"Back To Work On OUT OF SEASON!"

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?

TOP 100 FAVORITE DOCUMENTARY FILMS

TOP 100 FAVORITE DOCUMENTARY FILMS


1. DELIVER US FROM EVIL

2. FETISHES (1996)

3. BIGGIE & TUPAC

4. CURT & COURTNEY

5. BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE

6. BORN INTO BROTHELS

7. MURDERBALL

8. MAD HOT BALLROOM

9. WORDPLAY

10. CONTROL ROOM

11. THE CORPORATION

12. NANOOK OF THE NORTH

13. FOG OF WAR

14. DUST INTO GLORY

15. 4 LITTLE GIRLS

16. AILEEN: LIFE & DEATH OF A SERIAL KILLER

17. AILEEN WUORNOS: THE SELLING OF A SERIAL KILLER

18. PARADISE LOST: THE CHILD MURDERS AT ROBIN HOOD HILLS

19. PARADISE LOST 2: REVELATIONS

20. WINGED MIGRATION

21. MARCH OF THE PENGUINS

22. MADONNA: TRUTH OR DARE

23. RELIGULOUS

24. HOOP DREAMS

25. SUPER SIZE ME

26. SPELLBOUND

27. TOUCHING TH EVOID

28. U2 3D

29. SHINE A LIGHT

30. YOUNG @ HEART

31. RIZE

32. MAN ON WIRE

33. THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRATH HILL

34. WHEN WE WERE KINGS

35. RIDING GIANTS

36. THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL

37. WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?

38. MICROCOSMOS

39. WHAT THE BLEEP WHO WE KNOW?

40. METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER

41. THE U.S. VS. JOHN LENNON

42. THE WAR ROOM

43. INTO GREAT SILENCE

44. ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED & DESIRED

45. SOUND & FURY

46. THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED

47. UP THE YANGTZE

48. TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE

49. U2: RATTLE & HUMM

50. GRIZZLEY MAN

51. WHY WE FIGHT

52. THE UNTOLD STORY OF EMMITT LOUIS TILL

53. BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB

54. MAYA LIN: A STRONG CLEAR VISION

55. LOST IN LA MANCHA

56. FULL TILT BOOGIE

57. STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN

58. THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE

59. CHISHOLM ’72: UNBOUGHT & UNBOSSED

60. GOING TO PIECES: THE RISE & FALL OF THE SLASHER FILM

61. SHERMAN’S MARCH

62. CLINT EASTWOOD: OUT OF THE SHADOWS

63. JOHN CARPENTER: THE MAN & HIS MOVIES

64. THE AGRONOMIST

65. H.H. HOLMES: AMERICA’S FIRST SERIAL KILLER

66. GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS

67. GORRILA: THE TAKING OF PATTY HEARST

68. DEEP THROAT

69. HIS NAME WAS JASON

70. ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM

71. FESTIVAL EXPRESS

72. NIGHT & FOG

73. THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS

74. MONDO CANE

75. MONDO CANE 2

76. ATLANTIS

77. AMERICAN PIMP

78. WATTSTAX

79. SPACE STATION: IMAX

80. EVEREST: IMAX

81. DOCUMENT OF THE DEAD

82. DARIO ARGENTO: AN EYE FOR HORROR

83. FACES OF DEATH



If there were 100 favorites to put on this list then it would be complete but I was hard pressed to find as many as this without adding films that I didn’t really care for (and there are a whole bunch of those).

"Why I Love Horror Films"

Many people think that loving horror films is an unusual thing. “You’re a filmmaker. You should like art films and dramas,” is something I’ve heard a lot from many of my friends and the truth is that I do enjoy art films and dramas. Many people don’t know that among my all time favorite films is the Italian epic THE BEST OF YOUTH, WHAT THE (BLEEP) DO YOU KNOW?, BRINGING UP BABY, CINEMA PARIDISO, and PI, to name a few, but the truth is that even though I love those movies it is the following films that I can watch and re-watch a million times – NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968), ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968), THE EXORCIST (1973), THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975), FREAKS (1932), CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962), and THE HAUNTING (1963), THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932), and THE MIST (2007). If you’ve noticed, many of these films were made in the ‘30s and ‘60s. I have a love of early horror cinema and these films never get old to me.

Another thing that you’ll notice is that all of these films (with possibly the exception of THE OLD DARK HOUSE) are horror films that are about more than just cheap thrills and frights. These films are among the best films that reflect the human condition and even try to be comment on politics and society among other relevant ideas. These ideas can also be expressed in other genres but it’s truly the horror genre in which these ideas can be expressed in there most extreme conditions.

In the anthology 3 EXTREMES (2004) the segment “Dumplings” comments on the extreme search for eternal beauty, one of society’s greatest pre-occupations. In DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) director George A. Romero comments on society’s per-occupation with consumerism through the zombie genre. CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1980) is a hard look at documentary filmmaking and just how far someone will go to fabricate the truth and its consequences (although be it in a most gruesome way). These are but a few of the examples of great horror films that strive to be more than just the some of its parts.

Now there are many horror films that are simply just great as entertainment value (just like in any other genre) such as ZOMBIE (ZOMBIE 2) (1979), CUBE (1997), THE DESCENT (2005), FRIGHT NIGHT (1985), AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981), HALLOWEEN (1978), THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977), FRONTIERE(S) (1997), BABY BLOOD (1990), and THE EVIL DEAD II (1987), to name a few, and these are films that many fans cherish.

I’ve loved horror films since I was a child. My mother is a huge fan of horror movies and books (especially Stephen King) and I grew up watching all the horror films of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Even though I love horror films from before the ‘80s, my mother didn’t watch those type of films and I grew up watching what she watched which was a lot of Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen King based films (especially CUJO, CHRISTINE, CHILDREN OF THE CORN, and CAT’S EYE), and a lot of monster films (my mother didn’t really care for the human monsters such as serial killers so I didn’t watch those until I was much older). A this time I became a huge Godzilla fan and even though these films can hardly be called horror films they were films with monsters…lots of monsters and thus I devoured these films and everything like them. I still tend to like non-traditional monster films more than the basic horror and serial killer films. Some of my favorites are DEEP RISING (1998), JAWS (1975), ARACHNOPHOBIA (1990) THEM! (1954), PHASE IV (1974), TREMORS (1990), NIGHTBREED (1990), PITCH BLACK (2000), THEY (2002), and DAGON (2001), to name a few.

Keeping all this in mind, I love horror films from all over the world. This is not something that many people that love horror films can say. Going to film school has allowed me to broaden my horizons not only in mainstream genres (of which I never liked westerns until I studied them in college) but in the horror genre as well as many of my new favorites include foreign films from all over the globe. Some of these include the Russian film NIGHT WATCH (2004), KAIRO (Japanese 2001), A TALE OF TWO SISTERS (South Korea 2003), INSIDE (France 2007), HIGH TENSION (France 2003), ANATOMIE (Germany 2000), KWAIDAN (Japanese 1964), 28 DAYS LATER (UK 2002), GINGER SNAPS (Canada 2000), and A CHINESE GHOST STORY (Hong Kong 1987), to name a few.

Many of today’s best horror films are coming from over seas because there are fewer taboos in regards to horror there then here in the United States, so we get such controversial and unconventional films as MARTYRS (France/Canada 2008), [REC] (Spain 2008), THE ORPHANAGE (Mexico/Spain 2008), MOTHER OF TEARS: THE THIRD MOTHER (Italy 2008), PAN’S LABYRINTH (Spain/Mexico 2006), WOLF CREEK (Australia 2005), BLACK SHEEP (New Zealand 2006), NIGHT OF THE LIVING DORKS (Germany 2004), MACHINE GIRL (Japanese 2008), and AUDITION (South Korea/Japan 1999), to name a few.

Many of these films have been able to cross over continents and countries to be praised by audiences everywhere (a rare feat when you consider that most other genres are unable to do this – unless it is an art house film). No matter what country, horror films tend to have no problem translating from one language to the next and do both well subtitled and dubbed (unlike most other genres).

Having this many films to choose from it’s no wonder I love horror films. When the US is having a bad year at the box office I can always just watch the latest from France or Germany or Hong Kong and be satisfied.

Now, like I’ve said, the horror genre can go from one extreme to the next. They have horror films for the kids – THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987), MONSTERS VS. ALIENS (2009), and THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993) – they have them for teens – THE LOST BOYS (1987), CREEPSHOW (1982), and SHUTTER (2008) – and they have them for grown ups – REPULSION (1965), PSYCHO (1960), and THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) – so there are films for every age group.

It’s amazing the variety of horror films that exist today in all the different subgenres (of which I will go into detail on some other day) but what’s even more amazing is the fact that horror films continue to find there audience despite the economic climate and despite what Hollywood thinks the typical horror fan will pay to see on the big screen (i.e. remakes, sequels, and PG-13 teen horror).

I go see them all. I try to go see every horror film at the box office no matter how obscure or how badly reviewed. I like horror films and I’ll go see them all if I can. Some of the more embarrassing ones that I’ve seen include PROM NIGHT (2008), A SOUND OF THUNDER (2005), THE UNINVITED (2009), PSYCHO (1998), SNAKES ON A PLANE (2006), ANACONDAS: THE HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID (2004), CHILD’S PLAY 3 (1991), THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT (1990), ONE MISSED CALL (2008), and PRIMEVAL (2007), to name a few, so I’ve seen a lot of turkeys on the big screen (many of which I knew were going to be bad before I saw them but I saw them anyways because I love the genre so much).

There is no denying that I love the horror genre and I support it on the whole (even though I believe that Americans haven’t made a descent horror in almost a decade with the exception of a handful). I could go on about the genre but I won’t since anything else I say will just make this article longer and I’m sure you’ve read enough from me.

Suffice it to say that there is more to this genre then meets the eye and if you look closely you’ll find that there are films within the genre that are for every type of person so those of you that dismiss it – stop and take a few moments to really look for that film that would be right for you and if you don’t think there is one for you then just ask me because I’ve probably seen them all.

"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.

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.

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?

HOUSE OF SECRETS - Now Done Filming!

Just so that you know, we have finished principal photography on the CenterSeat Entertainment Film HOUSE OF SECRETS (formally SHIVER) just two weeks prior. I've been on a personal break trying not to think too much about the filming so that I can have a clear head when I start logging the footage just before I'm able to go into the editing room and start post production on the film.

I'm going to miss the cast & crew of HOUSE OF SECRETS as we all came together to create something that I hope we all will be proud to have been a part of. The editing process will be the hardest as there are many creative decisions that I will have to make in terms of what finally ends up on the screen and what doesn't. Either way I hope to have something that I will be proud to have my name on.

HOUSE OF SECRETS was a hard film for me to do (as writer & director) in that I had to make many compromises to see the story actuall make it to the screen. I believe the film's greatest asset are the actors as they far exceeded my expectations and went beyond anything that I could have imagined ("Go Cast!"). Although I had a small crew, they were the best that "deferred payment" could buy and I had a great Assistant director and producer that kept me focussed throughout the whole film shoot.

I don't enjoy the editing process as much as the filming process but I can't wait to we have something done for people to sit down and watch.

Filming SHIVER!

Filming on my CenterSeat Production of SHIVER (which I'm making my feature film debute) is going very well as I'm loving everything that I'm getting from my cast (so far Sherrie Peterson, Alicia Schulz, Dixie Light, and Cesar Aguirre) and crew (so far Asa Rose, Vernon Mui, and Laura Scigliano). It has been a joy to be working with such creative talents who have made this film experience better then I could have possibly imagined.

The only problem that the production has faced is the extreme cold hitting Georgia earlier then it has in a long time. This and the wind have played havok on several of my exterior shoots which leaves me dreading the "dailies" because I might have to re-shoot one or more of these scenes (thankfully, we still have lots of time in the productions schedule). I've alotted 15 days of principal photography which as of today we are still on track so I'm very happy with that. This weekend is light in that we only have six scenes to film and only two actors needed (I decided to go light this weekend in order to allow everyone to enjoy this Thanksgiving weekend). I'm just glad my actors were in such good spirits to be so accomodating to the production.

Going into the third week of production (and you're hearing it here first), I've decided to change the name of the film from SHIVER to something more appropriate. After all the re-writes and changes the film no longer feels like a "shiver" type of movie but instead feels like a female drama with suspenseful undertones so over the last few days I've been coming up with many names to choose from in order to change the title of the film. I've not decided on a title yet but I may let the cast & crew have a stab at naming this film since without them, this film would have never been possible.

Originally, SHIVER was just meant to be a screenplay that I wanted to sale but circumstances were placed before me and I couldn't say "no" so I decided to make this film my directing debute. I only hope that I can do everyone justice and come out with an entertaining and thought provoking film. Having filmed seven other features (as various other positions) I know how much it can take out of a person to do their first film so I'm trying to be as prepared as possible and be ahead of the game. As long as I can continue to give the illusion that I know what I'm doing then everything will come out as planned.

I just hope I can continue up the illusion.