as well as a short film for a vampire anthology, finishing up the screenplay for my next film which is a love story (A LOVE SONET), filming a documentary on remote viewing, working on a documentary on drag Queens (should be very interesting), and finishing up a script for the reboot of the JACK O’LANTERN franchise tentatively called JACK O’LANTERN REBORN, so I’ve managed to curtail my little experience as a zombie on a no budget short film into an ongoing love affair with filmmaking.
Not bad if I say so myself.
And if you’re wondering NOTHD may not have screened on television but we did go back and shoot additional footage for the official DIRECTOR’S CUT version which is far superior and far bloodier then it probably should be but it has screened in several film festivals and can be seen on You Tube among other places.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Nothing New, How About You...
Sorry to say this but there is little going on in my world because I'm stuck finishing up several projects all at the same time (then again I guess this means that there is lots new). A list of the current projects (and un-projects) on my plate as of right now:
1. HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRE - a short film that makes up part of a vampire anthology. I am contributing one of the five stories and co-producing this one with director Ron McLellen (JACK O'LANTERN) currently at the healm (and produced by Ondie Daniel). I love the script which is an homage to vampire films and the vampire mythos. I'm doing this project to see how someone else will interpret my work.
2. BLOOD DREAMS - originally intended as part of a two-part vampire anthology of my own but the first draft of the script was so long (at approx. 82 pages) that my business partner thought I should just go ahead and write it as a stand alone film. I'm currently in re-writes to achieve just this.
3. QUEEN OF THE VAMPIRES (3 vampire film) - was originally intended as the second part of the vampire anthology. I'll see how this one goes once I finish the rough draft of the screenplay.
4. SALVAGE - the final vampire film in my one year trilogy - is one I came up with a year before I even thought about writing a vampire film in the first place. This is the only one originally intended as a feature length film and the only one I plan on hoping to direct (once the screenplay is finished). All the other vampire films are intended to be sold and/or directed by other filmmakers.
5. CONTAGIUM - my infecteous disease political film of which is the most interesting for all my actor friends as it has many different roles. I got through 2/3rds of the screenplay before I decided to scrap the whole thing and start all over. I hope to be done with this one before the end of summer.
6. A LOVE SONET - my first love story (which means it's not a horror film) which I've been working on for over 15 months and am 98% close to completion. If all goes well this will be my next film as I do not wish to be pigeon-holed in the horror genre (I hope to film this before going on to CONTAGIUM).
7. HOUSE OF SECRETS - finished filming but now in post production (still logging footage) of which I'm slightly behind schedule and I hope to still be done with by November if I can find an editor to work on deferred payment (if you editors out there are interested contact me at nqmedia@yahoo.com).
8. MISS KITTY & ME - a short film which I'm completely foley on and should be complete and finished by end of summer (part of my CITY GARDEN anthology).
9. THE OLD WOMAN & THE PARK - logging footage for this second short that is part of my three year personal project CITY GARDEN. Hope to have done by end of summer.
10. DIARY OF A FILMMAKER: FILM SERIES - done with the first two episodes and hope to have them both online soon. Plan on having 3-4 more episodes done before the end of the year. This is an internet based series that I'm having done in my spare time inbetween projects. i have approximated 15-20 needing to be done altogether (again if their are editors who will work for free contact me at nqmedia@yahoo.com).
11. I could go into more of the smaller projects but I think this is enough to give you the idea that I'm very busy and point of fact there is always something NEW under the sun. So, how about you?
1. HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRE - a short film that makes up part of a vampire anthology. I am contributing one of the five stories and co-producing this one with director Ron McLellen (JACK O'LANTERN) currently at the healm (and produced by Ondie Daniel). I love the script which is an homage to vampire films and the vampire mythos. I'm doing this project to see how someone else will interpret my work.
2. BLOOD DREAMS - originally intended as part of a two-part vampire anthology of my own but the first draft of the script was so long (at approx. 82 pages) that my business partner thought I should just go ahead and write it as a stand alone film. I'm currently in re-writes to achieve just this.
3. QUEEN OF THE VAMPIRES (3 vampire film) - was originally intended as the second part of the vampire anthology. I'll see how this one goes once I finish the rough draft of the screenplay.
4. SALVAGE - the final vampire film in my one year trilogy - is one I came up with a year before I even thought about writing a vampire film in the first place. This is the only one originally intended as a feature length film and the only one I plan on hoping to direct (once the screenplay is finished). All the other vampire films are intended to be sold and/or directed by other filmmakers.
5. CONTAGIUM - my infecteous disease political film of which is the most interesting for all my actor friends as it has many different roles. I got through 2/3rds of the screenplay before I decided to scrap the whole thing and start all over. I hope to be done with this one before the end of summer.
6. A LOVE SONET - my first love story (which means it's not a horror film) which I've been working on for over 15 months and am 98% close to completion. If all goes well this will be my next film as I do not wish to be pigeon-holed in the horror genre (I hope to film this before going on to CONTAGIUM).
7. HOUSE OF SECRETS - finished filming but now in post production (still logging footage) of which I'm slightly behind schedule and I hope to still be done with by November if I can find an editor to work on deferred payment (if you editors out there are interested contact me at nqmedia@yahoo.com).
8. MISS KITTY & ME - a short film which I'm completely foley on and should be complete and finished by end of summer (part of my CITY GARDEN anthology).
9. THE OLD WOMAN & THE PARK - logging footage for this second short that is part of my three year personal project CITY GARDEN. Hope to have done by end of summer.
10. DIARY OF A FILMMAKER: FILM SERIES - done with the first two episodes and hope to have them both online soon. Plan on having 3-4 more episodes done before the end of the year. This is an internet based series that I'm having done in my spare time inbetween projects. i have approximated 15-20 needing to be done altogether (again if their are editors who will work for free contact me at nqmedia@yahoo.com).
11. I could go into more of the smaller projects but I think this is enough to give you the idea that I'm very busy and point of fact there is always something NEW under the sun. So, how about you?
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