First Video Out of the Gate

Here we are, folks!

The first CME video to go up is actually the third we shot.  One of the actors we've worked with, Selase Botchway gave me a call and basically said, "I want to make a fanfilm.  Can you help?"
Of course, I said "Yes".
Selase is in incredible physical condition, really.  And he makes for a perfect superhero.
We also emplyed the incredibly beautiful Giovannie Cruz.
Unfortunately, we had an incredibly limited amount of time to shoot this, and, in fact, split the day so we could shoot this AND another video, too.  That makes for a pretty hectic schedule, but we did it.

The only thing I don't love about the shoot was that we had so little time, and the wind was so high, we had to cut the dialogue and make it a music only video.  That isn't the case of the others we will be presenting.
Keep an eye out as we continue our journey.
Because it's going to only get more violent, and crazy from here.

Cheapest Tools Ever!

A lot of people are interested in programs that will help them get their video out there and on the web, looking good, and being creative.  I am a fan of technology, but tend to think too many people believe that a program will save them instead of just being creative and doing what they can with what they have.

That being said, I want to talk to you about a few programs that are free or very inexpensive, and well-worth taking some time with to help create the fx you want.

First off, let's talk about Photoshop.  Yes, I know, it isn't free.  But it isn't the program I'm going to talk about so much as what can be done with it.  Photoshop can allow you to do some very nifty things in video, such as create mattes, virtual sets, shadows, blood spurts, etc.  But the program is expensive, and, let's be honest, not terribly easy to use.  However, there's an alternative.  It's called Paint.NET and it's a free program that is actually very powerful and very easy to use.  And it is ideal for creating some wonderful fx.  I am using it to create virtual shadows (which can REALLY enhance a scene), mattes, blood spurts, etc.  About twenty minutes of YouTube videos had me up and running, and I was able to create some excellent fx.  You can get it at http://www.getpaint.net/  I do suggest downloading some of the plug-ins to help enhance your effects and comps.  A read-through of the forums doesn't hurt either.  Is it exactly like Photoshop?  No.  However, it's a nice, inexpensive asset to have on your desktop.  Unfortunately, it's Windows only.

How about After Effects?  Man, that is a fantastic program.  And, again, expensive and difficult to use.  However, there's an alternative.  It's called WAX 2.0 and it will do much of what After Effects does, comping, rotoscoping, etc.  However, it does not have a motion tracking engine, and can be a little unweildy when lining up your compositions.  The answer then is to keep your camera locked down when shooting your effects (that running gunfight you wanted, well, you may have to compromise by shooting it in several locked down shots instead of an unsteady hand-held or dolly).  You can add shake of some sort in your editing program.  You can find WAX 2.0 here http://www.debugmode.com/wax/  You can also edit in WAX, but it will only edit in .AVI format, which can make for some frighteningly large files.  I suggest only editing the footage with the effect on it in this product.  But you can now replicate those awesome Freddiew style gunshots without spending the money on After Effects.

Let's talk about editing programs now.  I use Avid Liquid for the most part, though I am learning to use Final Cut Pro, as well.  I prefer Liquid because it is a fully integrated system, very powerful, and it does much of what I need to do more efficiently than any other program I've ever seen on the market.  The problem with it?  It's no longer available.  I could explain how Avid bought up Pinnacle, and then buried Liquid almost immediately in order to stop it's encroaching on Media Composer, but there's no point to it.  Now, in order to use my beloved Liquid, I had to add a step to my workflow so that I could edit AVCHD footage with it.  But, honestly, it's not that big of a deal.

So, what about the people who want to make a movie, but can't afford to purchase a system like Final Cut, Media Composer, Liquid, Edius, or Sony Vegas?  Well, at the lowest end of the spectrum, you have Windows Movie Maker.  My only real issue with WMM is that it isn't really frame-accurate.  It's a little like editing between two VCR's without a flying-erase head and no edit controller.  Which is to say, it's old school and not accurate.  It also has very poor audio controls.  BUT, if it's all you have, USE IT!  Use it until you can't stand using it anymore.  Use the hell out of it!  You can learn the basics of editing from this program, and it's free.
Or, you can use Videospin, which is also free.  http://videospin.en.softonic.com/  Pinnacle, the makers of Liquid, created this free editor to introduce people to editing.  It used to have its own website and forum/tutorials, but those are gone the way of Liquid.  It's still out there though, and it's ideal for the beginner.

So, now let's talk about the ones that will cost you a bit.  Not too much, though.  If you're a young person, we're talking around the cost of mowing 6 yards in your neighborhood (if you're charging at least $20 per yard).  I've suggested these programs and seen some people do very cool work with them.

Magix Movie Edit Pro - this is an all-around good little program, fully featured, easy to use, fun to work with and extremely stable.  Depending on which version you buy it will cost anywhere between $59-$129, and it will do much of what you need it to do.  It has good effects, decent color correction, a good audio editor, and the ability to output to directly from the timeline.  I like Magix products, and often use their Music Maker program to create incidental music, stings and sound effects for my own videos.

Pinnacle Studio - Again we're back to Pinnacle.  There are a number of reasons I love their products, mostly because they are very easy to use, fairly powerful, and come fully loaded with lot's of effects.  Studio also comes in three versions ranging in price from $59-$129, and this is one I suggest going the higher end route for.  Why?  Well, let me put it this way. Red Giant Toolkit.  Yep, this one comes with an integrated version of Magic Bullet Movie Looks and a powerful Motion Graphics toolkit.  Again, easy to use, fully featured, and very powerful.  They also supply a green screen with the purchase, which is cool enough, I suppose, though I'm not sure I would call it Free since you're paying more for the program.

Premiere Elements - It retails for about $100, and it's fairly easy to use.  I'm just not a huge fan of the Adobe product line, even though I always say that if you can use Premiere, After Effects, and Photoshop, there is nothing you can't do.

There's another product out there called Hitfilm, and I'm extremely impressed with what it does.  Basically an integrated graphics/compositing/editor system, it's a bit more expensive than the others, but I've seen some extremely cool things done with it recently.  It seems to work like After Effects, but the cost is quite a bit lower as it ranges from $149-$574.  They have a free trial which I keep wanting to download and play with if I ever get some free time.

But, here's my rule for making cool movies.  Don't worry about tools you don't have.  Use your creativity instead.  If you want to create a cool monster, make a cool monster suit in your garage or patio, and go out and shoot with it.  Or use stop-motion animation to create it.  Or a puppet.  Use whatever you have.  Making movies, especially in the beginning, should be about the cool stuff you can do right now, using your brain and what you have.  Your toolkit will grow as you do.

By the way, just to let everyone know...the first Cheapest Movies Ever! trailer will be premiering on Halloween.  Of course we'll put the link here, but we're also going to plaster it all over the place.  I can't wait for you to see it.

A few notes on Special Effects

When I first started my fascinations with movies, I wanted to be Ray Harryhausen.  Not just an animator, but  the greatest animator in the world, a man who captured the imaginations of three generations.  I wanted to make monsters that stalked city streets, and magical skeletons that could carry on an epic sword fight, and creatures from myth and legend that would interact with my human characters.  I wanted to BE Ray Harryhausen.

There was only one problem.  I didn't have the patience to be Ray Harryhausen.  I tried.  I did, but my animation was herky-jerky, my models began leaping around the set, teleporting rather than moving.  I just...I wasn't good at it.  Now, I can actually take the time, and add a little animated piece to a feature, but then, no way.

So I began learning about special make-up effects.  I'm not the greatest sculptor in the world, but I can still create an effect that works.  I can also create miniatures (left over from my wanna-be animation days, I suppose).  But somehow, while learning and working on effects, I got into acting, which led to directing.  I've always, through it all, been a writer.

So, I wanted to show off a little of those talents in our Cheapest Movies Ever! concept.  I decided our first movie would be a monster film set on a distant outpost hidden in some Godforsaken location.  I live in Dallas, TX.  I like it.  I don't consider it Godforsaken.  But I was going to need to show our distant outpost.

I built a miniature.  I built this miniature on four pieces of cardboard, to which I had taped down an interesting piece of plastic packing material.  I built up the landscape
using that home-haunters favorite, GreatStuff Foam, and then I also
added cheap dollar store kitty litter for additional landscape material.
Painted the whole thing black to create shadows, and finished off
with a drybrush of light brown on the rocks and blue/grey on the building.
Add a dollar store LED flashlight into the port and you have a distant outpost.
Now this photo does not have the lighting we'll use in the short, or the particle generated dust-storm, but for a few hours of work, I have a location that is three dimensional, and takes up only three and a half feet in my storage closet.  And I really had a good time creating it.

I need a monster next.  Something gross and nasty but unique.  Something that will startle people, make them uncomfortable, but, remember, folks, it's got to be cheap.  How about $27?  Yeah, that could work.
Now, I'm not going to show you the whole suit here (you'll have to see the short which shoots on the 22nd of September), but I will show you the monsters head.

The materials to make this head cost about than $15, folks.  But it took some time.  I went to a hobby store and purchase a foam pirate hat for...that's right, $1.  Cutting the brim of the hat off, I had a helmet that I could glue the face onto.  The face is made from two different monster masks that are vacuform plastic.  They were both too small for an adult to wear, but by carefully cutting them up I was able to remove the jaws and split the face.  I was also able to cut the devil horns and the eyebrow section from one and glue it onto the other at an angle.  Now comes the time-consuming part.  Using a package of dollar store napkins (100 pack, you can use toilet tissue or paper towels as well, but I find napkins prevent you from having to tear sheets off a roll, which adds to the process), I would paint white home exterior latex paint (the cheapest you can find, mine was about $4 at a home repair store) in a thin layer over part of the mask, and then apply a torn sheet of napkin to the paint.  Then, using very little paint on the brush, glue down the edges of the paper towel in an outward motion.  This prevents the napkin from bunching up, and if the layer is thin enough, it will begin to dry while you're preparing the next area.  With more latex paint on the brush, gently paint the napkin so that it is coated in paint, but not dripping with it.  This creates excellent detail on the skin of the mask, tiny little vein-like texture.  Overlapping the napkins, continue this over the entire mask.  Where there are holes (such as the brows protruding from where I had glued the front edge, leaving a gap at the back edge near the temples) fill with cotton balls by painting a thin layer of paint and adhering the cotton to the mask.  A light layer of paint on the cotton (this is tricky to do, but you will get used to it quickly) prepares it for more napkin skin.  Certain details, such as the aggressive cheek lines, were created by tearing small strips of napkin and rolling them up into a line, painting them on, and then adding a little cotton at the top and bottom to blend them, and then adding more skin on top.  I used a dollar store jello mold of a brain (there are much better molds out there, but they are more expensive), liquid latex painted in thin layers into the mold and after about three layers reinforced with paper towels, to create the exposed brain of the monster.  At the edges of the latex brain, I used cotton to blend it in, and skinned the whole thing.  It took a few days to do the entire head.  For the cheeks, by the way, I used pieces of foam from the brim of the hat I cut off.  Next up, I spray painted the whole thing black (spray paint is $.99 a can at Wal-Mart), and used the same light brown latex paint I used on the miniature to drybrush the skin.  The light brown is a more than reasonable skin tone on this mask.
For the record, my can of light brown paint is oops paint from Wal-Mart.  I've used it to create a Crypt-Keeper for a friends Halloween party, and now this.  It's still VERY full.
I think that's enough for now, don't you?  And I really don't want to reveal to much until the show comes out.  But let it be said that the dollar store (especially the incredibly fine people at the Everything Is .99 Store) is your low-budget movie makers best friend.  It's Halloween season, and stocking up on items they have now will save you a ton of money down the way.
Until next time.

From this moment on...

The posts are going to focus on the particular webisode (what an odd term, but I was told today by the extremely nice people at SAG/AFTRA that our internet distributed idea should not be referred to as a short or an episode, as those do not fall into our "New Media" contract) we are working on.  Our next update will focus on the special effects we will be using on our first webisode.

These effects will include miniatures, a monster suit, digital effects and mechanical effects.  Stay tuned...

Casting Concerns Revealed

So, I have to admit that I was fairly concerned about how we were going to cast for such a large group of actors willing to work for free.  My hope was that we would get  maybe 15 or so.

Of course, I tried posting in the Craigslist Talent Gigs.  I learned a lot about CL by doing this.  I learned that advertising for a sugarbaby is considered the same as advertising for a model or actress.  I also learned that "Busty" is considered a talent.  Who knew?  I didn't.  I thought at best it was genetics, and at worst it was just lucky.

But then I found a site that features Texas-based actors.  I put up an open call for talent and waited.  I didn't have to wait long, either.  I started getting emails fairly quickly.  A few told me straight up, despite saying in the original listing that this was a one-day shoot and would have no pay, that they would not work without payment.  A couple said they would "do the first one" without pay, but would expect payment from then on.  Let me tell you how that normally works, guys.  A talent like that will usually show up for the shoot after accepting the role, they might even do half of the shoot for you.  At that time, they will demand money to finish, or they will walk.  Anyone who didn't seem to understand that we were going to shoot for about 8 hours, and give them featured roles, well-shot, and well-edited that they could freely use on their reel, but we weren't going to pay them, didn't get a response.

Speaking of responses, I wrote three of them.  These could be broken down into three categories.
1) What are we doing?  This explained the style of the shoot, the time it would take, and what the project actually was.  I ended it with "Let us know if you're still interested."
2) Why are we doing this?  This basically explained our reasoning behind making this project.  It showed the benefits to both the project and the actors.  It was completely honest.  It was based on reassuring our actors that we weren't somehow secret adult film-makers ready to steal actors and sell them into the adult movie business, or something.  I guess it made sense because we had originally posted in the Craigslist Talent Gigs where "Busty" is a talent.
3) How we expected our talent to respond.  This was a response to our actors who had questions about scheduling, and a couple who decided they wanted to be a little diva-ish.  I told them the truth.  I explained how to respond when they were offered a role, and the time limit they had to respond.  I again tried to reassure them, but I was firm about it, too.

Here's the funny thing.  The response wasn't good.  It was overwhelming!  It turns out that a couple of the local talent agencies got wind of the project and began sending their actors that didn't have much on their resume or reel to us.  It made sense, too.  You can more easily get someone a job if you have something to show them, and we're offering footage for a reel with very little time to give up for free.  It is a totally symbiotic relationship.  We also made contact with musicians, and crew people, as well as a couple of writers who were also interested in the project.

So after three VERY grueling days of merely contacting actors, I was able to put together the cast for our first shoot in two weeks.

AND, we have a talent pool that only appears to be growing.

Next up, we'll talk about special effects.  See you soon.

The Show Goes On...FINALLY!!!

So, life kicks us around, and eventually, tired of being kicked, we stand up, dust off our ideas, and kick back.

Which leads us to where we are today.
So, a couple of years ago or so, I posted that we were going to make five movies, in five months, for $1500.  Yeah.  Well, as we all know, that didn't happen.
BUT!
Here's what IS happening!
One year.
26 shorts (that's one every two weeks, by the way.)
Distributed freely through the internet.
Cost?  $1300.

Why the change?  Money, mostly.  Losing my job made it impossible to afford the $1500 going out of my account so quickly.  But $100 a month?  I believe I can afford that.  At this time, I'm not going to look at Crowdfunding.  However, if it turns out that people really like our shorts and trailers, we may consider that to fund an entire film based on whichever trailer people most want made into a movie.
Right now, though, I just want to make a few cool movies to put on my reel.

I need to take a moment here, and thank some people who have kept me pushing towards this.

Joe Sherlock is an independent movie-maker who has been a follower on this blog for awhile.  We've never met.  But he's also a friend on Facebook, and he's been very supportive, never pushy, but...It's obvious to me that he wants to see what happens with this.  Because he told me so.  Thanks, Joe.

My daughter.  Yeah, I know, it sounds cheesy, but Lil has been really wanting me to make another film, and she doesn't care what it is, she just knows I'm not happy unless I'm trying to be creative.  Here you go, honey.  I think you're going to enjoy this.

A few years ago, I bought this book called SHOCK FESTIVAL by some shmoe named Stephen Romano.  It's a fictional work about the exploitation business from the late 1960's to the present.  It's fake, but "true", if you get that.  The book was my original catalyst for trying to form Cheapest Movies Ever in the first place.  I got to meet Mr. Romano, and not only is he NOT a shmoe, he is one of the coolest cats I've ever seen.  Just awesome, passionate about exploitation, and a whirlwind of information.  I told him about CME, and he said "Whatever happens, man, make sure you send it to me.  That sounds awesome!"  So...I'm wanting to send it to him.  Because he supported me without even knowing it, and then he supported me when he met me.

Fred Olen Ray.  Fred Olen ray barely knows I exist.  I've been a fan of his for years, used to chat with him on his forum occasionally, and every now and then I get updates from him through his Facebook Fan page.  Fred Olen Ray is simply one of the most bad-ass film guys in the world today.  He doesn't sit around waiting for some suit to decide to give him money to make a movie.  He makes movies.  ALL THE TIME.  He makes action, horror, sci-fi, T&A, kids movies, and now, even light romantic comedy.  He grew up at the drive-in, he likes exploitation, and his commentary tracks are the single most informative, no bullshit things you'll ever hear.  I owe him.

James Esely needs to be on here, too.  James is a great actor who has been waiting patiently for me to get off my ass and do something for two years.  I'm going to kill him this year.  In fact, I'm going to kill him a lot. Just you wait, James.

And finally, I owe Adam Gaulding a ton.  He's a bad-ass too.  This is partly for you, Adam.

Now.  I have a monster suit to make tomorrow, and I need to get to bed.  Keep your eyes open, true believers.  Because there's some stuff on the horizon.

One year later...OR WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?!

It's interesting when things fall apart, isn't it?  Kind of sad and lonely, and terribly depressing. However, it isn't the end of the world as long as you can pull yourself back up, get your head on straight, and try to re-organize.

Things fell apart, folks.  Life, work, home...all pretty much went to shit.  My kids are fine.  My girlfriend and I broke up.  My job took a drastic and odd change.  And I had to move out of my apartment.

It's a year later, though.  I have pulled myself up.  I am dusted off.  My head is mostly on straight.  I am re-organized.

CHEAPEST MOVIES EVER!!! is back in business!  Let's get rolling!

A Trailer, and the story behind the movie....

So, a few years ago, I got together with some fine talent and made a little movie called BURDEN OF LOSS.  We spent about six months working on the film and it was great fun.  However, on the last day of shooting, one of the actors came to me and said "I want to make a movie, too.  I just don't know how to start."  No problem, I can put a movie together and we can shoot it.
     Now, understand that this was September 11, and I assumed we would start on this project as soon as BURDEN was finished with post.  I kicked around a few ideas, though, just so I could give Jerry an idea of what we could do, and came up with a concept that I thought could be developed fairly easily, using some of the same talent as BURDEN OF LOSS, some of the same locations, etc.  So, I met with Jerry on September 14th, we had a cup of coffee, and I laid out this crazy apocolyptic, Lovecraftian, police-procedural.  He thought it sounded great and we agreed on a miniscule budget that would be very tight.  Then Jerry dropped a bomb.  "We have to shoot the week of Halloween." 
     This Halloween?  Six weeks from now, Halloween?
     Yes.  So, instead of saying no, I started smashing out a script, finding actors, hiring a special effects girl who had just graduated from a "prestifious effects school", and putting it all together.  The effects girl didn't work out, so I ended up doing the effects myself with the help of a couple of castmates, the script was still being written, the cast was coming together (and falling apart when they found out we had no money) so casting became a need, and our shoot date started to creep up on us.  Actually, it was barrelling down on us like a crazy steam train that had hurtled off the tracks and was carreening uncontrollably through the center of my life.  BUT...I was able to start shooting this epic with no cash, on the Saturday one week before Halloween, and we just kept shooting.  We shot in the morning, went to work, came home, fed the cast while working out the shots for the day and finishing up the effects and final touches of what was actually the first draft of a complex screenplay while we were shooting it.  Oh, and just before this all started, my male lead told me he couldn't be in the movie because he had to get a real job.  LOL!  I took over the role since I was the one person I knew for a fact was going to be there every day.  I shot, I shot and I pulled in every favor I could.  And the day after Halloween, we wrapped.
     I was exhausted.  I had just shot two movies back-to-back, and now I needed to begin post. 
     Then the call came. 
     I was set up to show a film at a local convention on November 14th.  They called, explaining that they had lost one of the movies they were premiering to a bigger venue, and did I have anything that might fit the bill?  I told them I had just finished shooting, and was entering post on two features.  "What are they about?"  Well, BURDEN OF LOSS is a love story with a horrible cult and monsters, and THE REALITY is an apocolyptic, Lovecraftian, police-procedural.  They wanted THE REALITY.  So I started post, and busted my but to finish it in time. 
     At Midnight on November 14th, the theater filled and people sat down to watch a movie that I finished burning out to dvd only five minutes before.  It was concieved, written, directed and edited over an eight week period, with a huge cast, special effects, and a budget of just under...$500!  It isn't the cheapest movie I ever made, but it is the biggest cheapest movie I ever made.  Just to let you all know.
So, here's the trailer for your entertainment.

The Reality Trailer from Cheapest Movies Ever on Vimeo.

A lesson in technology...

Okay, so I didn't realize that the conversion process for the short video I was putting up would take quite as long as it has.  In fact, it's STILL converting!  So, please let me apologize for the promise that I have broken.  Hopefully, by tomorrow, I can embed a video for you, dear follower.  It's simply a trailer for an earlier movie made in a similar manner to the CHEAPEST MOVIES EVER, just so you have an idea of what you might expect.
Sigh.
Now I know, don't promise an exact date and time unless I have already uploaded, prepped, and verified the link. 
Don't worry.  It won't happen again.

A Shameless Enticement...

So, the weather continues to be nice in the afternoons, and unbearably cold in the evenings.  I continue to write (slowly), and try to get on with the creative process.  I believe that the only way this is going to work out is if I can give you something new, and something free to keep your interest.  So...
Come back this weekend, on Sunday afternoon, after 3pm Central Time, and look at what I have for you, my dear reader/follower.
I promise it will be worth your while, heh heh heh...

The Grand Scheme...REVEALED!

Okay, folks, here it is, the Grand Scheme!  The Big Idea!  What it's really all about!

The idea behind Cheapest Movies Ever is to attempt to create five movies of mid-length in a mere five months.  It's crazy, I know.  It's probably even stupid.  It might even be a gimmick to get noticed.  But, it's the plan.

I have shot short films over the course of one or two days, and mid-length features over a week.  (A mid-length is between 35 and 65 minutes long.  They are called mid-length because they are too long to be considered a short by film festivals which generally have a time limit of less than 30 minutes and a full-length is considered to be over 70 minutes.  I can, in a very collaborative environment, birth a screenplay and a movie in about two months, though my best record was a film called CONTAMINATION (5 weeks!) which has been shown at so many comic/horror/fantasy conventions that I feel like EVERYONE has seen it.  However, in the next couple of weeks, I am going to be putting CONTAMINATION online, for free, streaming right into your laptop, computer,  or cellphone.  Just in case you might have missed it.  Heh, heh.  It's part of a grassroots attempt to find out if anyone is out there listening.  Subscribe to the blog, please, just so I know you're out there!

The grassroots campaign will consist of this blog, a website, a vlog showing what we're doing, a facebook page, a myspace (I know, no one uses myspace anymore...except all the people who do), and contests, stories, artwork, etc.  It's all going to be free to you, whoever you are!  Until the actual movies come out, that is...  After all this work, the movies are going to have to have a charge associated with them, but I promise it won't be much.  Less than the cup of coffee you get at the corner coffeeshop every morning.  We are planning on touring the movies throughout colleges and pretty much anyplace we can get people to line up and buy a ticket.  If you know of a venue, please let me know.  Thanks!

The first movie is designed to be a hack-n-slash-six-kids-in-the-woods sort of thing, and it's currently called AFTER DARK.  I know it's a generic title, and I even know it's a generic script.  I am working on it now.  It's still fairly intense, though, and should be a VERY harrowing experience.  I have some actors lined up, and the script is nearly complete.  It will be fun to start showing how we are doing stuff. 

Please subscribe to the blog so that I have an idea of how many people may be following this insanity.  It's easy, just click the "follow" button at the top left of the screen.  I promise it will be an educational, entertaining ride!

"How's the script going?" or why I sometimes consider hurting my fellow humans...

When last we met, I was beginning to tell you about the method I usually use to write and how well it works for me.  Unfortunately, life, work, etc. has been getting in the way terribly over the last few days, and I am currently feeling like maybe I should consider hurting people.  No, no.  It's okay.  The meds are working.  Really.

Actually, you are going to get this a lot as you stumble down this path of creativity.  Don't fret, though, because I have some things that will make people back off.  Yes, a chainsaw WILL make them back away, but then there's all that explaining later.  Better to try these excuses, er, explanations.

"I had to find a new direction since it turns out Shakespeare was writing a hack-n-slash when he died, and they are terribly similar."

"The police contacted me and said a serial killer had found my work and was using it to copycat the murders in my script."

"I decided to give up, and make it a musical, instead.  Alan Menckin is dying to collaborate!"

"It's going slowly because it just feels like everything else out there, and I need it to be unique." (This one is true, by the way.  As I am writing, it feels a little generic.  I know I can make the movie I am writing, but I am not terribly interested in seeing it.  Part of that is the characters, and another is the formula of the hack-n-slash.  I am working on this by trying to be less predictable, and more character-based.)

"I am worried about the order of production on the features due to rapidly changing weather patterns in the world and my life."  (Also true.  Weather has been pretty drastic recently, and I am afraid we will not be able to film consistently if we start this project now, which makes me consider starting one of the other projects first.  At the same time, the hack-n-slash has an easier production style so would be ideal to get people into the feel of filming.  Also, my girlfriend sometimes makes it hard to write because she feels neglected when I spend time at the keyboard instead of with her.  Stormy weather indeed.)

Use these explanations, and watch how people react. 

See you on Wednesday!

The process of writing, or "Why is there blood on your keyboard?"

I have a method of writing that seems to work for me.  MOST OF THE TIME!  Basically I stare at the blank screen, concentrating so hard that beads of blood appear on my forehead, fall to the keyboard, and write a script.  At least that's how it feels at the moment. 

Truthfully, I DO have a method, and it's simple.  I find someone that I trust.  I go out to coffee with them, and tell them "Let me tell you a story..."  I tell them the story, making it up as I go, watching their reaction, fixing problems as I create them, and taking notes all the way.  If it's someone I really trust, they even take notes.  After several hours, a great deal of coffee, and many trips to the bathroom (coffee does that to you), I have the basis of the script.  The funny thing is that I usually start with something like "So there are these five kids driving along a back country road and they're talking about stuff that doesn't mean anything."  In my notes I write "Scene 1:  Introduce characters".  By the end of the few hours, I am writing dialogue and action, and the notes are very specific.

"Hey, doesn't that mean that you have a writing partner?"

No.  I tend to trust people who just want to hear a good story.  I tend to be less trustful if they are wanting to put their two cents in.  Why?  Because this is my story I am trying to tell.  However, I do have a friend, Adam Gaulding, who I trust enough to put his two cents in, because Adam never gets offended if I say "Let me tell you the story first..." and he listens intently.  If I say "I am having trouble with this part...", he knows that means that I either need to talk it out, or he is going to ask it out.  Asking out is when he asks me questions that lead me to the answer.  Sometimes Adam just says "I would do this...", and it either leads me where I want to go, or I agree, and Adam begins to tell his version of the story.  At that time, I have a writing partner.

So I am writing the first of the five scripts, and Adam has been my sounding board.  I tried to tell the story to someone else, and they looked at me like I was NUTS!  In fact, they told me I had a disturbing mind. 

Well, it's a horror movie, you know.  No fluffy bunnies and kitties here.  Oh, wait.... Actually, there is a fluffy bunny in the movie, but it's dead.  Anyways...

I take my notes and simply begin fleshing them out, one scene at a time, from start to finish.  I try to keep each scene story driven, unless my notes say something like "Jeff and Kerri talk while walking.  Develop characters."  Then I get to play with these people in a couple of quick scenes that develop them a little bit.  I hate intrusive character scenes where someone blurts out their whole life for no reason other than the people watching have nothing else to identify with.  I prefer characters that the audience loves or hates based on their actions, inactions, or reactions.  I can take a douche character, and turn them into the hero that way.  Or the weak girl becomes strong, and the audience sees it along the way.

However, we're talking about the first draft here, and my first drafts tend to be sort of question and answer sessions between the characters, or long expositions that don't work or propel the story.  FIRST DRAFT!!!  Because when I am finished with the first draft, I immediately go back and read it.  Not until the last page is written, though. 

Did you hear me?  NOT UNTIL THE LAST PAGE IS WRITTEN!  If you start re-writing early on, you can get stuck in the process of writing, and then rw-writing the same stuff until you lose interest in the story and give up on it because you are either bored or disconnected to it.

So, don't do that.  Finish writing it, and then re-write it.  But finish first.

If you're wondering, I am on the finishing part of the first draft.  It has a great pace, and it's fun.  But it is going to need a re-write.  I will get with you next week and we'll talk about that.

See you next Wednesday night!

"I want to make movies, but I don't know where to start!"

"Well, you gotta start somewhere, kid."

No, really.  You do have to start somewhere.  Ask yourself a simple question.  "What five  movies would I like to have if I were stranded for 20 hours on a deserted island with only a large bag of popcorn, a big screen tv and a dvd/blu-ray player?"  Be honest, here.  I really like a good movie with a semi-retired taxi-driver who desperately wishes he had pursued a career in acting as much as the next film-geek, but if I am going to be simply hanging out at the desert island entertainment center, I want horror movies.  I want a pretty girl pursued by something horrible.  I want a dark being from the distant past.  I want to see a man battling his own inner monster.  I want a scientist mutating into a slimy thing.  I want a house of mystery and a door to terror.  I want blood, gore, shivers, jumps, screams, laughs, and jolts!  Dammit, I want to be ENTERTAINED!

I am not saying you have to like genre movies to follow this blog, but I am betting you'll get a bit more out of it if you do.  Because on this desert island, you don't have a dvd/blu-ray player, or a big screen tv.  You have a goup of willing people who love the idea of getting some fake blood in their hair, and trying something a little crazy, and you are going to make those five movies!  Well, okay, I am going to make those five movies.  In fact, I am going to make THOSE five movies!  I am going to make them, and YOU are going to get to see how I do it!

How's THAT for entertainment?

Now, get outta here, kid.  I got work to do!

What is CHEAPEST MOVIES EVER!!!?

Okay, so CHEAPEST MOVIES EVER!!! is my blog to share with the world my insane plan to take over the corporate controlled media empire by creating (and teaching everyone else how to create) highly entertaining movies on budgets so incredibly low that only a madman would believe it could be done!

To do this, I am going to make a series of movies which will become available within a few months as digital downloads, online rentals, and direct-to-dvd releases.  I am going to walk you through the process.  I am going to show you how to find actors and actresses (notice I didn't say I would help you find talent).  I am going to discuss the cheapest, fastest, most reliable way to get your vision out there from concept, to completion, to advertising, and finally distribution.  Some of it, we'll learn together.  Some of it, I already know.  I'll be the guinea pig, though, and you'll see if it works or fails.

I really look forward to hearing from people, and maybe even creating a buzz about what we're doing.  I hope you love the concept and stick with us through the journey.  It's going to be WILD!