Nightscape | Blog

Nightscape local premiere: Friday, Dec 14

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 20:35:00 +0000

Nightscape will have a Portland screening on Friday, December 14, at 9:30 p.m. at the recently renovated Hollywood Theatre in Portland.

Tickets and details at www.hollywoodtheatre.org

Map: 4122 Northeast Sandy Boulevard, Portland, Oregon

This screening is a benefit for the education advocacy organization, Stand for Children. Producer-writer-director David W. Edwards will be present for a Q&A session after the film.

Map: 4122 Northeast Sandy Boulevard, Portland, Oregon

Nightscape had a local premiere on Friday, November 16, at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Hillsboro's Venetian Theatre.

Tickets are on sale at The Venetian door or online at https://app.ticketturtle.com/index.php?ticketing=ven

Map: 253 E. Main Street, Hillsboro, Oregon

Read the press: Hillsboro filmmaker's movie 'Nightscape' to make local debut in November (The Oregonian, 31 October 2012)

Download New Video Game from iTunes

noreply@blogger.com (Nightscape) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:15:00 +0000

A free-to-play iOS video game inspired by the film, Nightscape: Phantom Fast Racing, is now available on iTunes. Download it today!

This action-driving game based on the movie Nightscape harkens back to the old 16-bit classics. Use a variety of power-ups to outrace a phantom car that’s turning hapless citizens into tentacled monsters. With three difficulty settings and 15 levels, this game offers something for casual and hardcore gamers alike.

Nightscape Soundtrack is Now Available. Download it Today!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 21:29:00 +0000

The soundtrack is currently available as an MP3 from a number of online retailers, notably, Amazon, CD Baby, Google Marketplace and iTunes.

Nightscape Premiere & Screenings

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 05:51:00 +0000

New York City Horror Film Festival:

Nightscape will be one of only eight new features in competition at the New York City Horror Film Festival, the largest genre festival in the U.S. The film will show at the historic Tribeca Theater on Friday, November 9th at 7:45 p.m.

Oregon Screenings Scheduled:

Nightscape will make its local debut at The Venetian Theater in Hillsboro, Oregon on Friday, November 16, with showings at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. It will also screen as a benefit for education advocacy organization, Stand for Children, on Friday, December 14, at 9:30 p.m. at the recently renovated Hollywood Theatre in Portland.

World Premiere:

Nightscape made its world premiere at the Montreal Comiccon Horrorfest on September 14.

Official Trailer:

Watch the Official Nightscape Trailer

Experience the Many Dimensions of Nightscape

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 06:53:00 +0000

As diligent (and patient) readers of this blog know, the film will be supported by a series of ancillary products. The most immediate releases inlcude an original novel, a video game and the film's soundtrack. I'll go into greater depth on each of these endeavors as their street dates near. In the meantime, here's a brief overview:

Nightscape: The Dreams of Devils

This original novel has its origins in the first unproduced Nightscape-related screenplay I wrote. The book concerns three high school seniors who gain unwanted paranormal powers. They have to uncover the source and purpose of these powers in order to prevent the collapse of earthly reality. The book features two characters from the film, though in decidedly different guises. What makes it possible for one of those characters to appear is revealed in a climactic twist.

Despite the ages of the book's main characters, it's not a young adult (YA) novel. It's a work of literary horror intended for a mature audience. The question at the heart of the book is: What does it mean to be human? It’s darkly philosophical in the tradition of H.P. Lovecraft and shouldn't be confused with standard paperback horror. The main protoganist, Case, is a 16-year-old math prodigy with a particular fascination with the mathematics around infinity. His mathematical obsession is intimately tied to the nature of the story's supernatural threat.

The book includes a bonus short story, "Auto-da-Fé, American-style," which serves as a direct prequel to the film. It will be available on October 9th in both print and eBook editions from Amazon and other retailers.

Nightscape: Phantom Fast Racing

In this free iOS action-driving game, your goal is to outrace a nefarious phantom car through a series of rural burgs in a tricked out El Camino. The phantom car slows your progress by transforming hapless bystanders into tentacled monsters. You can evade or destroy these creatures using a variety of power ups, including a nitro boost, a spike drop, a demon-killing pistol, and a flamethrower. Your pursuit is further hampered by the ever-dogged police. With three difficulty settings and 15 levels, the game offers 16-bit-style fun for casual and hardcore gamers alike. Look for it starting September 25th on iTunes.

Nightscape: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Composer John Morgan Askew outdid himself on the film's spaghetti western meets retro-80s score. He's scored a number of indie films, notably, Calvin Marshall (2011), and worked uncredited on HBO's Deadwood. While I'm not above bias here, I think this soundtrack represents his best work yet.

John had this to say about the experience of making it: “[David] Edwards created a unique world for his film Nightscape so the score needed to not only support this in sound and feel but also needed to be an additional, tweaked, layer to the setting and the story. In the end, a very industrial palate was developed by recording percussive car sounds for drums, 8-cylinder engine idles for drones and, by good luck, some random chain scrapes and tool squeaks from a machine shop became key melodic tones throughout. These created sounds with a blatant hat-tip to Tangerine Dream and Wendy / Walter Carlos made for some pretty weird score!”

The soundtrack consists of 20 tracks and clocks in at nearly 60 minutes. In addition to the original score, the soundtrack includes the garage rock song, “Save Yourself (Cuz No One Else Will).” This track, performed by Monster-Sized Monsters (fronted by the film’s lead actress Emily Galash), ties directly into the prequel short story included in the book. The soundtrack also contains the catchy Casio-inspired theme from the iOS video game.

The soundtrack will be available in both MP3 and limited edition CD formats via a number of online retailers, notably, Amazon, CD Baby, Google Marketplace and iTunes. The suggested MSRP is $9.99 for the digital version and $11.99 for the CD. I anticipate pre-orders will be available starting September 18th.

Pretty exciting lineup of tie-ins, eh? Look for our ads in upcoming issues of Rue Morgue, Shock Cinema, Scream and Screem (yes, two separate genre mags with nearly identical titles) and help spread the word. The Leviathan is heading your way...

Breaking the Silence

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 20:37:00 +0000

The Leviathan is finally headed your way ...

I apologize to faithful followers of Nightscape for my prolonged inactivity on this blog. These last months have been a test of patience for me, too, while I've struggled to coordinate the work necessary to finish the picture. I'll leave the trevails of post-production to another post (or several). The news that counts is this: I'm proud to announce the world premiere of Nightscape at the Montreal Comiccon Horrorfest. Nightscape was one of 15 films selected by the festival as part of its initial feature film lineup. The festival, which runs from September 14^th through the 16^thin Montreal, Quebec, will showcase a total of 30 features from around the globe.

(A curious aside: As it happens, one of the guests of honor at the Montreal Comiccon is Gunnar Hansen, famous for playing the cannibal Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Early in Nightscape's production, I signed a pay or play agreement with Mr. Hansen's management team for him to cameo. Unfortunately, the film's final budget precluded us from becoming a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) signatory, so Mr. Hansen was compelled to drop out. Much to my relief, he did so gracefully and without holding me to the entirety of the financial penalty he could've demanded. I hope to thank him for his generosity in person.)

I’m pleased to bring Nightscape to a large, enthusiastic genre audience at the Montreal Comiccon Horrorfest. After nearly two years of work, I’m anxious to know how it plays. It’s not a paint-by-numbers horror film. It’s a smart supernatural thriller that relies more on character and atmosphere than gimmicky jump scares.

There's still much to be done before we master the film. We're still shy a few digital effects shots. And we continue to refine the sound mix and color. But it's safe to anticipate a master by the end of the month. At the same time, I'm prepping the release of an original tie-in novel, an action-driving iOS game, the film's spaghetti western/retro-80s soundtrack, and an original radio play/podcast. Yes, these next few months will see a veritable onslaught of Nightscape swag!

Now that the silence has been broken with a big huzzah, you can expect regular (well, at least weekly) posts on the film's festival run as well as my other Nightscape-related ventures. Thanks for sticking with me. Here's where it gets good...

Art of the Title

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:19:00 +0000

In the script stage, I tentatively planned on integrating Nightscape’s main titles into an early street race scene. When it came time to shoot that scene, however, we were unduly rushed. It entailed some complicated staging, made more time-sensitive by the short summer night (the sky grew noticeably lighter about 4am), so we couldn’t frame the opening shots to accommodate titles and ensure we had the right coverage for it. So much for my original idea. That left me with either moving all of the credits to the end of the picture à la Star Wars, or alternately, developing a standalone title sequence. After some deliberation, I opted for the latter.

My first-rate cinematographer, Patrick Neary, and I toyed with the notion of creating a title sequence ourselves. Our first thought was to capture scads of wrecking yard footage and then re-work it in post, combining errant car parts with organic elements. Then I arrived at the notion of creating a motion-graphic version of this idea. I imagined it as a classic Saul Bass sequence with a horrific twist. This notion called for someone with significant graphic software skills, so I opted to hire out the creation of the titles. Title design is its own unique art form and I wanted to make sure we started the film with something shockingly different to announce the film’s creepy aesthetics.

Using the oh-so-informative Web site, Art of the Title, I made a list of potential title designers and contacted my number one choice: Kurt Volk, a graphic designer for Robert Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios. He found the title concept intriguing and wanted to work on it, but ever-escalating demands on his time precluded his involvement. He was, however, kind enough to recommend Ian Albinson, none other than the founder of Art of the Title. Fortunately for me, Ian was available and interested. Shortly after he accepted the gig, he proposed going back to the original live-action title concept, showing a series of techno-mechanical images tied to the film’s bête noir, the phantom car.

Since then, Kurt’s worked up about eight iterations of the title sequence and is near to finishing after about three months of work off and on. He and his collaborators have done an amazing job. The 90-second sequence features hand-designed titles (created by Jon Contino) over strangely affecting images with recognizably automotive origins. He gave the sequence an exceptional dynamism by not only putting the titles in motion, but also making them transparent as they approach the viewer, providing glimpses of the next image in the sequence before its fully revealed. As noted previously, the capper was the music. My composer, John Askew, surprised me with a fantastic main title theme. (To be clear, I wasn’t surprised the score was fantastic, but that John created a score at all. I’d long planned to use a pre-existing song from an obscure mid-70s band for the sequence. But when securing the rights to the tune became problematic, John offered his own take.)

Now, all that remains is a few finishing special effects touches and the sequence will be complete and ready for output. Another element put to bed on the way to a final master…

Putting the Genie Back in the Bottle

noreply@blogger.com (Nightscape) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:39:00 +0000

For the past several weeks I’ve been spending one or two days at the newkrackle audiblefx recording studio, home of my sound designer, Jason Edwards (no relation). Jason and I have been coaching the cast through ADR sessions in order to improve the sound mix. That’s ADR as in Automated Dialogue Recording, or alternately, Additional Dialogue Recording, otherwise known as ‘dubbing.’ ADR is the preferred industry term, presumably because dubbing makes it sound as though the filmmaker was forced to record new dialogue to mask on-set mistakes.

While that does occur, the main purpose of ADR is to give the sound designer maximum flexibility in treating the various sound elements. In the usual course of production, bits of dialogue come across as distorted or unplayable. Sometimes it’s due to the noise accompanying an on-set action that can’t be pantomimed. Sometimes it’s because the actor moved in a way that resulted in an off-mic line delivery or generated an unwanted fabric swish. If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you’ve gathered that there’s a fair amount of car mayhem in the film. As you might expect, there are several in-car conversations. Given that we couldn’t afford a process trailer for more than a couple of days, we recorded most of these conversations with the car in motion, engine running. This amounted to recording guide tracks for the inevitable ADR work, as the engine noise nearly drowned out the dialogue. (As an amusing aside, I was typically curled up in the back of the El Camino just out of camera range, clutching the sound recording equipment. I often had to keep as low a profile as possible, so I usually couldn’t see anything; I just listened for solid performances.)

Joshua St. James gives a scream during his Nightscape ADR session

It’s been nearly five months since the end of principal photography and none of my leads have ever done ADR before. It can be a serious challenge to any actor—even recognized veterans—because you not only have to recreate your performance, but do so in sync with what’s on-screen. That’s the epitome of the old saw about putting the genie back in the bottle. Luckily for us, our leads have done amazingly well. Emily Galash was the first to enter the ADR booth. She faced the daunting task of re-recording about 80% of her dialogue, mostly because of environmental issues like wind and unavoidable noises tied to on-screen action. She was typically fearless and knocked out her dialogue like a seasoned voice actor in short order. She compared her experience to playing Guitar Hero, matching dialogue to action in a remembered rhythm. Joshua St. James and Jorge Madrid have been equally adept at ADR work, quickly getting back into character and in some cases, even improving on their original performances.

I’m indebted to Jason and his assistant, Lou, for their infallible attention to detail. They’ve done an exceptional job of identifying all of the necessary ADR elements, even going so far as to record single words because of slight distortion—discrepancies that would likely go unnoticed by the average filmgoer. For them, it’s a matter of professional pride. And that’s what makes for a winning film. It takes all of the little things done right to make for a satisfying whole.

The Kindest Cut

noreply@blogger.com (Nightscape) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:12:00 +0000

As the saying goes, you make your film three times: once when you write it, again when you shoot it and lastly, when you edit it. I wish it were only three times. We’ve done more than 20 edits of the film and while we’ve been in picture-lock since mid-November, we’ll invariably make tweaks here and there up until final mastering. No wonder many filmmakers say they never watch their completed projects. Every time I see a cut, I see not just what’s on the monitor, but any number of alternate renditions.

It’s a bit like seeing the timestream branch before your eyes without the benefit of living out any of the alternate paths. Getting to picture-lock took about two-and-a-half months of daily editing. My skillful editor, Ben Mead, known primarily for award-winning documentaries like Brutal Beauty: Tales of the Rose City Rollers, compiled the first assembly edit as we shot the film. He made great progress on it, despite welcoming his first child into the world during the shoot (not on set, mind). Subsequent versions underwent a number of changes, though all of them followed the same basic structure, closely mirroring that of the shooting script. This process involved selecting the most effective shots from more than 600 minutes of footage and reconfiguring them into seemingly endless patterns. (Btw, we used primarily one camera—the Red One—though we occasionally employed a relatively inexpensive crash-cam and for two days of intensive car stunts, actually had the luxury of a two-camera setup.) At about the two-month mark, though, Ben and I determined we needed a fresh perspective.

That’s when I asked a friend-of-a-friend, the uber-talented editor and director, Gary Lundgren (Calvin Marshall), to come up from southern Oregon for a week to apply his brand of filmic magic. Gary got his start in the industry as an editorial assistant and has been part of the editing team for a number of Hollywood productions, including Ernest Dickerson’s Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (uncredited, for you IMDB checkers). Working frenetically over the course of a workweek, Gary and I whacked the then-110 minute edit down to a snappy 77 minutes. I can’t say this part was easy. Absolutely necessary, yes; easy, no. There were moments when I doubted my storytelling instincts. But the end result was well worth all the accompanying emotional turmoil. Sometimes the most drastic cut can be the kindest. Gary’s beady-eyed focus on narrative clarity and momentum established a surer, leaner baseline for the film.

From that point on, it was relatively easy for Ben and me to rework the film into its current svelte, but more emotionally-engaging, picture-locked form. The 77 minute version turned out to be a mite too fast and some of the edits required additional bits to flow properly. Ben restored a lot of the essential breathing room and I added a few diary-entry voice-overs to give the lone female lead a greater, more sympathetic voice than the pared-back version allowed. I also reconvened the crew for a day of soundless pickups designed to fill in a few fleeting, but nonetheless noticeable gaps, and to ease a couple of scene transitions. (For completists, we trialed a Red Epic camera, the camera used on the most recentUnderworld picture and the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man, among other things.) The current cut is about 87 minutes without closing credits.

Now, we’re in the throes of sound design, music, special effects, color correction and all the other usual post-production activities. Every element is inextricably linked, which makes coordination a challenge. For instance, I originally intended to use a track from obscure 70s band, The Godz, over the main title sequence. When negotiations with the record company proved unduly trying, however, the composer, John Askew, offered up a score. And boy-howdy, I’m glad he did! It was a revelation that altered our initial plans about the use of score throughout the film and impacted a number of sound design elements. (We’re experimenting with tying score and sound effects together to a greater extent than typical studio fare à la David Lynch.) Fortunately for me, the post-production crew consists not only of seasoned veterans, but many of them have worked together over a number of projects, making the process relatively seamless.

We’re now looking at a March timeframe for final mastering—about seven months after the end of principal photography. Not bad considering the fitful nature of post. I’m trying not to rush it, but my anticipation is second only to the anticipation I felt during my wife’s pregnancies. It’s worse than any childhood Christmas for sure. I can’t hardly wait to show what we’ve got in store. Regardless of your feelings about the finished film, I guarantee you’ll find it uniquely compelling.

Nightscape Rock n' Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Nightscape) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:29:00 +0000

The short story that serves as a prequel to Nightscape, “Auto-da-Fe, American-style,” is set in the late-60s. As part of establishing the proper counterculture tone, it sports a series of (made up) song lyrics. The process of writing these lyrics led ineluctably to co-writing and recording a full-length song, “Save Yourself (Cuz No One Else Will).” I co-wrote the song with the film’s lead actress Emily Galash and her band Monster-Sized Monsters. (Well, I had the easy part of suggesting the song structure, providing some initial feedback and writing the lyrics; Emily and her cohorts did all the heavy lifting.) Needless to say, the group has crafted a supremely catchy tune that evokes songs like The Byrds’ “Eight Miles High” and The Beatles’ “She’s So Heavy.” I plan to make it available as part of the digital version of the tie-in book as well as feature it over the film’s end credits.

Monster-Sized Monsters recording "Save Yourself (Cuz No One Else Will)"

We recorded the foundational parts of the track last Friday in a marathon nine-hour session. The film’s composer, John Askew, served as our able guide and recording engineer. A veteran musician and producer, he provided invaluable feedback throughout the recording process. And because his studio boasts a number of vintage instruments, band members we’re able to perform with era-appropriate gear. We’ll be adding some instrumentation and mixing the song over the next few weeks (in-between various post-production tasks). The initial plan is to debut the song this spring in conjunction with the tie-in book and hopefully, our first major film festival screening. But I doubt I’ll be able to contain my enthusiasm for the track that long and will likely post a special preview sometime before year’s end. Maybe as a holiday present for those who enter our Facebook sweepstakes. So, if you haven’t entered yet, get to it. The sweepstakes ends October 21^st.

Preview of Tie-In Book & Sweepstakes

noreply@blogger.com (Nightscape) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 15:06:00 +0000

In previous posts, I’ve mentioned that I’m writing a tie-in book that further explores the Nightscapeuniverse. I didn’t have any interest in re-hashing the film in prose form, so I’ve opted to pen a standalone short novel, along with five companion stories. Collectively, these stories describe the earthly history of a reality-shattering supernatural threat. The short novel that opens the book, The Dreams of Devils, is an adaptation of the original script for the film—a script that proved to have a prohibitively high price-tag. It’s about three high school seniors in a small Oregon town who discover an ancient supernatural weapon that gifts them with unwanted powers. While coping with their new talents, they must learn to put aside their differences in order to prevent the breakdown of reality. You can read the opening scene below...

Dreams of Devils_Online Preview

I’m pleased to present a special preview of this short novel and at the same time, announce a related Facebook sweepstakes. We’d like to garner as many Facebook friends as possible. By becoming a friend of Nightscape on Facebook and/or persuading your friends to do so, you’ll be entered into a contest in which you could win your name (or alternately, the name of a friend or family member) in the tie-in book, plus a host of other cool Nightscape merch. Check out the details of the sweepstakes at

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nightscape-Movie/194911663155.

The contest ends on October 21^st, so be sure to enter soon!

Tales of the Unexpected Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Nightscape) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:22:00 +0000

As HAL 9000 fondly points out at a crucial moment in 2001, most problems can be “attributable to human error.” That wasn’t the case with our production, but that’s not to say we didn’t experience our fair share of miscues and mistakes. One of the most significant human errors occurred about halfway through the shoot. An actor in a prominent supporting role as a pastor became gravely ill. At first, her illness was characterized as dehydration; later, it was rumored she had Crohn’s disease, which compromises the immune system and is associated with a painful inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.

Whatever the cause, the actor neglected to inform me or anyone else in the production department that she was seriously ill. So I was shocked and dismayed when she showed for a planned 12-hour night shoot so weak she couldn’t stand for more than three consecutive minutes. This was a big scene involving a specially-designed set that took weeks to construct; a cast of over two-dozen extras, including a small choir; about a dozen vintage cars; our three-person stunt team; and substantial fire and makeup effects. The actor apparently thought willpower alone would take her through the scene. Unfortunately, that theory didn’t prove out. The scene required her to deliver a sermon that timed out at over four uninterrupted minutes. Frail and unfocused, she could scarcely recite more than two lines at a time, much less perform the blocking I’d envisioned. As much as she wanted to play the part, it just wasn’t happening. Watching her (non-) performance on the monitor, I started to shrink into myself. The footage was completely useless.

While I felt badly for her condition, I couldn’t help being angry at her for putting me in an untenable position. She hadn’t given me any warning. There was no immediate recourse. The scene was pivotal to the rest of the film. My heart sank as I realized the only option was to recast the part and reshoot the scene another night—at considerable expense. Thankfully, we’d shot only one other, much shorter scene with her. (She’d appeared shaky then, but plausibly attributed her condition to the unusually hot weather.) To keep on schedule, we had to reshoot that short scene the next day (well, technically, later the same day as it was after midnight when I came to that decision). With no time to find a replacement through the usual casting channels, I made the bold (some would say foolhardy) decision to play the role myself.

Although I hadn’t done any acting since college, I was comfortable with delivering the lengthy sermon because: 1) I’d written it and accordingly, knew how I wanted it to come across; and 2) as a former elected official, I’m accustomed to speech-making. I figured I could bluff my way through the quieter moments, in part, by affecting a soft Louisiana accent. (One of my college roommates was Karey Kirkpatrick, the screenwriter for Chicken Run and a variety of other Hollywood successes. He hails from Louisiana and—at least at the time—talked with a slight regional twang. I just kept his vocal inflections in mind as best I could.) Besides, I knew for certain I’d always be on time and ready to perform.

I have to say, the experience increased my respect for Clint Eastwood and other actor-directors who routinely star in their own films. It was awfully challenging to act and direct at the same time. I had to cede a lot of the decision-making to the first assistant director and the director of photography. Sure, I could view the shots on the monitor, but in order to stay on schedule, it became impractical for me to do so every time. At one point, choked by bloody tentacles, I just had to trust my team had nailed the shots as we’d discussed them. Once I worked up the courage to watch the dailies, I confirmed that they had. (Not that I ever doubted it.) The scene cut together nicely and we even salvaged a few shots from the previous attempt. Though the circumstances around the scene weren’t ideal, what matters is what’s onscreen. And as we've made adjustments in post, it’s gone from merely good to potentially great.

<< Return to Part 1

Tales of the Unexpected, Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Nightscape) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:32:00 +0000

While we have one minor bit of 35mm hand-cranked imagery left to capture, principal photography onNightscape is officially wrapped. In fact, we wrapped over a week ago, so I’m now fully acclimated to a (reasonably) conventional schedule. We shot for a total of 22 days (for those keeping track, just one day more than originally planned)—most of which went swimmingly. It bears repeating that we were able to pull off some incredibly challenging days only because of the exceptional talent and dedication of our cast and crew. In a particularly frantic two-day stretch, for instance, we shot close to two-dozen separate car stunts. A standard Hollywood production would’ve easily spent twice or three times the hours.

The key challenges we faced consisted largely of events beyond our control, i.e., mechanical failures. One of our cherished picture cars, a 1973 Chevy El Camino, which sadly, could be destroyed only once, broke down on a semi-regular basis. It proved to be our Bruce the Shark, prompting us to alter our shooting schedule on a number of occasions. For the sake of brevity, I’ll recount just one of the times this car nearly cost me my (relative) youth.

While driving home at the end of the first day of shooting—one of our few 14-hour days—the El Camino came to a grinding halt on the freeway. It was just after midnight and my cell phone had long since lost its battery power. Thankfully, a few crew members happened to spot my trouble and shortly thereafter, drawn by the growing crowd of cars in the median, a very understanding highway patrolman joined them. The car sported Mexican plates (rented from the Universal prop dept.) and at the time, I didn’t have any proof of the car’s registration or insurance. Rather than citing me, however, the patrolman called a tow truck, indicating the incident was an emergency and then waited with me until it arrived. He’d heard about our late-night (and very public) shoot in the neighboring town of Banks from a fellow officer and we passed the time talking about the ins and outs of producing an indie film.

I had the car towed back to Banks and the next morning, drove early to set to see if I could get a mechanic’s eyes on the vehicle first thing. With luck, I managed to track down Robert Duncan, the wife of an extra we’d recruited some time back, who helped me push the car to his shop. A short while later, he informed me the car had thrown a rod, punching a good-sized hole in the engine. I walked under the hoist and saw it first-hand. Yep, it was a hole alright. It might as well have been through my heart. The rest of the crew would be arriving in less than an hour and we didn’t have the car that was supposed to play that morning.

My years of project management experience in both the private and public spheres certainly came in handy. I didn’t panic (that would only panic everyone else). I didn’t curse (well, maybe a little, but only in my head). I called the key crew members and within the hour, we formulated a plan to adjust the schedule for the next three days to accommodate the lack of El Camino. As part of this plan, I actually arranged to have the El Camino towed to our next location so we could shoot as much as we could. At one point, we even had a few crew members push it down a hill so we could get two separate moving shots (one of which, I suspect, will even make it into the final cut). It wasn’t a stress-fee day, that’s for sure. But we got the job done. And when every day of a shoot counts, sometimes that’s enough.

>> Read Part 2

The Roar of the Engines

noreply@blogger.com (Nightscape) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:56:00 +0000

Our interpid editor Ben Meader has put together a slick behind-the-scenes clip on the dyno recording session for our hero cars.

Check it out:

Day Four of Production

noreply@blogger.com (Nightscape) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:52:00 +0000

We're now on Day Four of principal photography and starting to settle into a comfortable groove. We've made our days without too much difficulty due to the diligent efforts of our cast and crew. I know it's cliche', but that doesn't make it any less true: we have a wonderful group of people in front of and behind the camera. Even when our mechanical FX supe lost a week's worth of polyurethane tentacles overnight, she not only managed to put together replacements in less than 24 hours so we could make our shots, but brought along props for an additional practical effect that turned out to be one of the highlights of the day. That's dedication!

I don't want to say too much this early in the shoot for fear of jinxing it. Suffice it to say I've been profoundly happy with the images and performances we've managed to capture so far. Yesterday, we shot my favorite scene in the film--an emotional exchange in a rundown motel room. Our leads in this case--Joshua St. James and Emily Galash--really delivered the goods! It was a stirring moment to see them bring my words to life. I can't wait to see the dailies. It's not the flashiest scene in the film. But to my mind, it encapsulates what the film is all about--everyday people trying to find their way in a world that persistently mystifies them.

The End that Marks the Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Nightscape) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:52:00 +0000

Frame grab from RED One camera test

Today is the final day of preproduction. We’ve done our level best to be prepared for all the niggling eventualities of principal photography. In recent days we’ve reviewed schedules, conducted tech scouts, revised shot lists, finalized grip and lighting packages, filled remaining crew positions, tested makeup, wardrobe and cameras, rehearsed scenes with special attention to fight choreography—settled a hundred little details. No matter how much planning goes into a feature film, however, you can never feel prepared enough. You have to contend with a host of haunting unknowns: What if we can’t get permission to clear the street and have to shoot with the flow of traffic? What if this makeup effect takes twice as long as anticipated? How will we make our day?

At some point, you have to adopt a Zen-like attitude of acceptance. You have to reconcile yourself to the fact that you can only bend reality so far. You have to make do with what’s possible in the moment and not worry overmuch about how you pictured the film in your head. Thankfully, I have an amazing cast and crew to help me realize my vision. Each of them is an artist in his/her own right. And I’m humbled by the sheer talent assembled for this project. Our gaffer, for instance, is a 30-year industry veteran of such films as Michael Winterbottom’s The Killer Inside Me, James Mangold’s 3:10 to Yuma, and John Carpenter’s Vampires. His expertise and experience constitutes a great safety net for the production. The same can be said of all of your principal crew.

Since I first saw Star Wars at age 11, I've dreamed of writing and directing a film with the power to enthrall an audience. In those days, without the Internet, the only way to find out about new films was to read about them in industry magazines like Starlog and Fangoria. I used to slip my mom notes on their release dates in hopes she'd pick them up on her way home from the Forest Grove Aquatic Center where she worked as a receptionist. I checked out every book on filmmaking in the local library. And of course, I made my share of (notably bad) Super-8 and later, 1/4 inch videotape productions. But even after I started the screenwriting program at the University of Southern California, the day of actually shooting a feature seemed impossibly distant.

Now that the day is upon me, I’m both nervous and excited. But more than anything else, I feel blessed by the opportunity. My family, especially my wife of 21 years, has been unbelievably supportive. I know that feeling will fade as I’m immersed in the day-to-day concerns of shooting, but I’m glad to feel it now and will try to hold it in memory for as long as possible for the sake of that 11-year-old inside me.