Shooting on the FRIDAY THE 13th Fan-Film!

Currently in production on the Southlan-Films fan-film FRIDAY THE 13th: THE MAN IN THE LAKE. It's a short film in the same vein as the company's previous fan-film HALLOWEEN: RETURN OF THE SANDMAN and is directed by Ron McLellen; story by Ron McLellen & Kevin L. Powers, Screenplay by Ron McLellen.

Although I am not a fan of the FRIDAY THE 13th film series I believe it will be an interesting film to work on based on the great cast involved which includes Lynn McArther, Cesar Aguirre, Nathan Standridge, Andrew McClure, JM Finnel, Chris Whitley, Jim Adams, and Josephine B. Lawson, to name a few. You can find more info by going to the Official THE MAN IN THE LAKE Facebook fan page - http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=151046202981&view=user#!/pages/MAN-IN-THE-LAKE-Official-Fan-Page/278862841916

Does College Really Prepare You For Real Life?

I’m currently putting together the production schedule for my current short film Mourning Road (produced by Interstate Films) for which I am production manager and cinematographer. If you had asked me ten years ago when I graduated from Georgia State University where I would be now, I would probably hope that it wasn’t still making short films but you never know where your life is headed once you leave college with that diploma in hand.

“LIFE IN THE THEATRE”
In 2000 I walked out of GSU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in film with a minor in theatre. I was one of the lucky ones. When I left college I was already working as a audio/video/lighting technician for the company Full Circle Lighting (one of the premiere lighting companies in Georgia at the time that specialized in corporate special events). My first job in the theatre industry was actually for the theatre department of GSU as a props master and carpenter for the show Psycho Beach Party. Although my degree was in film making, I ended up spending most of my early years out of college in theatre. At GSU I was involved in several productions mostly as an actor but I was hired as the occasional documentarian of a production of Dracula that the university put on as well as several others. After that theatre production I worked for CATCo on the theatre productions Cheaper By the Dozen and Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs as assistant director and stage manager, respectfully.

At GSU I learned a lot in regards to technical theatre and that knowledge came into play early in my post college career. Even today I continue to work in theatre with Theatre in the Square (http://www.theatreinthesquare.com), Theatrical Outfit (http://www.theatricaloutfit.org/tickets.html), Georgia Ensemble Theatre (http://www.get.org), Horizon Theatre (http://www.horizontheatre.com), and True Colors Theatre Company (http://truecolorstheatre.org), to name a few. I’ve found it very easy to continue working in this field despite the poor economic climate as many of these very theatres continue to cut their budgets and shows from year to year.

“LIFE IN FILM”
Although I got my start in film by documenting several theatre productions, I did manage to be director of photography on several short films for college students (none of which are of any particular interests) before moving on to more interesting fare. In 2002 I worked on my first post-college film for Southlan-Films Night of the Hungry Dead, a short film in which I starred as several zombies. This lead to my starring role in the Southlan-Films feature Jack O’Lantern, which I also starred in. This production also happened to be my first film as a production manager. I would go on to work on the company’s subsequent films Hell’s End, Creatures of the Night, Bad Land, and more recently Evil in the Flesh, to name a few. This experience on those films helped me progress as a producer on Bad Land and Evil in the Flesh not to mention the Beijos Production Chosen, among many other short films in between. It wasn’t until 2009 when I started production on my own feature film House of Secrets that all of the knowledge and prior experience came to a head. On my feature film (which was produced through CenterSeat Entertainment) I wrote, produced, and directed the film (among many other jobs) but I used all my contacts thus far to help get the film made. My co-producer Safaa Sammander was a graduate from GSU and she also acted as my second in command on set and helped keep the production on track. In fact, most of my crew were people I’d worked with at GSU or on one of my previous films. Working on this film was the culmination of everything that I had thus far learned.

“LIFE AFTER COLLEGE”
My college degree was a huge asset in my continuing in my chosen field of film making. Even though I started off in the theatre industry I’ve constantly maintained a presence in the film industry despite the fact that it pays less than theatre. The arts and entertainment field (especially in this economy) is not one that benefits someone in a monetary way (I do work in the low budget industry of Georgia, not Hollywood). I have managed to stay in my field and make a modest living out of it. It’s been hard but if it wasn’t hard then what would be the point? We go to college to continue in a higher learning and continue to further ourselves in a particular field of interest. The lucky ones choose a field that will stay with them forever while all the others have only a piece of paper that reminds them of just how much time was wasted. I’d like to think that I’m a member of the former and I pray that the later one day find their way or go back to college and try again.

5 Elements to Being a Good Still Photographer on the Set of an Independent Film

One of the most overlooked contributions to film production is that of the still photographer. This is not just in terms of independently financed films but major ones as well but it is something that is very vital to a successful production and should never go overlooked. I’ve done still photography for many films both shorts and features and they all require the same thing – great pictures that accurately depict not only production stills from the film but also behind the scenes pictures of the production as well.

When talking about still photography for film it is important to know what the use of the pictures are for in order to understand how vital they are to the production. The pictures captured from any given production are mainly used for marketing and advertising as they provide the highest quality photographs of scenes from the film. These pictures are also used as historical documentation of the film as well as pictorial reference for many of the production’s many departments (i.e. wardrobe, location, continuity, cinematography, etc.).

In order to provide good still photography on any given film production here are five elements that all still photographers should know.

ELEMENT #1: TAKE GOOD PRODUCTION STILLS.
Generally speaking, production stills are any photographs taken on the set of a film production but more accurately the production stills I’m talking about here are the ones that represent scenes and shots from the actually film itself. It might surprise you know that the majority of photographs used in advertisements and promotions are actually still photographs and not images pulled from the video image or film negative (although images from film negative do provide just as high quality). Because many film productions have gone digital pulling stills from a video image is not the same as pulling images from a film negative. Digital images do not yield the same quality as a film image (although HD video images are in fact used very often) therefore it is not optimal to use such images. As video and digital technology advances the differences between the two are very subtle. It is a still photographers job to accurately replicate all the key images and shots on any production so that they can be used in promotions and marketing. When taking such pictures it is important that they represent and depict as close an image as the shot they are representing in order to be effective. When I worked on the Cake Baby Productions short film The Tedious Existence of Terrell B. Howell my primary responsibility was providing the production with accurate pictures of the film. Since it was a low budget film and the producers were fairly unacknowledged about what I do it was extremely important that I provided them photographs of every scene in the film for everything from the film’s poster to advertisements to the website.

ELEMENT #2: TAKE LOTS OF BEHIND-THE-SCENES STILLS.
This should go without saying but taking behind-the-scenes pictures of the cast and crew and the production itself are important. They not only depict the production and everyone that was a part of it but they provide the cast and crew with a history of the production that will not only be shared amongst themselves but to the public as well. Many times these photographs are used to show the scale of a production and all the people that were involved with the production on any given scene. These photographs are used for advertisements, magazines, websites, etc. and there importance should never go over looked or forgotten. While on the set of the Southlan-Films production Bad Land I had a multitude of photographs on not only all the make-up requirements but stunts (since we had a huge stunt team) and locations as well. I used the same techniques when I was on set of the company’s next film Evil In The Flesh.

ELEMENT #3: DO NOT GET IN THE WAY.
One of the most overlooked aspects of taking still photographs on a film production is the fact that the still photography should not get in the way of the production itself. I know the still photographer has a tough job with trying to take as many photographs of the production as possible from many different vantage points but it is important that the still photographer not become a nuisance on the film set which can just stress out not only the cast and crew but the director as well. Taking behind-the-scenes photographs can be taken at any time during the production but standard production stills of the scenes themselves should be taken before or after the scene in question is wrapped (I prefer after) and should be discussed with the director and cast and crew at the beginning of production so that everyone involved knows when the photographer will be taking the photographs. I’ve been on many film sets where this was not discussed before hand and the still photographer was trying to get photographs while the director was walking through a scene with his cast. The photographer got in the way and was putting both the director and the cast in an increasing stressful situation. This should be avoided at all costs.

ELEMENT #4: GET TO KNOW THE CAST & CREW.
A still photographer should get to know both the cast and the crew of the film production. Many times the photographer will stage photographs from scenes in the film not to mention take many group pictures of random cast and crew members and it is a good idea for the photographer to be able to call people by their first names. It may be a daunting task to remember so many new names and faces on any given film production but trust me it will be worth it. On the By The Lake Productions short film A Gift there was a huge cast of children that I had to learn the names for simply because the production wanted me to get a variety of group photographs at many of the different locations of the film. Knowing the children’s names made it easier and faster to call together any group of children at a moment’s notice. This also helped me with the over 60 cast & crew of the Southlan-Films production Hell’s End in which I had over 40 soldiers all of whose names I had to learn for the very same reason.

ELEMENT #5: HAVE FUN!
One of the things that most still photographers may forget while on the set of a film production is to have fun! If you’re not having fun than the people you’re taking pictures of aren’t having fun either. I’ve been taking still photographs on film sets for over a decade and I usually take 100 times more pictures than I probably should but I allow the cast and crew to have as much fun being in the pictures as I do taking them and this should never be forgotten. The more fun you have when taking photographs the more inspired and creative you will be and the better your pictures at the end of the day and trust me when you get that “money shot” the director or producer or cast or crew member will know and they will appreciate it forever.

In closing I just want to tell all the young still photographers out there that, yes, still photography is a job and it is vital to the success of any given film production but it should also be something that is fun and exciting.

5 Elements to Being a Good Production Manager on an Independent Film

When I say “independent film” what I’m really saying is “low budget” to “no budget” film production. These would include the films that may only have one or two investors or were financed by a rich aunt or uncle or relative or were even put together with the use of multiple credit cards. The number of these such productions being made every year far exceed the number of films being financed above the $1 million price range. I mention this first because if you’re an independent filmmaker (like me) than you’ve learned how to make the best of any budget no matter how big or small.
In order to be a good filmmaker many of us must also be good production managers (or at least hire a good production manager) to manage the day to day operations of film production. A production manager is responsible for realizing the visions of the producer and the director within the constraints of technical possibility. This involves coordinating the operations of various production positions from location, wardrobe, art direction, casting, etc. that would insure the success and completion of the production. Having been a production manager for many years on a wide variety of indie shorts and features I’ve learned some of the best techniques that will insure a great experience on any type of film production.
Although I’ve worked primarily on indie film productions these five elements to being a good production manager on an independent film can be used on any type of film production large or small and will be beneficial not only for production managers but individuals seeking to be in the management area of film production.
ELEMENT #1: GET IN AT THE BEGINNING OF PRE-PRODUCTION
There is nothing more important for any film production than to have a production manager in place at the very start of pre-production on a film. The PM’s job is to help coordinate and organize all of the other film departments as set forth by the producer and director. If the PM isn’t hired until actual principal photography, a lot of elements that would make the production run smoothly will not have already been set up and in place, which can cause problems during and possibly after principal photography. I recently came in as the PM at the last moment on the Unique Productions indie film Between Love & a Hard Place. Some of the major problems that occurred had to do with Call Sheets and Call Times and contacting the actors and crew when changes were made. On many occasions I could not get a hold of cast & crew simply because I was not their point of contact from the beginning of production. Because we live in an era where many people simply dismiss incoming phone numbers that they do not recognize, many of my phone calls and text messages were never answered. Another thing that happened is that since many of these very same cast & crew were in contact with different people throughout pre-production it made it very difficult for me to be in contact with cast & crew and not get second guessed all the time. By being on hand at the beginning of pre-production the cast & crew know the PM as their point of contact for both the director and producer and other important individuals on the production. The PM will also double check all paperwork before it is sent out to the rest of the cast & crew so that there are no confusions. On the Southlan-Films production Hell’s End I was brought in at the beginning of pre-production and was there when actors were cast and crew was chosen and contracts were signed so there were no mistakes of who cast & crew sought info from during and after production. Bringing the PM in at the pre-production stage just makes the film production go smoother, for everyone.

ELEMENT #2: BE ORGANIZED.
I cannot stress this enough. A PM must be extremely organized in order to juggle so many different aspects of a film’s production. Since the PM is responsible for coordinating so many departments in order to create one cohesive vision from the director and producer, he must also be the most organized and know what is going on with every department so that communication between all departments is smoother. While working on the Southlan-Films’ production Hell’s End, we had a cast and crew of over 60 people (and this is on an indie production) and it was a period film that took place both during WWII and had many sequences that took place in the future. The film had a lot of art direction and make up effects and location requirements that required a lot of people coordinating together for the production’s needs. I had multiple different notebooks on hand detailing all aspects of the production not only for principal photography (in which I carried around 3 separate notebooks) but also for pre-production (2 notebooks) and post production (2 notebooks). Because this was such an ambitious film for such a small budget I couldn’t afford to be unorganized. Having all these different notebooks with different aspects of the production within arm’s reach made production on this film go by extremely smoothly. Also, being able to coordinate so many different principal and supporting actors (all of the actors were required for the duration of the shoot. There were no “day players” on this film) became easy when all I had to do if an actor had a question about their character was to flip through a notebook and look their character up. My being able to solve all these actor problems and questions helped the director and producer do their jobs without being interrupted every five minutes by cast or crew. I was also able to answer and filter questions and problems through the crew and other departments fast and efficiently without any major problems because I had all the information right there with me at all times.

ELEMENT #3: KNOW YOUR CAST & CREW.
It is extremely important for the PM know their cast & crew. Since the PM is the liaison between all the film departments they need to know all of the principal and key cast and crew members if for no other reason that they be able to call people by their first name. It’s important that the cast and crew get to know the PM as well because it will be to the PM to whom many of them will trust and create a bond on the film set. What you don’t want is cast and crew members being afraid or unable to communicate their problems and concerns because they don’t know or don’t trust their PM. This only leads to strained relationships on set and sometimes even conflicts. I try to make it a priority to get to know all the key cast and crew members on a first name basis because I want them to always feel comfortable with coming to me with any problems or concerns about the production. On the CenterSeat Entertainment production of the Chris DeMarco music video “I’m Calling You” the director at times found it very difficult to communicate with the cinematographer. As the PM I was able to help both parties come to a middle ground and alleviate any problems that they may have each had with one another. This could not have happened if I hadn’t have had such a great relationship with both parties. By the end of the production we had an excellent music video that the musician DeMarco was very satisfied with.

ELEMENT #4: KNOW YOUR AUTHORITY.
One of the key jobs of the PM is as the “ring master” of the circus called film production. They juggle and balance many different aspects of a film’s production in order to allow for the director and producer to see their vision accurately created. To do this, the PM must have some sense of authority over all the other departments. In terms of the “creative” aspects of film production, the PM has very little control but it is their responsibility to coordinate and organize all the “technical” aspects of the production. In this regards, the PM has almost 100% say and control (as it pertains to what the director and producer want) and should be allowed to exercise this control when it is needed. The PM’s job is to safeguard the intent and integrity of the vision of the film and to make sure that this info is passed from one department to the next and everyone involved must also know and trust that the info dispersed to them is as accurate as possible and with accordance to what the director and producer has relayed to the PM. This is not just a matter of trust between the PM and the director and producer and all the cast and crew but also their trust in the PM. If all the right elements and ingredients are in place than the film process can be a wonderful environment with very few problems that weren’t or haven’t already been addressed by all the appropriate parties. I’ve been on many short films (way too many to count) where my job as PM was not always understood by the cast and crew. Short films tend to blur the lines of what a PM’s job really is but their authority should not be usurped nevertheless. These are sometimes the most important films to have a PM on because the pace is fast and furious and you need a PM with authority to make sure that everything gets done and done right.

ELEMENT #5: HAVE FUN!
No matter what part of a film production you are on you should always remember to have fun. Just because the PM has one of the hardest jobs on the film set (excluding directing or producing) doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have fun on set as well. No matter if the production is small or large, a short or a feature, with a budget or without, the PM should always have fun on the production itself and with cast & crew. A fun PM is someone that the cast & crew can identify with and trust and these are the elements that a PM should strive for.

These are not the only elements to being a good production manager but they go a long way in demonstrating to your cast & crew how dedication the PM is to them and the project as a whole and with a dedicated PM any film production will run smoothly and be an enjoyable experience for everyone.

"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?

FAVORITE BLACK & WHITE HORROR FILMS

1. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
2. CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962)
3. PSYCHO (1960)
4. THE HAUNTING (1963)
5. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
6. BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
7. NOSFERATU, A SYMPHANY OF HORROR (1922)
8. MAN BITES DOG (1992)
9. VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960)
10. THE MUMMY (1932)
11. DIABOLIQUE (1955)
12. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
13. BLACK SUNDAY (1960)
14. SPIDER BABY (1968)
15. FREAKS (1932)

FAVORITE FILMS OF THE ‘80s

Here is a list of my favorite horror films of the '80s!

1. VIDEODROME (1983)
2. THE FLY (1986)
3. THE THING (1982)
4. PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1987)
5. THE SERPENT & THE RAINBOW (1988)
6. RE-ANIMATOR (1985)
7. THE EVIL DEAD II (1987)
8. George A. Romero’s DAY OF THE DEAD (1985)
9. NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984)
10. CREEPSHOW (1982)
11. LEVIATHON (1989)
12. CHILD’S PLAY (1988)
13. FRIGHT NIGHT (1985)
14. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984)
15. POLTERGEIST (1982)