Lesia Vincent’s first novel, “Paradigm,” is now available through Createspace and Amazon.
It is about modern day Stregheria (Italian witchcraft). If that catches your interest, why not support a Rochester writer and buy a copy?
Oh, and here’s the cover, done by yours truly (and inspired by John William Waterhouse’s The Magic Circle).
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
It’s only been a short time since my last compilation post, and already I’ve got new projects to sum up.
UNMASKED
Mike Russo and I found ourselves making another 72 Hour film for the Mind 2 Movie Challenge. This year’s improv elements: a closet clown, a bunch of bills, and a hostage situation. We’ll be premiering the film (along with the 9 other contest entries) on Monday, March 7, at the Little Theatre.
ANIMATUS IN THE PAPER
The D&C did a great article on Fred Armstrong and Animatus Studio, featuring a few pictures of yours truly working on the latest Buju & Ziggie cartoon for Wegmans and Crustal Pix. Read it online, or see the scan from the paper (with additional pictures) by clicking here.
THE MITZVAH
I’m providing post production assistance to this short film from writer/director Rose Jurman. It’s a piece about doubt and regret, set during WWII.
ZOMBIE INTERVENTION
Franklin Kielar wrote and directed this horror/comedy. It’s essentially a silent short, in which I play an undead father figure confronting a young vegetarian zombie. It was a fun shoot, done in one morning (but with two cameras) back in the fall. Now it’s on YouTube, complete with outtakes.
Burn Witch Burn! Here’s a fast paced promo I whipped up for the festival. It features clips from Horror Hotel, a public domain film starring Christopher Lee.
Come out for the second annual Little Theatre 24 Hour Horror Fest in Rochester, NY, this October 30, 2010!
https://thelittle.org/filmfest.php
The Festival kicks off on Friday Night with a Zombie Walk. Everyone will meet in make-up at Java’s at 10pm. The walk will begin at 10:30pm. Zombies will make their way down East Ave. to the Little Theatre.
SCHEDULE
Friday, October 29th
o 10pm – ZOMBIE WALK @ JAVA’S
Saturday, October 30th
o 12am – SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)
o 2am – DEAD, ALIVE (1992)
o 4am – RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (1985)
o 6am – SURVIVOR’S CHOICE (5 PUBLIC DOMAIN FILMS)
o 9am – MVP Little Buddies presents IGOR (2008)
o 11am – Emerging Filmmakers presents HORROR SHORTS*
o 1pm – AMERICAN MOVIE/ COVEN (1999)
o 4pm – DIARY OF THE DEAD (2007)
o 6pm – Fright Rags Presents DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW (1981)
o 8pm – Grindhouse presents PLANET TERROR (2007)
o 10pm – DEATH PROOF (2007)
Sunday, October 31st
o 12am – HUMAN CENTIPEDE (2009) – ONLY ROCHESTER SHOWING TO DATE!
Follow
Meta
