DeadFi Productions

10 Minute Movie Contest

2012-02-09T14:32:00.000-05:00

Please support and vote for our film Night of the Vampire in the 10 Minute Movie Contest. You'll have to register a user name to vote. There's only 2 days left for us to make it into round 2. Our film is match up #6 which at the time of this post is tied. DeadFi needs YOU! Go and vote here at the site. Thank you!

Update #4: A Cold Winter's Night

2012-02-03T15:00:00.001-05:00

We are now about half way done with shooting the film and it's turning out great. We begin shooting again this weekend and then next weekend we'll need one more night and then we should be done and ready for full post. As usual, it's been a real challenge but the effort really shows. Can't wait to see this as a finished project.

Update #3: A Cold Winter's Night

2012-01-19T04:20:00.003-05:00

We have finally wrapped up casting and we begin shooting next weekend January 28th. So here is the full cast: Ben Tolosa, Amanda Petry, and Colleen Alexander. We already have one of the shots for the film done which is a great shot of the full moon. The shoot should only take two weekends if all goes well and then we can move right into editing. I've also decided to shoot this film in color rather than the original plan of black & white. The release of the film is unknown at this time but we may wait until October since I've found that's the best time to release horror or supernatural shorts to coincide with Halloween. We're still accepting donations if you would like your name in the credits and this helps us cover the budget.

STOP SOPA & PIPA!!

2012-01-18T12:06:00.002-05:00

Tell Congress: Please don't censor the web! TAKE ACTION NOW!

Open Casting Call

2012-01-02T18:56:00.002-05:00

We are casting a role in our next upcoming short film A Cold Winter's Night, which is a supernatural ghost film based on an urban legend. You only have to show up for one of these dates to be considered...

Sunday, January 15th 2-3pm
VCAM (Vermont Community Access Media) 208 Flynn Ave., Burlington

Wednesday January 18th 6-7pm
VCAM (Vermont Community Access Media) 208 Flynn Ave., Burlington

Seeking a female for a supporting role, ideal age is 17-26 that can play an innocent, down to earth type. No acting experience necessary. Shooting is in Burlington/Hinesburg. Commitment is about three evenings on the weekends late January and early February. We offer credit, copy, meals, payment ($10), and transportation (if needed).

Update #2: A Cold Winter's Night

2011-12-21T08:46:00.001-05:00

I've been extremely busy working on my upcoming short A Cold Winter's Night and we're very close to shooting. The very first shots will be January 8th-10th for some random moon shots and then later in the month we should be able to begin the rest of the shooting with the actors. We just finished doing a cast and crew meeting and also a tech night to test stuff out. This short has ended up being more complicated then I first realized but that happens on every short I do. Anyway, I came up with a recipe for fake frost that I'm going to use on the edges of the car windows to help enhance the cold atmosphere feeling. It's all in the details! Now if we could get some snow here in Vermont, usually that's not a problem. Sooner or later it will come and it's going to look awesome in this film. Overall, we're going for an old black and white look, which I think fits this tale perfectly.

Read Update #1 in case you missed it.

On the Art of Film Music

2011-12-11T07:29:00.026-05:00

I recently read a great interview with film composer Kurt Oldman on the website Constructing Horror, about composing music for horror films. My next short film A Cold Winter's Night will be my first film to have a composer and so I thought this interview might help me understand the process. It definitively gave me a lot of ideas and also clarified what a 'spotting session' is, among other things. A Cold Winter's Night is the perfect kind of film for this and I can see the musical layer really bringing this film to life on a whole new level. I can barley contain my excitement about working with a talented composer like Darren Wonnacott on this upcoming supernatural film.

Public Domain Horror Remakes!

2011-12-08T01:30:00.002-05:00

Lately it seems a lot of indie filmmakers are doing horror remakes in the public domain. This means anyone can take an old movie and remake it because no one owns the copyright. Like Night of the Living Dead for example, which is actually being remade by some friends of mine. There is also the Attack of the Giant Leeches remake (see trailer) and a remake of The Giant Gila Monster is in the works according to Undead Backbrain. There's probably dozens more too that I don't know about. So if you were to remake a horror movie in the public domain, what one would it be?

Watch the original Attack of the Giant Leeches...

Vampire Incident in Vermont

2011-12-06T00:04:00.009-05:00

Check out this audio post about the 2010 vampire incident that happened in Bennington, Vermont or Watch the footage for yourself!

8 Horror Film Festivals Worth the Submission

2011-11-29T02:28:00.004-05:00

This is a bit of a follow up to a previous post I did called The Dark Side of Film Festivals where I talked about submission fees (among other things) that the majority of film festivals charge filmmakers. So I've complied a list of horror specific festivals that currently do not charge any submission fees for shorts or features. That's right, these festivals are FREE! I'm focusing on horror because I'm a horror filmmaker and right now that's all I'm concerned with.

Feel free to let me know if I missed any, but please note, I will not include any festivals that exclude DVDs as an exhibition format.

8 HORROR FILM FESTIVALS WORTH THE SUBMISSION (because they are free!):

1. Killer Film Fest
Somerville, MA, USA

2. Fear Fête Horror Film Festival
Baton Rouge, LA, USA (Must be by early deadline)

3. Horror Quest Film Festival
Atlanta, GA, USA

4. Dead by Dawn
Scotland, UK

5. Nevermore Film Festival
Durham, N. Carolina, USA

6. South African HorrorFest
Cape Town, South Africa

7. Village of the Damned
Auchmithie, Scotland, UK

8. A Nightmare to Remember
San Francisco, CA

Update #1: A Cold Winter's Night

2011-11-18T21:13:00.005-05:00

I've finally secured all the locations and props needed for my next short A Cold Winter's Night and the casting is almost complete as well. We are almost ready to shoot after the new year and as soon as the snow comes. Anyway, the cast so far is Ben Tolosa and Colleen Alexander. They're kick ass and I look forward to working with them to bring this supernatural tale to life!

P.S. I also want to thank Ambush Bug A.K.A. Mark L. Miller over at Ain't It Cool News for including my short Night of the Vampire in his recent post about real vampire horror.

Next Up: A Cold Winter's Night

2011-11-07T12:54:00.005-05:00

I've been hard at work preparing another short film for a shoot this January or February depending on circumstances. This one is not found footage but rather a classic supernatural tale that will be shot in black & white. It will be my first non-horror film. A Cold Winter's Night was originally written by me a year ago and it's based on the urban legend of the vanishing hitchhiker. Recently, I rewrote the script with Paul Scavitto, who's a Vermont screenwriter, to make it even better. This winter will be the perfect time of year for this kind of tale with the atmosphere of the snow adding to the uncanny elements. Anyway, Darren Wonnacott, who's a UK composer, has volunteered to create an original score for the film. Jay Vos and Colleen Alexander will be producing with me. Casting is still under way and I'm hoping to announce the cast before the holidays.

It's All About Story, Right?

2011-11-05T13:40:00.000-04:00

I follow the School of Fear blog over at FEARnet, which actually helped me design the scares in Night of the Vampire. Anyway, there is a good post about putting story first and how too many movies nowadays are all about spectacle and dumb CGI effects. Have a read, I think you'll agree.

P.S. MoreHorror just reviewed Night of the Vampire, check it out!

The Dark Side of Film Festivals

2011-11-04T15:08:00.009-04:00

I want to start this post by saying that film festivals are a great thing and nothing matches the experience of a good festival event. Seeing your film screened on the big screen in front of an enthusiastic audience is one Hell of an adrenaline rush especially when it is well received. Film Festivals are also a great place to network with other filmmakers, etc. as well as meeting the fans face to face. Never mind the press exposure such an event can generate for you and your film. You just can't beat it.

But there is a dark side, and before you consider submitting to film festivals, whether you have a short or a feature, there are things you should know and consider.

The number one thing you should ask yourself is what is your goal with your film? Remember that most film festivals cost money to submit to and that can be anywhere from $10-$75...even for shorts. These fees can add up quick and if your film is not accepted that money is not refunded nor is your film returned. Sometimes it makes sense to take that money and hold your own screenings or to put that money into other marketing endeavors. So it comes down to knowing your goals and considering all options. Remember that you have to factor in travel expenses, lodging, gas, food, and all that good stuff. Because what's the point of submitting if you can't attend? If you get in, your film will get exposure whether you're there or not but is that exposure alone worth the submission fee? Sometimes being there makes all the difference for bigger and better things to happen, or not. It's all about who you know, right? Now none of this matters if you're loaded or if you're some trust fund baby, but for the majority of us, this is not the case.

Your best bet, in my opinion, is to choose film festivals that match your genre (horror, sci-fi, etc.). This makes your chances of getting accepted much better. It is also a good idea to submit to festivals in your area to save on travel expenses. Make sure the festivals have a good rep and that they actually pull in an audience before you pay that fee. Remember some film festivals charge these outrageous fees and don't even have an audience or do much of anything to generate press. You'll end up sitting in a theater with a handful of people or worse. Some film festivals even try to charge you to attend the awards ceremony if you can believe that. So once again do your research and know what your getting into. Make sure it has a good rep and that the submission fee is justified.

I highly recommend watching the documentary Official Rejectionwhich is all about this dilemma us filmmakers face. You'll be doing yourself a favor by watching this before venturing out on a film festival run and it's only $2.99 for instant streaming on Amazon. I'd also like to add that there are a number of free film festivals out there that will not charge you a dime. Like Tromadance in New Jersey for example, which has a great reputation. How can you beat Troma? I should also point out that many states hold their own international film festivals and local filmmakers can submit for free. And there's other free festivals out there if you look around the Internet.

Check out my post about free horror film festivals as well.

Good luck and may the force be with you ;).

Now showing: Night of the Vampire

2011-10-30T22:07:00.004-04:00

The moon may be full

The moon may be white

All I know is you'll feel its bite tonight...

it's the NIGHT OF THE VAMPIRE.

Halloween Screenings

2011-10-28T17:54:00.000-04:00

Night of the Vampire will be live on YouTube all day and night Halloween and it will also air on VT channel 15 between 5:30-6:00pm as part of VCAM By The Slice. But the best screening will be in Waitsfield, VT where you can see it on the big screen at the BigPicture Theater & Cafe. Night of the Vampire is playing ahead of the feature film 50/50 at 6pm & 8pm. I will be there with my family hoping for the best and stuffing my face. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Night of the Vampire Halloween Screening

2011-10-19T19:45:00.001-04:00

My latest short film Night of the Vampire is finished and it will go live on YouTube starting this Halloween (It's 9:09 minutes). I hope you will join me in watching it by attending the online screening event (which is all day and night on October 31st.) Click here if you're on facebook to let your friends and followers know you're attending and spread the word! The film will be screened from our YouTube channel.

I highly suggest turning off all the lights, turning up the volume and watching it in full frame when you are free from distractions for the best experience. Enjoy!

The press kit for the film can be accessed here (PDF).

Twilight?

2011-10-14T09:06:00.001-04:00

Ready for a real Vampire? Watch our latest short Night of the Vampire starting this Halloween on YouTube.

Night of the Vampire (Press Kit)

2011-10-01T07:57:00.001-04:00

We will be officially releasing the Night of the Vampire press kit this coming Tuesday, October 4th. You can take a look at it now on facebook but the stills are not included yet. The official kit will be hosted as a PDF file online, which we will link to every chance we get. The film is about 60% done in the edit and you can watch it this Halloween on our YouTube channel.

Night of the Vampire coming along

2011-09-09T03:16:00.003-04:00

We've been editing the raw footage from September of 2010 that shows some disturbing material regarding the deaths of Sean Walters and Jimmy Kembel. Anyone that does not believe in vampires may think differently after viewing this footage. It's tough to edit because you really get to know the two guys and it's a shame they had to die so young. We're hoping to interview a cryptozoologist in the future and possibly get an opinion on what we are calling a 'vampire'. This Halloween we invite you to take a look at the footage for yourself. We'll be publishing it to YouTube now that we finally have all the rights issues cleared with the families, etc.

Halloween 2011

2011-08-28T23:07:00.002-04:00

DeadFi Productions has finally secured footage from September of 2010 that contains evidence of a humanoid-like cryptid that feeds on the blood of mammals. The cryptid or 'vampire' is still at large despite numerous hunts after it killed two males who were hiking off a remote trail in Bennington, VT. The families of the two deceased males (Sean Walters and Jimmy Kembel) have agreed to let the footage go public. DeadFi Productions would like to thank them and the Vermont State Police. The footage will go public this Halloween. Viewer discretion is advised.

Late Night Horror

2011-08-03T01:14:00.003-04:00

I'm psyched! This September all three of my short films Midnight Roadkill, The Smog, and The Devil's Snuff will be playing in California at The Late Night Horror Film Festival. The festival runs September 27th-30th and will be held at the Krikorian Premiere Theatre's Downey Cinema 10 at 8200 3rd Street in Downey, CA. Unfortunately, I live on the east coast in Vermont so I cannot be there for the screenings. I'm broke what can I say, and the thought of going through the radiation machine or being groped by the TSA child molesters is enough to give me nightmares.

View the entire 2011 official selection of films.

Creating the Vampire

2011-07-22T16:36:00.002-04:00

We wanted something unique and scary for our vampire in our upcoming Halloween short Night of the Vampire. The look we're going for is mostly modeled after Nosferatu but only our vampire is like a wild rabid beast that runs naked through the woods hunting for blood. So maybe you get the idea. This isn't Twilight we're making here. Our FX teeth from Germany and finger extensions just came in the mail so we've been testing these props out to great effect. The toughest part is the eyes (esp. when you don't have much of a budget) but I think we finally have something that will look incredible....we'll see, as testing continues...

Vampires, Aliens, Oh My!

2011-07-19T14:59:00.002-04:00

Lots of stuff in the works but first I must mention that our feature Extraterrestrial Activity will be shooting next summer instead of this summer due to a number of reasons. This will give us more time to make it even better and it also means we can raise the budget a bit so that's always good. In the mean time, we have begun pre-production on a short film that shoots August 23 called Night of the Vampire. Like Extraterrestrial Activity, this will be a first person point of view (POV) 'reality' movie. I'm very excited about it and I think it's going to be scary as Hell. We will be releasing it at a live screening event this Halloween in Burlington, VT and then it will go public later on YouTube. Once we have all the details down for the screening event I will make a post about it. We have some unique plans for this screening which includes the film or rather the 'found footage' being introduced by a vampire hunter. Fun stuff.

Now showing: The Devil's Snuff

2011-05-01T00:58:00.007-04:00

Here's our latest horror short...