Big update on "Five Bullets, Five Names"

A few months ago, we ran an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to finish shooting "Five Bullets, Five Names".   We reached 46% of our goal, which worked out to $1,620, a very respectable amount!  With that, we will now be able to buy insurance to shoot at previously unavailable locations, although one has burnt down and that sent us scrambling for a backup.

We've also purchased a green screen rig with some of the funds, so we can shoot our effects shots far more easily and really nail that period look.

...and very importantly, we'll be able to shoot here.

...again.  

Remember, all the 16mm footage was either unusable or lost.

We will also more easily be able to do our out of town shoots with gas and hotel money in the bank.  A lot of the old character Palliser City used to have is gone, but remains in outlying areas, so we have to drive to those places.  Pleasingly, an outdoor neon sign museum has opened in Edmonton just this past weekend, so that's probably on the locations list now.  Why fake it if you can just drive to it?

So a big thanks goes out to all our 35 supporters, without whom this would take a lot longer to accomplish.

Catching up...

on some fine TV programming that I didn't know existed until recently.

I sure am enjoying "Fringe".

I also recently did this up for a pal in New York State.

It's a caricature of his cousin who's not your stereotypical blonde.

"Five Bullets, Five Names" Resumes shooting!

I guess the big news of late is I've resumed filming my formerly shelved film noir project, "Five Bullets, Five Names", which I started over five years ago shooting on 16mm film.  The film turned out to be cost prohibitive and I abandoned the project.

I was encouraged to get back into it by many involved because they saw the value in the story.  The lead actor, David Daley, was particularly instrumental in resurrecting it.

This time, we're shooting it on HD video and the results are fantastic, not only in terms of the image, but in the quality of the acting and because I've learned a lot about storytelling and filmmaking in the last five years.




This is a frame grab of some of the original 16mm footage, which cost me about $1000 in film and processing.  This didn't include the two 16mm cameras I'd purchased at about $250 each - one of which I recently gave away for nothin'.

This is a frame grab from the HD video shot on a consumer grade camcorder which cost me $250 including the SD memory card.  Same location, same lead actor in the same waredrobe (different Amazon), same time of day, but five years later with modern equipment.



Needless to say, this project has progressed a lot further with far better results on video.  As well, this time around I have a lot more professional actors and crew helping out and I've been ridiculously fortuitous in securing locations and participation.

Going all out on the film noir look.

I should also mention my lovely lady, Ms. Candace, has also been incredibly supporting in terms of moral and even production equipment.  A lot of this wouldn't be possible without her.

It's going to be something we can all be proud of.

the Scarlet Plague

Starring Bill Guse (right), and Troy Fynn.

It screens Wednesday, July 4th at Concept Lounge in the Devenish - lower 908, 17 Ave SW, Calgary, Alberta.


Doors open at 7pm, films start at 8pm.


I'd better finish editing reel sune then!

Coming Soon

More than anything, this is an impetus to deliver the goods for the upcoming 7th Annual Calgary Filmmakers Challenge.

The challenge: to make a film adaptation of a work in the public domain, a teacher must appear as a character, there needs to be a shot of a pencil in a ceiling, as well as a sequence shown in reverse.

It's finished!

Heartman: a tale of mimes told in the style of Rodriguez's "Sin City". This was made for the 6th Annual Calgary Filmmakers Challenge and was completed Feb. 29, 2012. The criteria for this film was that it had to be based on a true story, needed a 'butt shot', a shot had to be upside down, and at least one character had to be a mime - so this is what I came up with.

The criteria for the 7th Annual Calgary Filmmakers Challenge was issued the same night.

I try to challenge myself to tell stories with no words, that way, once I tell a story with dialogue it will be inherently more visually interesting.

Another caricature

I haven't been doing this enough, but I felt creative this morning.

It's the cartoonish ladies from the modern "Charlie's Angels" movies. I don't think much of those movies, or the actresses who played in them, but they were interesting to draw.