Svatopia

Box of Shadows Sneak Peek

2010-02-18T14:47:00.000-08:00

Some of the first images from BOX OF SHADOWS, the movie I cowrote with director Mauro Borrelli, are online now. I've been working at the production office for the last several weeks and it's very exciting to see the post production special effects come to life. Check out what the box has in store for you...Creepy, eh? I'm not supposed to divulge too many details about the film at this time, but

New England and New Orleans, Perfect Venues for Horror

2009-10-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

It's nice to see some seeds you planted a long time ago finally sprout and come to life. This weekend a short film I wrote and helped produce back in January is showing at two horror themed festivals. Sucker will premier at the New Orleans Vampire Film Festival on Friday, October 23, and play again at the Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival on Saturday, October 24.Both events look

Don't Forget the Music in Your Horror Movie

2009-08-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

It's an old cliche that music makes a horror movie scary, but I found this out first hand recently during the scoring of a short film I wrote and help produce. After watching Sucker with an effective yet minimal score, and feeling there was something missing, we had a pro do some additional sound work, and wow, what a difference a proper soundtrack can make. Empty spaces suddenly become contoured

Blake Snyder Dies at Age 51

2009-08-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I found out that Blake Snyder died at the young age of 51 and was immediately filled with both shock and sadness. Blake is widely known in Hollywood because of his many spec sales and his fantastic book, Save the Cat, which is the best book on structuring commercial Hollywood movies that I’ve encountered (and I’m a junkie when it comes to such texts). I’ve recommended the book to

Star Wars - Episode III 1/2: Master of Darkness

2008-07-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

CINEMATIC PROTOTYPES DEPARTMENTJust for fun...Episode III has ended. Anakin is now Darth Vader. He journeys with Dark Lord Sidious on an Imperial Cruiser to the construction site of the Death Star.The Death Star is being constructed by blasting the rock off a small moon to reveal its metallic core. The metallic core is being recarved into the superstation that the galaxy will come to fear.Vader

Writing at Over 100 Degrees

2008-01-25T15:44:00.000-08:00

BETTER LIVING THROUGH MUTANT VIRUS DEPARTMENTOne of the unexpected advantages I’ve discovered working out of my apartment is that I seem to get sick much less than when I in an office.While I’d like to think that my improved health has to do with the relative cleanliness of my home versus the squalid, rat-infested, diseased working conditions of corporate America , I know this is not true. My

Long Live Shiva Destructive Mode

2008-01-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

TRANSMOGRIFIED HINDU DEITIES DEPARTMENTAt the Screenwriting Expo I attended a seminar by Cynthia Whitcomb, an accomplished screenwriter with a long list of credits who had some unique things to say about writing.I’ve read a lot of screenwriting books and listened to a lot of gurus and I can’t say too many of them are unique. They all seem to say the same thing in different way and most involve

The Scariest Ride in the Amusement Park

2007-12-30T16:56:00.000-08:00

TIED-TO-A-CHAIR SCREAMING DEPARTMENTWhen I meet someone new and tell them I write horror movies I get one of two reactions. Either the person is a fan of horror and gets really excited and wants to talk shop, or I get a look from them like I just said, "I work in pornography and I'm interested in photographing your sister naked."It's generally one or the other extreme. In fact, it's gotten to the

God Bless the Damned Children

2007-11-19T23:06:00.000-08:00

YOUTH ACTIVITIES DEPARTMENTSitting in Borders. Fleshing out a new screenplay. A horror movie about forgotten evil crawling from the earth. Released by greed and ignorance. A new dark age for mankind.There’s a kid across from me. Looks about 16. Black shoes. Black pants. Black shirt. Black trench coat lying over a chair.He seems like prospective audience for the movie I’m writing.He’s reading

How to Support Writers During Strike

2007-11-12T10:48:00.002-08:00

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE DEPARTMENTThe writers strike is on. Despite being a combination of two of my favorite things, writing and fighting the man, I wish there was no strike. It's going to cause a lot of hardship for current writers and make things even harder for younger ones trying to break in by ways other than scabbing.There's a lot of long-winded articles out there on the nitty gritty of what

Into the Wild

2007-11-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

MOOSE HUNTING DEPARTMENTOne of my peasants saw Into the Wild the other day and reported thus:Finally! A movie that deals with real themes and people and shows us places that really exist that we have never seen before. A movie not about James Bond with amnesia. A movie not about cops fed up with the justice system and going on killing sprees. A movie not designed to sell toys, Happy meals, and

Expired from the Expo

2007-10-30T16:31:00.001-07:00

GURUS GALORE DEPARTMENTI planned to attend all four days of the screenwriting Expo this year, but only made two. I've been swamped building websites (Tuesday I spent 17 grueling hours in front of the computer), so I was only able to attend the weekend days. I hate having to trade off something I love for something I have to do to pay the bills, but that's how it works at this point.Those two days

Day for Night

2007-03-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

THE HEALING LIGHT OF DARKNESS DEPARTMENTEarlier in the year, I hooked up with production company that makes low budget films. Let's rephrase that: it makes ultra low budget films. Let's rephrase that again: it makes ultra ultra low budget films that aren't even films because they're videos.I found the company on Craig's List. "PA's needed for low budget meteor film." Waging so much of my war on

Storming the Walls with Thirty Peasants

2007-02-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

INTRODUCTORY DEPARTMENTLast week I attended the Sherwood Oaks All Access Weekend. This is where aspiring screenwriters like myself go to meet Hollywood player types. The Hollywood player types sit on a raised platform and talk about their projects and answer questions. Then when they are finished, they get bombarded by aspiring screenwriters like myself pitching their wares.I don't consider