“I’m currently watching a silent movie on a television inside of an insane asylum that may or may not be IN MY MIND…”
Perhaps you’ve seen the ads all over the web this week for The Darkness II, the horror game from 2k Games and Digital Extremes. The story of The Darkness (in comics and games) concerns an ancient evil from another dimension that aligns itself with a mob hitman. There’s some hints of Lovecraftian ideas there, so it feels right that my film, The Other Gods, has a role in the new game.
The creative director of The Darkness II reached out to me several months ago to see if it would be possible to license The Other Gods for inclusion in the game. Of course, I said “yes.” Apparently, players will have the option of watching (or ignoring) the entire 5 minute short in the game world. I’m assuming it appears on a video monitor or movie screen in the game — I haven’t played the game yet, so I can’t be more specific. I hope to share some screenshots online soon.
This has been quite a year for The Other Gods — it played at the Museum of Art and Design in NYC, as well as two screenings in Buffalo and a surprise appearance at the Halloween edition of Rochester’s Emerging Filmmakers. Not bad for a film that premiered in 2006 (or 1924, depending on which version of events you choose to believe).
Find out more (and buy the game) at http://www.embracethedarkness.com
New York, NY (September 23, 2011)—New Yorkers can now celebrate Halloween a few days early. The Museum of Arts and Design hosts the 3rd edition of the short film fest Daggers, featuring 12 exquisitely creepy films that will share the spotlight on October 20, 2011, at 7:00 pm, and on October 22 at 3:00 pm in the Theater at MAD. Curated by noted critic Peter Gutiérrez, the all-shorts Daggers showcases work by up-and-coming talents, as well as contemporary classics by renowned filmmakers such as Denis Villeneuve and Jason Eisener. This mini-fest sports a macabre mix that is sure to please horror-hounds of all stripes.
“Horror is a much richer and more diverse genre than it is often given credit for,” observes Gutiérrez, who founded Daggers in 2008. “With Daggers we get to show off that range of artistry. In this year’s lineup, for example, we have surrealism, gothic mystery, psychological horror, a silent film, a musical, Cronenberg-style body horror, stop-motion animation, an experimental dance piece, and even gore-comedy. The goal is to represent the unsettling, the poetic, the thought-provoking, and yes, the stomaching-turning.”
Unspooling its dozen films in about two hours, Daggers will screen some of the best short-form horror from around the world, giving local audiences a chance to enjoy titles that are typically accessible only via major film festivals. Shot on the streets of Prague, “Prahands” recalls classic avant-garde cinema while “New Born” is an early effort of Israel’s Navot Papushado, co-writer and co-director of this year’s Tribeca favorite “Rabies” (“Kalevet”). Tasmania is represented by Briony Kidd‘s “The Room at The Top of The Stairs,” which makes its New York premiere. And of course there will be films by American, Canadian, and British filmmakers.
These include the H.P. Lovecraft adaptation “The Other Gods,” Matthew Garrett‘s “Beating Hearts,” Firas Momani‘s Fantasia-winning “The Adder’s Bite,” and the world premiere of “(Baby) It’s You,” a fun twist on the archetypal “mad scientist” film. Also making its New York premiere is Jerome Sable‘s acclaimed Sundance hit, “The Legend of Beaver Dam.” As always, the programming strategy seeks to combine fresh titles, many of which are new to Big Apple audiences, with ones that are well worthy of encores. Faye Jackson‘s “Lump” was shown directly before “Pan’s Labyrinth” at 2006′s New York Film Festival, and Jason (“Hobo with a Shotgun”) Eisener‘s “Treevenge” won the audience award for best short at the 2008 edition of the New York City Horror Film Festival. Moviegoers will know “Next Floor”‘s Denis Villeneuve as the director behind the Oscar-nominated “Incendies,” but may not have been able to catch this short, a prize-winner at TIFF, Sitges, and Cannes, not to mention a recipient of the Genie, Canada’s highest filmmaking award. The lineup also happens to boast another Genie-winner, Pedro Pires‘s unforgettable “Danse Macabre.”
“From last year’s Zombo Italiano and Jodorowsky series to this fall’s Sion Sono retro, MAD is proving itself to be a force in bold yet offbeat genre programming,” explains Gutiérrez. “That’s an approach that appeals to New York’s cinephiles and horror fans alike. It also happens to be very close to Daggers‘ sensibility, so I couldn’t be happier that this unique event has found such a great venue.”
ABOUT THE SERIES
Daggers will screen in the Theater at MAD on October 20, 2011 at 7:00 pm and on October 22, 2011 at 3:00 pm.
Both screenings $10 General
$7 MAD Members and Students.
Daggers is curated by film critic Peter Gutiérrez, frequent contributor to Rue Morgue and TribecaFilm.Com.
For more information, or to order tickets, please visit: http://www.madmuseum.org/
THE 2011 DAGGERS LINEUP
All films will be projected digitally.
The Adder’s Bite (2010)
Dir. Firas Momani
9 min
(Baby) It’s You (2011)
Dir. David Cowles, Jeremy Galante, and Brad Pattullo
3 min
Beating Hearts (2010)
Dir. Matthew Garrett
11 min
Danse Macabre (2009)
Dir. Pedro Pires
9 min
The Legend of Beaver Dam (2010)
Dir. Jerome Sable
12 min
Lump (2006)
Dir. Faye Jackson
12 min
New Born (2006)
Dir. Navot Papsushado
14 min
Next Floor (2008)
Dir. Denis Villeneuve
11 min
The Other Gods (2006)
Dir. Mike Boas
6 min
Prahands (2007)
Dir. Charles Pieper
5 min
The Room at the Top of the Stairs (2011)
Dir. Briony Kidd
15 min
Treevenge (2008)
Dir. Jason Eisener
16 min
ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN
The Museum of Arts and Design explores the blur zone that characterizes so much of art, design, and craft today. The Museum focuses on contemporary creativity and the ways in which artists and designers from around the world transform materials through processes ranging from the artisanal to digital. The Museum’s exhibition program explores and illuminates issues and ideas, highlights creativity and craftsmanship, and celebrates the limitless potential of materials and techniques when used by gifted and innovative artists. MAD’s permanent collection is global in scope and focuses on art, craft, and design from 1950 to the present day. At the center of the Museum’s mission is education. The Museum’s dynamic new facility features classrooms and studios for master classes, seminars, and workshops for students, families, and adults. Three open artist studios engage visitors in the creative processes of artists at work and enhance the exhibition programs. Lectures, films, performances, and symposia related to the Museum’s collection and topical subjects affecting the world of contemporary art, craft, and design are held in a renovated 144-seat auditorium.
What’s been going on with Mike lately?
CSI: Mike. (Photo by Stephanie Viriyakul)
When last I blogged, I was pushing Mind Rip’s Kickstarter campaign. Well, that fundraising tactic fell short, but that doesn’t mean we’re not making the movie any way possible. We’re continuing to shoot the first half hour of the film (which are relatively low on special effects). Thanks to our leads, Joe Thompson and Kristen Royale, for shooting with us for a few nights in July. For more pics, friend the film at http://facebook.com/mindrip
Strange things happen in the desert.
Meanwhile, after a 6 day shoot in and around Death Valley, I’m now editing the feature film “3.14…” for writer/director/actor Greg Smith. This is an indie feature that looks at mathematical concepts and philosophy through dream logic. Oh, and there’s guys dressed in zebra striped lycra suits riding motorbikes. Friend the movie at http://www.facebook.com/pages/314-the-movie/142935755771042
Casa Phil-Mad
And this is a good time to mention our new base of operations for Philrose editing projects, which I’m dubbing the Phil-Mad offices. Because, you know, I’m there too. At last, John Vincent and I have enough space for computers AND noxious chemicals. (That’s office plus workshop space, folks.)
The Old Fish and the Sea
As long as I’m in recap mode, I’ll mention that I won the Rochester Movie Makers short script competition for the second straight year. My entry is the soul-searching tale of a young man and a talking trout. (Gulp! Now I have to consider shooting it.) Read “The Old Fish and the Sea” online here.
Paradigm, by Lesia Vincent, cover by Mike Boas.
Lesia Vincent’s first novel will be released soon, so here’s a sneak peek at the cover by yours truly. Paradigm’s story involves a woman connecting with her ancestors via Italian witchcraft. For the cover, I did an interpretation of John William Waterhouse’s painting, The Magic Circle. Watch this space for an announcement when the book goes on sale.
Ammo and Attitude
Ammo and Attitude is a reality show on the Versus network. Derrick Petrush (of Rochester Movie Makers) is editing the show and asked me to update the animated intro for the new season. The original intro was really well done, and it was a fairly straight forward job to go in and swap in this year’s contestants. Still, it involved a certain amount of rotoscoping and After Effects cleverness. Find out more about the show at ammoandattitude.com
Summer Filmmaking Camp for Rochester Youth
And finally (finally!) I should mention what a pleasure it was to co-teach a class on storyboarding to 36 young filmmakers at the 360 | 365 film camp. Fred Armstrong and I went in armed with dittos about camera shots and tons of samples. The kids were super creative and super appreciative. Their resulting short films will be going online soon at http://film360365.com/school
That’s all for now. Here’s where I should insert a witty comment about it better not be another four months before updating again, but… eh, I don’t feel like it.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Rochester, NY – April 25, 2011 – Rochester based Philrose Productions is taking a unique approach to raising money for its creature feature, Mind Rip. Writer/director John Vincent and producer Mike Boas are presenting their fundraising in the style of a PBS pledge drive, which can be seen online at http://www.mindripmovie.com
For Mind Rip, John Vincent is drawing from his experience as a model maker and animator to create “old school” (but high quality) creatures and effects. This means raising some funds to pay for materials and sets. In recent months, many independent artists have begun using crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo to reach an audience of potential supporters. With Kickstarter, this means people make donations towards a fixed goal. That money only changes hands if and when the goal is reached.
The Philrose team looked at other Kickstarter videos to see what was being done. “While many were personal and informative, none really went all out with the ‘pledge drive’ aspect,” says Boas. So when it came time to shoot a video for Mind Rip, Boas and Vincent set the stage and prepared some tongue-in-cheek humor.
Their piece begins with a clip of actual Mind Rip footage, then cuts to a Public Television style pledge break. Boas begins his plea for funds: “Unfortunately, movies such as this aren’t free.” Vincent continues: “We can’t do it without YOUR help. We’ve got operators standing by to take your pledges.”
Throughout the video, Boas and Vincent explain their professional approach to filmmaking, but do it while demonstrating television fundraising cliches. Project backers are offered fun items like Mind Rip Tote Bags (a PBS favorite), novelty Spectre-Vision glasses, onscreen credits in the final film, signed posters and screenplays, invitations to the film wrap party, and even an opportunity to be a featured zombie in the film.
“We’re totally serious about making this movie, but there’s no reason we can’t be entertaining with our Kickstarter video,” says Vincent. The jokes here reflect Vincent’s own sense of humor, which also crops up in the Mind Rip script.
“What I find remarkable in what we’ve shot so far is how much personality our actors have brought to their roles. John Cocca and Chris Nakis are hysterical as the sheriff and deputy,” says Boas. For instance, the film’s trailer contains a scene in which the sheriff has a deadpan conversation about a pot of soup that contains a severed head. “The line ‘No, you don’t want the soup’ gets a laugh every time I show the trailer. The audience at the Buffalo Screams Film Fest loved it.” Boas took the trailer to Buffalo last fall, and it was also one a few independent trailers selected to play at the New York City Horror Film Festival.
“There’s humor in the film, but not at the expense of the horror elements,” explains Vincent. “Although the monsters are born out of horror comic books, they represent a true threat to the characters.”
Mind Rip’s plot concerns a town overrun by nightmare creatures. The main character, David Endicott, struggles to solve the mystery of these creatures and discover their connection to his brother Jack, who died years earlier. Mind Rip takes its inspiration from horror movies of the 70s and 80s like Phantasm, Re-Animator, and Evil Dead 2. Comic books like Tales From the Crypt and The Vault of Horror are also a big influence.
Vincent emphasizes that although the movie is being shot locally on a low budget, it can still look like a high quality production. “We’re shooting on HD video with professional lighting. That makes a huge difference in how a movie can feel.” Vincent’s background working for David Allen productions also comes into play. In the 1990s, he contributed to films such as Dr. Mordrid, Freaked, and Robot Wars. “We’re reaching out to a horror fans who are tired of seeing computer generated monsters in their movies. To me, movies done with practical effects have more character. They have a better feel to them, and that’s what we’re trying to do with Mind Rip.”
According to their Kickstarter deadline, Philrose Productions has until Thursday, May 26, to reach its fundraising goal of $7500. Vincent and Boas have been telling everyone they can think of to take a look at the video, pick a pledge level, and give generously.
Remember, they can’t do it with out the support of “viewers like you.”
LINKS
Mind Rip FX on Kickstarter
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mindrip/mindripfx
Mind Rip official site
http://mindripmovie.com
Mind Rip on Facebook
http://facebook.com/mindrip
John David Vincent credits on the Internet Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0898681
Mike Boas credits on the Internet Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1711376
John Vincent and Mike Boas are available for interview by phone, email, or Skype.
CONTACT:
http://maddogmovies.com/contact
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