Introducing MOTW: The Short Film

In my last post, I told you about how, due to the delays with the teaser trailer and other holdups that I had to delay making the movie until late 2006 or early 2007. I also decided that I'm going to make a short film based on the script I made for the teaser trailer instead.

Well since then, my plan for doing this has expanded a bit. So here's how it's going to play out:

-- I'm going to make this a 20-30 minute movie, although the time limit might change since I haven't finished the script yet.

-- The script I've done for the teaser trailer will serve as the heart for the short film, although I'm not sure if I'll use this as the start for the short film or not.

-- I want to use this short film in two ways: to serve as a stand-alone film to set up what the full-length film will be about and to use this to serve in as a key part for the full length movie. Hopefully, I'll be able to pull that off.

-- I'm not sure how many people will be in the cast for this one, although I am pleased to report that my friend Adam, who was going to play the lead in the full length film, has agreed to play the lead in this short film.

So that's how it stands right now. As you can see, I've also made a few changes to this page as well to reflect what I'll be planning. I'm still going to call this "Mark of the Wolf", but I'm adding a secondary title to distinguish this from the full length film. I haven't decided what the secondary title will be just yet. I may even wait till we're done filming to decide. But for right now, I'm calling this MOTW: The Short Film.

I'll have an update in the next couple of weeks or so.

MOTW: On the Back-Burner... for now

I begin this post with something I wrote back a while ago, in one of my earlier posts for this blog:

"If things don't fall through, if the suit isn't ready, if the effects don't work out, or if anything causes me to feel that this isn't ready, then I have no problem pushing it back or delaying it indefinitely. I rather have it ready to go or not ready at all."

After what went down with my teaser trailer plan being delayed indefinitely because my friend couldn't get any footage shot, I've come to a decision about my pet project.

I'm pushing it back. Again.

A lot of factors went to this decision. Mainly, was the fact that I have no teaser trailer for this film. With the weather getting colder and my friend(who's playing the lead) not being able to get footage done, this was a key factor in not getting this off the ground. My plan was to use this trailer to promote the film and possibly to drum up funds for the big film. Since it was looking highly doubtful to get a teaser trailer ready until at least next spring or when the weather warms up, that was one cause for the delay.

I did look at other angles, like not using my friend in the footage or using his voice or something like that. I even looked at using another script idea for a trailer, but I rather use him and I rather use this idea.

Another factor was time involved for doing this film. I talked with a lot of people, some friends I know, when it came to shooting this film. The way the script is now, even though I'm still crafting it, will be about 90 minutes and even if I were to get everyone's schedules together, since a lot of people will be from out of town, I doubt we can get everything done in about a week's time. I'll see what we can do, but considering that I need to get some work in as to putting such a project together, I'd rather have a safe plan than just one that may fall apart when everyone gets together.

So like I said, after giving this some thought, I've decided to delay MOTW until late next year or possibly summer 2007. I think by that time, a solid game plan will be in place to put my pet project together.

But in the meantime, I'm not completely given up on my baby. Remember my teaser trailer idea? I think it's good. So good in fact that next summer I'm going to turn that small script into a short film. Shooting this short film. I think this will be great practice for me as to what I can and can't do when it comes to filming this. Plus, my friend will be heading up here to film his part for this. Which works great time wise and budget wise as well. So we'll see what happens. I'm going to expand upon this short film idea, turning my two-to-three minute teaser until a thirty minute or so movie. I may even still call it "Mark of the Wolf", but maybe use that as an introduction or a launching pad for what the main feature will be about.

So, as I stated earlier in my previous post and at the start of this one, I rather have it ready to go than not ready at all. What I plan to do the rest of this year and part of 2006 will help me to make sure that this film will be ready to go, whenever it happens.

Teaser Trailer -- Delayed Until Further Notice

Hey there.

Trust me when I say that the above headline is NOT I wanted to type out today. If anything I wanted to announce that my friend had completed filming the live action part of the teaser trailer, or even better, that I had both the live action and effects footage and was hard at work editing it together.

Instead, I have to type out these words.

Delayed Until Further Notice.

Which sucks, big time.

Well, let me first explain how we got to this point. On Friday, my friend had informed me that on Saturday, he and his friend would be heading out to their location in Minnesota to shoot the live action segment of the teaser trailer. Very exciting news. Then earlier on Saturday, I went over with my friend - who's playing the lead role in the movie, by the way- what I wanted to see in each shot. What range or angle I was looking for and even coming up with some last minute changes to help the project along. If things went well, my friend would tell me either later that evening or today how the shoot went and possibly, when I would get the footage together to help craft the two-to-three minute trailer.

Instead, when I talked with him late last night, he basically told me that he got nothing from the shoot.

Damn.

He explained that his friend, who would be doing the camera work for the shoot didn't get in until late. And by the time he arrived, it was getting late for them to get any footage in at all for the trailer.

Damn again.

So, here I am, back where I was at the beginning. With nothing. And, again typing the following words: Delayed Until Further Notice.

So what happens now? Well I hope to see if it's at all possible for my friend to get together with his friend to try again another time. From what he tells me, they get together about once a month, but maybe I can convince him to meet up at an earlier time. We'll see.

Meanwhile, my other friend, who's doing the effects part for the trailer, is still at a holding pattern because of his current situation with school and moving to a new place. But, he is able to salvage some of the old footage together (from the original disc he'd sent me that had gotten lost in the mail) and could have something done soon.

So, until both of those elements come together, it looks like I won't have anything to show you guys in October or early November. At this rate, it's looking unlikely that I won't have anything until the new year if I'm lucky. I really hope that 's not the case, because the more I think of it, the more I want to use this teaser trailer as a tool to possibly drum up funds to help with the actual movie. I'm also tossing around the idea of doing a more simple teaser just to get the word out, but I want to talk it over with my friend first.

So, until I say different, the teaser trailer for MOTW is delayed until further notice. To say I'm disappointed in this bit of news is an understatement. Words can't even describe how I'm feeling. This was a perfect opportunity to present an early look of what my film will be about. But instead, I'm at a holding pattern. The only thing that's keeping me sane right now is the fact that I'm not the first, nor the last, to have a movie project get temporarily derailed. Hopefully, something will develop shortly that will help put my teaser trailer -- and possibly even next year's movie shoot -- back on track.

That's it for now. I'll have another update next week, or earlier if things warrant.

Teaser Trailer -- Major News

Hey there, big news to share about the planned teaser trailer for the movie.

On my last post, it looked like things might be delayed because the disc my friend had made concerning the effects needed for the trailer had gotten lost in the mail. Shortly afterwards, it looked unlikely he could make another, not for a while anyway, cause of the time it took to get the first one made and the fact that it would be impossible to make a duplicate.

A couple of days ago, I got good news from my friend. He told me that he was able to recover some of the footage he made the last time, be able to make some new effects and then merge the two. So that means that there's a chance I can get the much needed effects part after all, and a lot sooner than I had hoped.

That's one part of the news. The other part is sometime next weekend, filming will begin on the live action part of the trailer. I'd sent over the script to my other friend, who's playing the lead role in the movie, the other day. Shortly afterwards, we had talked over what I'd wanted to see in the trailer (because he lives in Minnesota and I live in Michigan, this is the only way I can tell him what I want to see since I can't be there for the actual shoot) and he's totally on board with my vision. I understand that he and another friend will be filming that next weekend and as soon as he can get it done, he'll send over the file.

So once I get those two elements, I'll be able to edit them all together to make what I hope would be a two-or-three minute trailer on the movie. My hope, if everything comes together, is to have it out by either late October (Halloween, perhaps?) or early November. That's a plan that a week and a half ago, I didn't think was possible. But now, I believe it will be.

So that's it for now. I'll have another update sometime next week.

Teaser Trailer News

Been a while since the last update, but here's the latest.

It looks like the teaser trailer for the movie may be delayed. I was supposed to receive a disc from one of my friends that contained the effects needed for the trailer. Unfortunately, the disc somehow got lost in the mail. Unbelieveable. Stuff like that happens once every billion times and it had to happen to me with the disc needed for the movie.

So anyhow, I'm looking at other options, including talking with another friend to whip up something quick effect wise for the trailer as a backup.

Meanwhile, it's looking like my lead actor will do his part for the trailer the first weekend of October. I'm emailing him the revised script for it this week. So, it's going to be delayed, it may be late in October (possibly around Halloween, which would be great if that happens) or sometime in November. I'll keep you posted.

Work on the script continues. I'll probably have it completed in November.

That's it for now.

Teaser Trailer Update

Hey there.

Time for an update on the upcoming MOTW Teaser Trailer:

-I've finishing up a script rewrite for the trailer that I plan to send out pretty soon. I'm considering actually posting that online as well, but it's relatively short, so I don't know.

-My friend Grant, who was kind enough to put together the effects portion for the trailer, has informed me that it is done and that he has sent out the disc for me to look over. I should get it later on this week.

-Another thing I'm planning is a storyboard for the trailer. My newest online friend Chase has taken up my offer for doing that and should have it done sometime next month. That could be another thing that I'm thinking about posting here.

And that's it. It's still a go to have the teaser trailer done sometime in October. Hopefully by then, I'll find some way to get it out online so that everyone can see it. Anyone who knows of any possible places for me to post it, please let me know. I'm even plan to make some DVD copies for some of my other online friends to check out.

I'll have another update next week, if not sooner.

Production Update

It's been several months since I last updated this page, and a lot has happened.
First of all, plans are now set to put together a teaser trailer for the film. This is something I really wanted to do, because this will finally give everyone a chance to see what I have in mind for the film.
Right now, I'm writing a script specifically for it and I'm sending it out to my friend, who's playing the lead character. Now, since he lives in another state (Minnesota) and it would be stupid for him to come to Michigan (my home state) just for a teaser, he's going to film his part there sometime in October. I have another friend, living in Oregon, who'll be doing some effects related to the film, which I hope to have by October as well. Once I get both of their segments, I'll be putting the elements together and make a teaser trailer. If it works out, you guys will be seeing the finished work at the end of October.
Second update has to do with the effects. Me and another friend, who I'll hope will be doing the effects for the film, were talking about how to pull off what I hope will be some cool transformation scenes. From what he's told me, he believes he can put it together thru his computer. Now, in the long run, I think it'll work out for the cast, especially those who'll be playing the werewolves, so they don't have to worry about problems involving wearing prostectics, contacts, and stuff like that, which would add time and money to the shoot. What I have in mind is to concentrate the shooting schedule to a specific time frame where everyone can get together for this and delays is not part of the plan. Also, less time dealing with effects means more time shooting the dialogue and getting that done.
Now, just because there will be CGI scenes doesn't mean I'm not totally giving in to high tech. There will be an actual wolf suit there for the shoot, and my friend, who's just as much a werewolf fan as I am, promises me that the effects for the transformations won't be crappy at all. And I'm planning a lot of cool transformation scenes for this film.

So, what will the werewolf look like? Well, I want mine to have an "old school" look, along the lines of the old "WolfMan" movie. I don't have a drawing to show you yet, but I should have something to show soon.
Now, plans are still good to start shooting next summer, once we get everyone's schedules together. Of course, things can change and I'll keep you informed if it does. In the meantime, I'm still working on the final script, which is coming along great. It's come a long, long way from what I'd originally had in mind back in college when I first wrote this. What to expect for this film? Well, if you think of all the stereotypes that's been seen in werewolf films lately, don't when it comes to this movie. I have a vision in mind for this and if it all pays off, it will be unlike any werewolf film you've seen before. Yeah it sounds like a big boast, but I firmly believe it to be true. And hopefully, you'll all get to see what I mean.
I'm still working on the script, so I don't know how long the film will be. I'd say as a rough guess, it'll be around 90-100 minutes. I hope to have the script done sometime this fall. I also hope to start casting the other roles early next year. I do have two of the key roles cast, and you'll see who they are real soon. I'm also toying around with ideas of how to raise funds for the film. Believe me, the job I have right now, won't be nearly enough to put this project together. I'll let you know what I have in mind soon.

And, once I have the movie completed and edited, I have a lot of plans in store for the finished product. Topping the list will be selling the movie on DVD. I'm also going to try and submit it to any possible film festivals and competitions to see how it'll do. My dream is to have a "world premiere" showing at an actual theater, where that will be the true test to see if all of this work that lies ahead pays off.
But, that's a long ways off. Right now, the ball is slowly beginning to roll on this.

Sometime in October, you will all see what I have in mind.
That's it for now. I'll have another update soon.

MOTW: How it all began

Let's face it, werewolf movies have gotten quite lame lately.
Sure, there have been a few exceptions, but there have been way too many lackluster movies involving lycanthropes. Stupid plotlines. Horrible acting. Terrible transformation scenes. Just films that, as a werewolf fan, have totally let me down.
There's a saying that goes, "If you want something done right, do it yourself".
So, I'm setting out to film my very own werewolf movie.
This all began several years ago as a writing assignment for college. It was a one scene sample for film class. My scene was for a werewolf movie. A movie that I wanted to see. I got an "A" for my effort.
The cool part about this was, I had so much fun doing that scene, I continued working on it on my free time, until I had written out an entire script outline, one that I envisioned being a five-part epic designed for TV or video.

The storyline involves a young man, who finds out on his 18th birthday that he has been cursed with lycantrophy and becomes a werewolf. The only sign of his condition is a small, pentagram shaped mark located on his left forearm. Shortly after his first transformation, he discovers several other things that will further complicate his life, including murder and a deep family secret.

I gave out samples of the story to several of my friends, who were impressed with what I had done. I began turning my script into a novel, writing about six or seven small chapters until a lot of things, such as work, caused me to set it aside. But I always had the intention of resuming it one day and still held on to the hope that to make it into a movie.

In the time since I wrote it out, I managed to discuss my dream project with several friends of mine. Friends who, like me, are fans of the genre and had special skills, like makeup and acting and filmmaking. Through several stages of talking, things began falling into place and the dream project was --slowly but surely-- becoming a reality.
Last May, I had cast three of my friends in the key roles for the movie. I'd even worked out a script for a potential teaser about the film while I was reworking the now 11 year old storyline into an actual working script. I've even came up with a much cooler ending than what I'd originally written out. Things were going so well, it looked as if filming would start up this summer.
But in the months since, things have changed. First and foremost, was putting the finances together. Even for a low budget, independent werewolf movie, it'll still take some cash to put it all together. And, unfortunately, that's not the case for me, especially with bills and other matters taking the most of my minimum wage paychecks.
Second, even if I had the funds together, getting everyone to come to Michigan would pose a problem. The three leads all live in different states and trying to get their schedules to fit would be a problem. Throw in the fact that this would be a huge undertaking and that there was little time to put it all together gave me more than enough reason to delay it.
As I've told my friends and posted on my page a while back, "Now that is if everything falls into place. If things don't fall through, if the suit isn't ready, if the effects don't work out, or if anything causes me to feel that this isn't ready, then I have no problem pushing it back or delaying it indefinitely. I rather have it ready to go or not ready at all."
So the plan now is to film the movie next summer, and have it ready by fall 2006.
So now that I have about a year and a half to get it ready, it'll give me plenty of time to get it ready. That means taking as much time as possible to polish and fine tune the script, casting other people for the other roles in the film, scouting locations in Michigan, and everything else. Mostly, I look at the rest of this year to get all the behind the scenes stuff ready and the first half of 2006 to get the cast and locations ready, so that everything will click into place by the time shooting starts next summer.
And, even though I won't film the movie this summer, it doesn't mean I won't be filming something in 2005. I'm planning to do one or two short films later this year to get my feet wet and to figure out what will --or won't-- work when I film the big movie. I'll keep you posted on those short projects in the coming months.
In the meantime, this page will still be active in 2005. I'll keep you posted on all the behind the scenes details, fill you in on any developing matters about the film, and maybe, just maybe, post the original story. I still have it, in it's non computer, hard copy form, and I'll show you some of it, in all it's ugliness.
Despite the delays and the holdups, my goal remains the same: to make this a werewolf movie unlike any other. One that I, as a fan, would want to see if I didn't write this film myself. I refuse to settle for anything less than that. What fuels it for me even more is the fact that I know it can be done. I've just seen a recent fan made film, "Curse of the Wolf", that proves to me that it can be done.
So keep checking back here over the next 18 months or so, as I intend to keep everyone informed on casting, script development and everything else as I take you through each step of the making of this fan-based, independent werewolf movie.

This is a pet project for me. Something that I've spent years fine tuning and thinking about in one form or another. Hopefully, in 2006, this project will become a reality. One that all werewolf fans will love to see.

Stay tuned...