Mark of the Wolf

Major News: MOTW: The Official Site is UP!!!

2010-01-10T20:56:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

This is my last official post on the MOTW blog site, but I make this with a major announcement.

Mark of the Wolf: The Official Site is now ONLINE!!!

After finally figuring out the bugs and getting several things downloaded, the site is now officially up and running.

Here's the link: http://markofthewolf.webs.com/

On this site, you'll be able to see just about all of the episodes, promos, and trailers at one site, plus photos and more. Also, you'll see a list of the men and women responsible for helping put the series together. In the coming days and weeks, you'll see more information to come including upcoming webseries episodes.

While this blog site will no longer be updated, the site will remain up as an archive of the series' development so far.

I want to take the time to thank Blogger for being the first home base for MOTW over these past few years. It's been a pleasure and I'd appreciate it.

But now's the time to move on to something bigger and better, so if you want to check it out, go to: http://markofthewolf.webs.com

Thanks again and goodbye from here.

Major News: MOTW Official Site Update; New Site to Launch by January 10th.

2010-01-07T20:19:00.001-08:00

Hey there.

Before I go further with the news, I want to announce that this will be the next to last post from the MOTW blog site. I'll explain later on in this post.

Now, the last post mentioned that the official MOTW website was going to be up and running during the January 1-3 weekend.

Well that weekend came and went, and the site is still not up and running.

First of all, my apologies about that. Some factors were behind the delay, most importantly, dealing with several problems getting the look of the site to work. Also, I've had to deal with some real life stuff that took me away from working on the site.

So, with that out of the way, I am back working on the site and the new launch date.

If things work out, the new site will be up and running no later than January 10th. It may be up earlier than that, but the site will be up on 1/10/10. I kind of like the symmetry of that.

While getting the site off the ground, I've been noticing some new features that will be a part of it, including an offical MOTW Web Series roster, a place for photos and videos, and some other bells and whistles.

One of those new features is a blog site to post official news and updates.

Which brings me to this announcement: the moment that the new site is up, this very blog site will no longer be updated. I'll still keep it around as an archive for the time being. But, the next time I update this blog - when I announce that the new site is live - will be the last time.

I'll save the goodbyes and thank yous till then. But I thought I'd let you know right now.

Oh, and the MOTW Facebook page will launch on the 10th as well.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for the next -- and final -- post on the blog and the launch of the new website.

Major News: New MOTW Website Launching This Weekend!

2009-12-31T20:23:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

Big news to share with you. After months of planning, the official web site for the MOTW movie and webseries will launch sometime this weekend.

Once the site launches, you'll see pictures, videos (including world premieres of episodes and promos and trailers), and more stuff right at the site. It'll be simple at first, but in the coming months the site will grow and expand as things move along.

Also, on the same day the official site launches, the MOTW page on Facebook will launch as well.

As for this blog site, things here will change once the new site goes live. It'll still be the home for news and information about both the series and the movie, but everything else regarding MOTW will be posted on the new site.

So stay tuned for the official launch of the new MOTW website this weekend.

Status Update: New Teaser Poster for Upcoming Episode, "Survive the Night"

2009-11-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

Here's a look at the first teaser poster for the upcoming webseries episode, "Survive the Night".

My friend Josh Trett, who'll be doing this episode, put this together. From what he tells me, the script's just about done, barring some fine tuning. And, Josh will also be playing the lead role.

Stay tuned for further updates on this episode, and watch for its world premiere coming soon.

Major News:Photos from Upcoming Webseries Episode, Pet

2009-11-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

Got a treat for you: a first look at photos from the upcoming MOTW Webseries episode, "Pet".

Now this episode from Emma Whitehall, will be unique, for this one will feature a female werewolf, a first for the series. When she sent me these pictures, which give a sneak peek of what the werewolf would look like, here is how she described the look and what she did to achieve it:

"I wanted our werewolf to have a slightly feminine look to her - she is still a strong, deadly animal, but the transformation still leaves her with an air of the human underneath it. Instead of having overly large gloves for paws, I attached some witch fingers to a pair of long sleeved gloves, and covered them with crepe hair. Under the dim light I think they look rather affective!"

Emma also included this sneak peek of what the ears will look like as well, even though they're still a work in progress. Here's how she described achieving that look:

"The ears are just a set of costume pixie ears, with the same crepe hair on them (the latex is still drying in the photo!) they fit quite nicely on without gluing them in place, but I think when it comes to filming I'll attach a little more hair to hide the seams."

Emma tells me filming is going well and will resume later on in the week. Watch for more photos as production continues and of course, catch the premiere of the full episode very soon.

Status Update: New Addition to Webseries Roster, Plus New Website Coming Soon!

2009-11-07T23:22:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

Again, it's been a while since there's been an update on the webseries, but things are happening behind the scenes with writing (a few new story ideas have been put together) filming( at least one has begun production) and promotion. As soon as I get word on how things are progressing, I'll be sure to let everyone know.

I do want to extend a personal shout out to Josh Trett and his crew from Trett Films in England. Recently, Josh agreed to do an full length episode of the series. The episode, entitled "Survive the Night", will be written by Josh based on one of my story ideas. Currently, it is still in the writing stages, but I'll keep you posted on it's progress. Welcome aboard Josh!

Also, ever since the first promo trailer of the MOTW movie came out almost two years ago, I wanted to put together an official website for not only the movie, but the webseries as well. Well, I'm pleased to announce that it will become a reality very soon.

The official MOTW site will launch sometime by the end of the month or early December. Things will be limited at first, but soon the site will be the home to everything related to MOTW, from world premieres of the webisodes to all the news with the full length movie and everything in between. Of course, once the site is up, the blog site here will change its focus as well, but it will still play a vital role online.

I'm also looking into launching an official MOTW page on Facebook as well, probably around the time the new site launches, if not sooner. As for Twitter, right now that's not a focus because I'm not a subscriber to that social site. However, I may reconsider if there's enough of an interest to put MOTW on Twitter.

That's the latest for now. Stay tuned for future updates.

Major News: Filming Underway for New WebSeries Episode

2009-09-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

Work has begun over the weekend on a new episode for the MOTW WebSeries.

Jackson Putnam from BrokenHouse Films -- the one behind the recent "Clock's Ticking" promo -- has informed me that he has started filming his episode, tentatively called "Intruder". He has also told me that he should have it completed very soon, perhaps sometime this week.

Stay tuned for further updates, including the world premiere of what will be the fourth episode of the series.

MOTW WebSeries Update

2009-09-07T23:20:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

Things are still happening with the MOTW Webseries. Over the past few months, there's been some changeover with new people being added to the roster, while others have decided to drop out. Some will be doing mini episodes, or promos, as I call it. Some will be doing a bit of both. And there's been talk about how long the webseries will run and how long it will last.

So, here's a bit of a status report, as it stands right now:

--The webseries will resume with full on episodes sometime in October. I won't give an exact date until several are ready to go. In the meantime, plans are in the works for a new trailer to promote the series which should be ready later on this month.

--In the meantime, new promos are being planned and could debut later on this month or October for sure. I'm proud of the promo idea, as I've written several of these and there will be promos that will debut sporadically throughout the coming months.

--I want to give a personal shout out to Brett Driver and Emma Whitehall, two of the newest additions to the webseries roster. Brett and his company will be doing a full episode that I've written, and Emma, through her company, Inter Productions, will be doing her own original story, "Pet", that will be part of the series. I've met her through my good online friend Tony Gardner, who brought us "The Garage", the third episode of the series. I've read her story and it is very unique, which is what the series is all about. Welcome aboard guys.

--I'm in talks with several others about contributing to the series and will announce their names once things are set.

--I'm also in the process of directing an episode or two myself, but again it is in the talking stages.

-- Other episodes that have been announced over the past few months have started production. When they get closer to being completed, I'll fill you in.

--As to the number of how many episodes will be part of the series, it'll be somewhere between 12 to 14, which means the series will carry over into next summer. That may change, of course, but that will be the best estimate. There's also a chance that a few more episodes will be exclusively seen on the webseries DVD, which will be released next year as well.

--Also, plans are in the works for a new official website, which should be ready to go before the year's out.

And that's it. As always, things are subject to change, but do know that the series will continue and things are moving behind the scenes. Once this get rolling again, it promises to be an exciting ride from now until 2010. So stay tuned.

Major News: New MOTW WebSeries Promo: Time is Running Short, Debuts!

2009-08-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

Fresh off the resounding success of our first MOTW WebSeries promo, "Clock's Ticking", comes the debut of the second.

"Time is Running Short" comes from my good friend Will Phelps, who is behind the first episode of the series, "Conundrum", and is also planning a new two-parter that will debut soon.

This tells the story of one hanging on to his humanity in the final minutes before he changes.

Enjoy.

Watch for more promos coming soon as the webseries relaunches later on this month.

Major News: New MOTW WebSeries Promo: Clock's Ticking Debut!

2009-07-30T15:35:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I told you that a brand new promo for MOTW was in the works and on the fast track to being done as soon as today.

Well today, it is done.

The name of the promo is "Clock's Ticking" and it shows one bracing himself for what's about to happen as the clock ticks down towards moonrise.

The over three-minute promo was written by yours truly and is directed by Jackson Putnam of BrokenHouse Films. He's also stars in it as well.

Here it is. Enjoy:

Watch for more premieres and updates coming soon.

Major News: New Promo to Debut This Week, Plus New Episodes in the Works

2009-07-29T23:51:00.001-07:00

Hey there.

More news is coming in as we draw closer to the return of the MOTW WebSeries next month.

First of all, I'd like to welcome Jackson Putnam from BrokenHouse Films to the webseries roster. Not only will he be doing an episode, tenatively called "Intruder", but he's also going to do a new promo for the webseries as well.

The promo is on the fast track and will make its debut this week, perhaps as soon as Thursday.

Also, William Phelps has informed me that production will begin on his two part episode on Monday August 3. This episode is on the fast track and you may even see a teaser sometime next week.

Stay tuned for more news, including the debut of the new MOTW promo right here.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Returns in August. New Episode Announced.

2009-07-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

It's been a while since there's been any news regarding MOTW, but rest assured that things are happening behind the scenes. Especially with the webseries, which is why I'm pleased to make the announcement that the series will return sometime in August with an all-new webisode that will begin production soon.

My friend William Phelps, who did the first episode of the series, "Conundrum", will be directing this one, which will be a two-parter, with the first part slated to debut in August and the conclusion to follow in September.

Here's what the yet-to-be-titled episode will be about:

In a small and quiet suburban town where nothing ever happens, many unusual brutal deaths start to occur in the span of only a few days. When a young teenage girl is found dead, her two best friends begin to investigate on their own to find out what actually has happened, but they soon find out that nothing is what it seems.

This episode is on the fast track and you'll be able to see early photos from the shoot very soon.

Also, just before the series resumes, I plan to put together a brand new trailer with new scenes from upcoming episodes that are in the works. There's also the chance that you'll see the world premiere of a "mini-episode" sometime in August as well. I'll keep you posted.

As I told you before, things are happening behind the scenes and it won't be long before the web series ramps back up with new episodes that will debut each month till the early part of 2010.

Keep it here for further updates and major announcements.

Major News: Bloopers from Episode 3: The Garage

2009-07-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

As things move towards the return of the MOTW WebSeries later on this summer, I have a treat for you.

Here are some bloopers from "The Garage", the third episode of the series. As is the case with any gag reel, you'll get to see the actors mess up and goof off as the cameras roll. So enjoy:

This, along with some additional footage, will be part of the eventual DVD release sometime next year.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Status Update: MOTW Web Series to Return This Summer

2009-05-23T23:20:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

I wanted to take this moment to respond to a comment a fan made from the series, who asked me point blank, does the series continue?

Well I can tell you that yes, the web series is going to continue.

In fact, things are happening behind the scenes as at least two episodes are currently in production with a third about to resume filming in the coming months.

If things proceed as plan, expect the series to return online in the summer, probably late June or early July with new content coming every month through the end of the year.

Stay tuned for an update on an upcoming episode that has started filming and watch for a MAJOR announcement about the resumption of MOTW: The Web Series.

MOTW 2009 Update

2009-04-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hey again.

Been a while since my last update, but I wanted to let you know that things are still happening behind the scenes with the MOTW Webseries.

Another episode started production about a month ago. My online friend Chris Harris is working on this one, tentatively called "Birthright". I'll post pics from the episode very soon and hopefully you'll see a teaser trailer before the month's out.

Meanwhile, I'm about to put together a new series of promos and teasers to relaunch things for the webseries as we're closing in on debuting brand new episodes later on this spring. Stay tuned for more information on that.

And finally, I've updated the MOTW page on Vimeo.com with a new look and logo combining the joint efforts of both the movie and webseries. Check it out at http://vimeo.com/channels/motwchannel

That's it for now. Stay tuned for more updates.

MOTW's Plans for 2009

2009-01-23T20:57:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

As we're a few weeks into the new calendar year, things continue to move along with both the MOTW movie and webseries.

So, at this time, I want to go over the tenative plans for both projects in 2009:

MOTW: The WebSeries -- Right now, the online series of short films is taking a brief break, but plans are to resume the series in February.
As mentioned in earlier posts, two episodes have recently started production and a third will be ramping up very soon. A fourth is still in production and hopefully be released shortly.
Unless things change, I expect there will be at least somewhere between 9 and 11 more episodes will be shown during the year. After that, the entire series will be released on DVD, with additional content and behind the scenes footage. I'm also considering adding one or two more episodes that will be exclusive to the DVD. The DVD plans are in the very early stages right now and I'll provide more on that later on this year.
Also, there will be several exclusive promos for the webseries that will debut during 2009. These promos, will be one to two minute original works that will set the theme for the series and will also serve to promote the episodes that are out now and those yet to come. Hopefully, you'll see them beginning sometime in February or March. These promos will also be included on the DVD.

MOTW: The Movie -- The full length movie is still in pre production, but things will pick up again in February with future meetings that will eventually set the stage for the project to begin filming.
My goal is to have a casting call sometime this spring with production soon to follow. If things work out, the movie will be done later on the year and we'll see how things go after that.

MOTW Miscellaneous -- Other things related to MOTW universe will also happen in 2009. Among them are: launching a full on official website as well as planning a comic book adaptation of the movie and original comics set in the universe.
I'll also be looking into creating an official page on Facebook and highlighting both the movie and webseries on other online vehicles.

That's the plans for the year ahead. Of course, things are subject to change -and added -depending on how things shake down in the coming months.

So, stay tuned as we move into what would be an eventful and jam packed year ahead for MOTW.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Teaser Trailer for "Exception" Premiere

2009-01-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

On my last post, I mentioned about the latest episode in the webseries, "Exception" had started filming.

Now, a teaser trailer has been released promoting the project. Here it is:

MOTW :TWS - Exception Teaser Trailer from Gonzalo Guastavino on Vimeo.

Stay tuned for more on this episode and watch for its premiere coming later this year.

Major News: Production Begins on New WebSeries Episode, "Exception"

2009-01-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

Got some news to share with you.

On Monday (January 10) production began on an upcoming episode of the MOTW WebSeries, "Exception".

This episode, coming from my online friend Gonzalo Guastavino, is being filmed in Brazil, which is not only very cool, but also continues the international theme that has taken place recently. (Episodes 2 and 3 were both filmed in England.)

As always when episodes are filming, story details will be kept under wraps, but here are some screen shots from the first night of filming:

Gonzalo tells me that he is also working on a short teaser trailer, which you will see very soon, perhaps sometime this week. Stay tuned for more on this episode as it develops and watch for its world premiere later on this year.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Teaser Trailer for "Fenrir" Episode Premieres

2008-12-29T20:54:00.000-08:00

On my last post, I mentioned that my friend Tim Vogt had started production on an upcoming episode for the MOTW WebSeries.

Now, a quick teaser trailer for the two part episode, tenatively entitled "Fenrir", has been put together.

Here it is:

Stay tuned for more on this episode and watch for its world premiere coming in 2009.

Major News: Production Begins on New Webseries Episode

2008-12-27T23:00:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

Over the Xmas holiday break, work has started on an upcoming episode of the MOTW Web Series.

Tim Vogt, who helped create the MOTW comic preview, "The Mark", has put together what will be a two-part episode for the webseries.

As usual, while episodes are in production, story details will be kept under wraps. But, in the meantime, here are some still shots from the first few days of production:

Stay tuned for more from this yet-to-be-named episode in the coming weeks and watch for its world premiere sometime next year.

From The Director's Chair: The Garage's Tony Gardner

2008-12-08T00:18:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

Today, I'm starting a new segment on the blog site, "From The Director's Chair".

This will give the directors of the webisodes to talk a little bit about their episode and some of their work behind the scenes.

To begin, here's a piece from the director of Episode 3: "The Garage", Tony Gardner:

Hey everyone,
It’s Tony Gardner from Iron Angel Film Productions
I just want to take this time to thank Mark for the opportunity for us to make this short contribution to the web series.
I have now known Mark for a couple of years and he has been a great online friend of mine, we both share a passion for film making and also Werewolf movies in particular.
This always leaves us with loads to talk about when we get in touch online.
Through these online conversations Mark had mentioned the web series and I was hooked on the idea straight from the start.
This was something I was looking forward to taking part in and did not want to miss the chance.

The film I was currently in production with "Dense Fear 2 " came to a stand still due to lack of funds , so I saw this as a great opportunity to get writing another script for "The Mark Of The Wolf" web series. whilst my other movie was on hold.
I came up with several ideas for a short movie, I also wrote the scripts in a way I knew would not cost any money to shoot the final film.
Me and Mark talked about the ideas I had and I emailed him the script for "The Garage"
Mark was really happy for me to go ahead with this idea, so I wasted no time in contacting my team of actors.

I was also lucky enough to have Kerriann Hearn who played the main part as the captured girl.
Kerriann actually had acting experience before, starring in a professional British movie "The Conkerers" so it was fantastic! having her onboard for the first time.
The completed movie did not cost a thing just as planned.
It was shot on a very basic hand held DV Canon camcorder.
The make up used in the movie was stuff I already had from previous movies.
All in all we had three great months of shooting this movie, and it’s an adventure we won’t forget.
Hope you all enjoy it
Thanks

I definitely want to again thank Tony and his cast and crew for their work with this episode. I understand that plans are in the works for additional scenes to be filmed for this episode and that they will be included when the webseries heads to DVD next year. I'll keep you posted.

In the coming weeks, watch for more Director's Chair posts from the other directors in the series including Will Phelps and Brad Fish, who directed the first two episodes respectively.

Major News: MOTW Channel Launches on Vimeo

2008-12-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

Hope you're enjoying the latest episode in the MOTW WebSeries. As you've noticed, there's a Vimeo logo alongside the video link to "The Garage", the third episode in the series.

Well that's no coincidence.

Because with the world premiere of this episode comes the launch of a new outlet to showcase both the movie and the webseries.

Introducing the MOTW Channel on Vimeo.

This outlet will serve a number of purposes. First and foremost, with this, you'll be able to see each and every episode uninterrupted as is. Also, this will be used to showcase particular scenes or segments as well.

Another benefit will be this page will also be the home for weekly blog updates posted by yours truly, including some exclusives. I've also set up a forum where all of us can exchange messages, take part in discussions and post questions. There's also an announcement section for future MOTW related events, links to this page and other related sites, and more.

Right now, the second episode ("The Message") and the third episode ("The Garage") are on the site as well as their respective trailers. In time, I will add the first episode ("Conundrum") and other trailers as well. The goal is that every episode, promo, trailer, teaser and video related to MOTW will be posted on this site.

So here is the link to the channel: http://vimeo.com/motwchannel . I hope that you'll subscribe and play an active part with this as the site develops and grows in the coming months.

Of course, MOTW will also continue on YouTube and MySpace, and I'll be adding new venues in the future.

Thanks again and don't forget to check out the new site and let me know what you think.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Episode 3 WORLD PREMIERE!!

2008-12-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

Here it is.

The third episode of the MOTW WebSeries: "The Garage".

An Iron Angel Film Production, in association with MarkOne Films.

Written and directed by Tony Gardner.

NOTE: This contains some bloody and gory scenes, so be warned.

I want to thank Tony and his friends for their work on this episode. I'll have more on this episode, with a message from Tony himself in a future post.

Hope you like the episode and please leave comments. Stay tuned for more.

Status Update: Production Wraps on Episode 3, World Premiere Coming Next Week!

2008-11-19T21:20:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

Been a while since we had an update on the MOTW Web Series, but today I talked with my friend Tony Gardner, who's doing the third episode, "The Garage".

He tells me production has wrapped and it is now in the editing stage.

If things work out, expect the episode to have it's world premiere sometime next week.

While talking with Tony, he tells me that the early guess on how long the episode will run is about 24 minutes (twice as long as the first two episodes in the series combined) and as I told you a few weeks earlier, this will also be the first episode in the series where you'll see the character transform into the werewolf and also see him in action.

I also got a chance to look at a few screenshots from the episode and I can tell you flat out, this is going to be the wildest episode in the series so far. This one will be bloody and gory, so you've been warned.

I did pick out a couple of shots that'll give you an idea on what to expect. There's the one at the top of the post and then there's this one:

So stay tuned next week for the world premiere of Episode 3: "The Garage".

Major News: Introducing The Mark

2008-10-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Hope you're enjoying Halloween so far.

Now the time has come for the second world premiere I was telling you about: The Mark.

What is "The Mark"?

This is something new to the MOTW universe.

Comics.

What you're about to see is a five page photo comic, plus the cover. Me and Tim Vogt, who'll be working on an upcoming episode of the MOTW WebSeries, came up with the idea for this. Just a test sample to see how this will go.

Plans are underway for another photo comic, this time a lot longer and in the same continuity as the movie and the webseries. And I'm also looking into a comic book version of the movie as well down the line.

So here it is.

The World Premiere of "The Mark" :

I also want to take the time to thank Kendra Sundermeyer for her photo work and digital artistry on this, especially the cover, and Shawn Swanson for his work on the comic as well.

Please let us know what you think of this. I think this is the beginning of a new and exciting area to the growing MOTW universe.

Happy Halloween everyone and stay tuned for more updates with the webseries and the full lenght film.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Episode 3 Trailer Premiere!

2008-10-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Happy Halloween.

As promised, here's the first world premiere of the day. It's the full trailer of "The Garage", the third episode of the MOTW WebSeries.

Watch for the full episode coming in November.

Stay tuned later for the second world premiere of the day, "The Mark".

Major News: Two MOTW World Premieres on Halloween

2008-10-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

As you know, tomorrow is Halloween. And to celebrate the occassion, there will be two world premieres related to the Mark of the Wolf project tomorrow.

The first, is the world premiere of the full length trailer for "The Garage", the third episode of the MOTW WebSeries.

The second world premiere is this:

Now, you ask, what is "The Mark"? Well, this is sort of a top secret project that'll be part of the MOTW universe. It's been kept under wraps for a while, but tomorrow, it'll be finally revealed.

So, to those who check this site out, Happy Halloween and stay tuned tomorrow for the two world premieres.

Status Update: First Look of the Werewolf from Episode 3: The Garage

2008-10-29T22:30:00.001-07:00

Hey there.

Got a treat for you as you look at the photo above. This is the first look of the werewolf from "The Garage", the third episode of the MOTW WebSeries.

According to my friend, Tony Gardner, who's behind this episode, it took him about an hour to apply the makeup to John Davison, who's playing the lead role. The photo looks very very cool.

"The Garage" marks a first on two fronts. It'll be the first episode in the series that will actually show the werewolf in action, including a transformation scene. And, it'll be the first that will go longer than five minutes. From what Tony tells me, it'll be over ten minutes.

Watch for the world premiere of the full trailer this Halloween. The full episode will debut sometime in November.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Episode 2 PREMIERE!

2008-10-11T05:36:00.000-07:00

Here it is.

The second episode of the MOTW WebSeries: "The Message".

A Bad Fish Cinema/MarkOne Films Production.

I wrote the episode. My friend Brad Fish stars as well as directed.

Hope you like it. Stay tuned for more on Episode 3 as well as the production plans of the full length movie.

Major News: MOTW WebSeries Episode 3 Teaser Trailer Premieres Now; Episode 2 Premieres Tomorrow!!

2008-10-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

This weekend will be huge for the MOTW WebSeries.

Two days. Two world premieres.

On Saturday (Oct. 11), the second episode of the short film series, "The Message", will have its world premiere. The effects work is in and I'm doing the final edit as I type this.

In the meantime, I have another premiere for everyone.

Right now.

Here's the teaser trailer for the third episode, "The Garage". A full length trailer will be coming in a few weeks and the full episode will debut shortly:

Stay tuned for the premiere of Episode 2 right here tomorrow.

Status Update: More Photos from Episode 3: The Garage

2008-10-07T22:52:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

Things are moving along with the second episode of the webseries, "The Message". But now, I wanted to officially announce that Tony Gardner's "The Garage" will be the third episode to be released.

Here is the official poster for the webisode:

Here are a few more promos pics of the cast:

Here are some screen shots from the episode:

Now, my friend Tony tells me he has a few scenes left to filmand then it will be done. More than likely, it should be up by the end of the month. Not only that, but he also plans to release a trailer for the episode in the coming days. When I get it from him, you'll see it right here.

Stay tuned for that as well as the world premiere of Episode 2.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Episode 2 Trailer

2008-09-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

Here's your first look at the trailer for the second episode of the MOTW WebSeries, "The Message":

The full episode will premiere here in the coming days. Stay tuned.

Major News: Exclusive Pics From Episode 2, The Message as Production Wraps!

2008-09-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

Got some major news to announce.

The second episode of the MOTW WebSeries is just about done.

On Wednesday (Sept. 24) production wrapped on "The Message", the webisode that my friend, Brad Fish, worked on. He not only directed the episode, but stars in it as well, working on the story that I wrote.

There still is some pick up shots to be done as well as effects work. But, if things work out, episode 2 should debut sometime this weekend or early next week.

In the meantime, here are some exclusive pics from the episode:

I'm also working on a short promo trailer for the episode, hopefully it'll be up in the next couple of days.

Stay tuned, as we move get closer to the premiere of the second episode of the webseries.

Major News: Web Series Season Limit Set

2008-09-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

Hey there

As I told you in the last post, plans are slowly coming together about the MOTW webseries. I just recently talked with someone who's agreed to write and direct an episode for the series. And with that, barring any last minute changes, that fills the last available open slot.
And with that slot now filled, the question is: how many episodes will be a part of the webseries?
Well, after looking over the list of those who are planning one and those who I have talked to, I've determined that there will be a 12-to-18 episode season. Here's the plan as it stands right now:
-As far as I know, twelve episodes are locked in. Two are in production right now, while another is being completed after dealing with some delays. The rest are in the writing stages or have completed their scripts.
-In addition to the 12, there are at least six episodes that may or may not happen. I've talked with those and have to hear back from them or may have some issues that may delay things from getting started. As far as I'm concerned, these will be part of the series until I hear otherwise.
-I've personally written at least five of the episodes and have contributed to at least two more. In addition, I'll be directing two of the stories, both will tie in directly to the full length MOTW movie.
-Out of the eighteen possible episodes, two will come from England, one from Canada, one from Brazil, while the rest will be set in the US.
-As mentioned before, the time frame of the episodes will range from five minutes and up. One will even be a two part episode.
-The plan to release a new episode each month, barring any last minute changes, remains the same. This is the reason why there has been a two month gap between the first episode back in June and the second, which will be released no later than September 30th. There's also the possibility that two episodes may air in one month, but I'm not going to do that until enough episodes are completed in order to attempt that.
-Episodes will air on YouTube, MySpace and other video outlets to be announced soon.
-I'm also planning to release trailers for upcoming episodes as well as newly created promos for the series as things move on.

So that's how things break down. I was asked about the possiblity of a second season. As of right now, it's way too early to consider that. But if these stories are well received and if there's enough interest for more, then I will strongly look into another season. But for right now, my focus in on the episodes in development.
In the coming weeks, I'll mention the names of those who will be taking part in the webseries. And in the next post, I'll release new photos of what will be the second episode.

Major News: Exclusive Pics from Future MOTW Web Series Episodes

2008-09-10T21:53:00.001-07:00

Hey there.

First of all, some news to report. It's looking like the slots for the MOTW webseries episodes are starting to fill up. I just talked with someone who's agreed to do one and more than likely, unless things change, that will be the last open spot for the webseries, unless I decide to do a second season. I'll keep you posted and fill you in on who's doing the other episodes.

Also, I've told you recently that some episodes are in production right now. Here's some exclusive screen shots from two that are in the works.

First, here's some shots from Tony Gardner's episode, "The Garage". Filming began a few weeks ago and he has informed me that if things hold, it should be completed by the end of the month.

And, here is a couple of shots from the yet to be named episode that Brad Fish is doing. Filming began a couple days ago (Sept. 9th) and he hopes to have it ready sometime this month:

Now, barring any production delays, one of these episodes will have its premiere later on this month. The other, will probably debut in October. I'll let you know which one will have the respective slot.

That's it for now. I'll have another update soon.

Major News: MOTW Web Series to Resume in September

2008-08-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

As I'm sure you know, July has came and went without an episode from the webseries and with a few days left in this month, don't expect to see one for August either.

Due to production delays, the planned episodes will be rescheduled for a later time.

In the meantime, I can tell you that the web series will resume in September. Things are moving along with episodes that are in development. I've written a few scripts and a couple people I know have started filming their episodes. There will be an update about that in the next post.

So for those who were expecting to see the next installment, I ask for you to be patient until next month. The second episode of the web series will be on its way very soon.

Stay tuned.

New MOTW Episode Announced: The Garage

2008-07-19T23:42:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

With the MOTW webseries underway, I'm pleased to announce that a new episode is in the works.

My online friend Tony Gardner from England has put together a story, called "The Garage" and after reading the script, I think it's an unique addition to the series.

Until the episode's ready to go, I'll keep the details about the episode under wraps for now, but Tony was kind enough to come up with a teaser poster for the episode. Here it is:

Tony's had some experience putting together werewolf movies, with both Dense Fear, and the upcoming sequel "Dense Fear 2: Bloodline". He's also done several segments for both of the trailers for the webseries, so I know he is up for the task of putting this episode together.

From what I understand, he should be getting ready to begin production on this very very soon. As soon as I get any photos or info on the episode, I'll post this on the blog site.

I wish Tony the best of luck with this episode as well as for his upcoming projects. For more about his projects, go to his site at http://www.ironangelproductions.co.uk/ and for more on Dense Fear and its sequel, go to
http://www.freewebs.com/densefear2/

That's it for now. Stay tuned for more updates as the webseries continues.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Episode 1 PREMIERE!!

2008-06-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

Here it is.

After several months of talk, planning, constant delays and hard work, MOTW: The WebSeries is now officially up and running.

Here is the first episode, "Conundrum", directed by William Phelps.

I want to thank Will for being able to put this together. He had to deal with a lot of delays with this episode, but at long last it is up.

So with that, the webseries is off and running.

From here on in, a NEW original episode will debut each month leading up to the full length movie's premiere.

Stay tuned for future posts as you'll find out what will be next month's episode.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Second Trailer PREMIERE, First Episode Debuts This Sunday!!!

2008-06-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

I know it's been a while since my last update, and I have gotten a few notices about what's been going on in regards to MOTW. I appreciate the notes, but as I mentioned once before, I want the updates to be important.

And this one is no exception.

First off, I've put together a new trailer to promote the webseries. This one is shorter than the first one, running just over two minutes. And it also contains footage from some of the early episodes that are in development.

Here it is:

I want to thank William Phelps, Sterling Gazdik, Tony Gardner, Tim Vogt and Brad Fish for providing footage for the new trailer. I also want to thank Eric Smigiel for doing an outstanding job with the narration as well. This is the second trailer Eric has done for MOTW. He also appeared in the promo trailer for the movie last year.

Now the other big news: The first episode of the series will premiere Sunday night (June 8th).

Will Phelps, who's doing the opening episode, has finally gotten around to fixing up the episode after several delays and will be releasing it on Sunday. When it's released, you'll see it here, on the MOTW MySpace page and on YouTube.

It's been a long time coming, but at last, the web series will finally be getting off the ground.

Stay tuned for the world premiere of the first episode on the next update.

Major News: Meeting Brings Big Benefits for MOTW Movie

2008-05-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

Lately I've been chatting about the planned webseries. But this time I want to start the blog by talking about the full length movie.

Tuesday, May 6 marked yet another milestone day for the movie. It was because of a meeting I had with a couple of people from my old junior college.

Now, a few months prior to this meeting, I had gone to my old school to talk with one of my old instructors about my project and seeing if maybe he can help get in any leads for helping get the movie off the ground.

He told me about a Film Club at the school and suggested that I try my luck there. So after exchanging emails and setting up a time to meet, I was finally able to get together with some of the members for a meet.

Unfortunately, hardly anyone from the club was there at the meeting place, but upon going to one of their offices, I met up with a couple of members, including the head of the group. Ironically enough, he turned out to be an old friend of mine from the college radio station I used to work for. I had lost touch with him over the years and didn't even know that he was the one I was exchanging emails with. So, that was a pleasant surprise.

Anyway, I talked with him and another member of the club about my project and asked what, if anything, could they do to help out.

What they told me would turn out to be very very good news.

First thing they told me was that the best way to get help was to become a member of the club. Since I was an alumni, that wouldn't be a problem. Next was the fact, that as a member, I can get help from the other members to work behind the scenes. So through that, I now have a crew.

But the biggest news was yet to come.

They told me as a member, I can have access to all of their cameras, their equipment (including a new lighting kit) and their editing suites. They have Final Cut Pro, by the way, one of the top editing systems. They also have in the works, a greenscreen room, which could prove useful down the line. Also, they have a top of the line visual effects group at the school, where one of the leaders there worked at ILM, the premier visual effect leader. So that's another plus.

And the best news of all? Among the cameras that they have in their arsenal is not one, but two high definition cameras.

So, in one day, MOTW has grown leaps and bounds as a result of this meeting. Before this, that was one of the major roadblocks in my way in getting this project off the ground was finding a way to get access to this. Sure, I could do it myself, but that would be a timely and costly matter, things that I don't have. Now that hurdle has been cleared.

I also had this pipe dream to maybe film the movie in HD. I never thought it would happen, but it would be something I thought would be cool to try. Now that's no longer a dream. When MOTW begins filming, it will be in high definition. The fact I can say that just blows my mind.

And now, I have several people to help me out behind the scenes. Including one, who's a big time horror movie fan, and the other, my one time friend, who's doing some good things with a local movie production company of his own. And he said, he'll be willing to help out as best he can.

So this turned out to be an amazing day. I don't have to worry about those "what ifs" anymore when it comes to cameras and equipment. I also have access to some good locations around the school's campus, which is again ironic because when I began writing the current storyline that takes place in this movie, I envisioned areas around this very school, because I spent so much time around here. Now, I don't have to worry about finding a good substitute for it. I now have the actual locations.

I want to give a shout out to Alan and Mark from the HFCC Film Club for talking with me and telling me about the benefits of the club as well as giving me a tour of their facilities. This will be a place that I know I'll be spending a lot of time in the months ahead.

So the next step is casting. The guys suggested that I get a hold of some of the people who work at the school's theatre department. That is something that I will definitely look into as well as having a possible casting call. If things go well, production could actually begin later on this summer. I'll keep you posted.

That's the latest news on the full length movie. Next time, I'll have a major update on the upcoming webseries.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Debuts In May, MOTW MySpace Page Launches

2008-04-22T22:37:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

Been a while since my last update, but I come with two very important announcements.

First, MOTW: The Web Series finally has a launch date.

After several months of delays due to production problems, the online webseries will finally have its world premeire sometime in May, most likely the early part of the month.

I don't want to set an exact date just yet, because --as I've learned many times with this project -- you never know when things may go wrong and there could be yet another setback. But I can say that as I type this blog, at least three episodes are nearing completion.

William Phelps, Brad Fish, and Sterling Gazdik have all been working on their episodes over the past few months. All three are now in the post production stage, with only editing, effects and some fine tuning left to go. So, it shouldn't be too long now before they are all completed.

Now, once I get the completed episodes, that's when I'll announce the official premiere date and shortly thereafter, you'll soon see them online.

When I first announced the series launch way back in January, Will Phelps was going to release the first episode. But now, with three episodes racing towards the finish line, I'd say the first one to get it completed will be the first to debut.

Watch this space around May 1st for the official announcement.

Now, for the other bit of news:

I've officially launched a MySpace page devoted to both the full length movie and the webseries.

I've been planning to have this set up at the MySpace site for a few months now, ever since the teaser trailer debuted last September, but I wanted to wait until things started rolling with both the movie and the webseries before I made it online.

My goal for this page is not only to drum up interest as well as support for MOTW, but also serve as an outlet for other filmmakers as well. In addition to photos and videos from both the movie and the webseries (full episodes will also be linked through the page), but I also will post extensive blogs and reports on the projects as well.

Now, this blog site will remain active as well. But, it will mainly serve for news updates on both the movie and webseries, as is the case now. Eventually, as production ramps up, I'll be keeping a diary of things as filming progresses.

Here's the MySpace page link: http://www.myspace.com/markofthewolfmovie. The page right now has the promo trailer and the webseries trailer and photos from episodes in development, but soon more stuff will be added. Hope you get a chance to check it out.

That's it for now. I'll have another update soon.

Major News: Exclusive Pics from Episode 2!!!

2008-03-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

Got another major update for you.

Here's your exclusive first look at images from Episode 2 of the MOTW Webseries.

My friend Brad Fish, who's doing this webisode, was kind enough to provide these screenshots that you see here.

He was also able to tell me that production on the second episode, which should run about five minutes, was completed on Tuesday (March 25) and is now in the editing stage.

So, if things hold to form, expect to see this episode premiere online sometime in April.

In other news, my friend Will Phelps informed me that sometime this week he'll be able to have the finishing touches done with his episode, which will launch the series. So hopefully, by next Monday, March 31st, the webseries will finally make its debut.

And lastly, another friend of mine, Tim Vogt, has agreed to do the werewolf costume for the MOTW movie, in addition to his own episode. He's also volunteering his services to those who are planning to film episodes of the webseries and are looking for a suit to use as well. Thanks again for being able to help out with that.

That's the latest news for now. Stay tuned as we draw closer to the world premiere of MOTW: The Web Series.

Status Update: News on Upcoming WebSeries Projects

2008-03-13T21:04:00.001-07:00

Hey there.

Wanted to keep you updated on some behind the scenes dealings with MOTW: The WebSeries.

-First, work will begin sometime next week on Brad Fish's episode. This one, which I told you before, is on the fast track and more than likely will be the second episode released sometime in April. I'll keep you posted.

-Second, had a good chat earlier this week with Michael Rhudy, who's planning an episode to be released later in the summer. I just read the latest draft of the script, based on an idea I gave him and it's shaping up to be a good story. He hopes to begin casting on it soon.

-And lastly, Tim Vogt, who's working on a two-part episode for the webseries, sent me this screenshot of his project, which began production on Wednesday. this is top secret for now, but I can tell you this is a cool idea and you can expect a teaser from this very very soon. Click on the photo to really see this one. :)

There you go, things are happening behind the scenes with the webseries, which still looks to launch later on this month. Stay tuned.

Major News: New Addition to Webseries Roster, Early Lineup of Episodes Set

2008-03-05T22:52:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

First of all, thanks for the early comments so far for the sneak preview of the first episode of the webseries.

Next, I want to welcome a new addition to the roster: Brad Fish. Not only is he doing an webisode, but he's also doing several storyboard sequences for the full length movie as well.

I got to talking with Brad about doing something relatively quick, but yet will be a key episode to serve not just for the web series, but also for the movie as well. After going over what the concept will be about, he was all for it. So, thanks again Brad for being a part of this and welcome aboard.

This will be a short episode, probably around five minutes and is on the fast track. So more than likely, this could be the second episode of the series. Which, if things go to form, will be released sometime in April.

Now, about the episode schedule. As I told you before, the roster of episodes have been changing somewhat since the webseries was announced a few months ago. The number's still changing and it's still going to be around the 12-15 episode mark. But no definitive number just yet.

I can say though, that as of right now, the first three episodes of the series have been set, with Will Phelps' episode kicking things off in March, then Brad's episode will follow in April and Sterling Gazdik's episode set to debut in May.

Again, the lineup can change at anytime and additions can be made at anytime, so I'll keep you posted here if that happens.

Also, when the episodes debut, it will be seen on YouTube. I was going to place them also on Stage6.com, but their site closed a few weeks ago. I am looking into another site to host the episodes, so I'll keep you posted on that.

So that's the latest. Stay tuned as the webseries kicks into high gear later on this month.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Episode 1 Sneak Preview

2008-03-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

Here it is.

A sneak preview of the premiere episode from MOTW: The Web Series.

Check it out:

Watch for the full episode to debut later on this month.

Stay tuned.

Status Update: First Webisode to Possibly Debut in March, Changes to Webseries Roster

2008-02-24T00:12:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

It's been about a month or so since my last update. So I figured it was time for make a few announcements.

-- First off, it's looking more likely that the webseries, which originally was slated to begin back in January, will probably launch in March instead. My friend Will Phelps, who's doing the first episode, is still having computer problems. But he tells me he is working on the matter. So once I get word from him, you'll see it's premeire. There may be a possibility you'll see a sneak preview of the episode as well. But again, I'll keep you posted.

-- Next, I'm proud to welcome Tim Vogt to the roster of those who will be doing an episode of the webseries. I had intially met him through a chat room of fellow film makers. After showing him the link to the teaser trailer for the series, he expressed an interest in taking part. Through several chats, he has come up with an unique idea for his episode. In fact, he'll be the first to do what will be a multipart episode for the series, which is very cool. So welcome aboard Tim. I know you'll bring a lot to the MOTW universe.

-- With Tim now added to the roster, the number of webisodes planned for the series is again in flux. Some are doing episodes, some have pulled out, and the exact number for what you might see will change. On a future post, I'll let you know about the updated roster.

That's it for now. I'll have another update soon.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Premiere Delayed till February

2008-01-25T22:38:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

First of all, thanks to everyone who's sent off messages about the web series trailer.

Also, I want to thank all of you for your patience as you await the world premiere of the series.

The trailer posted the launch date for January 5th, but my friend Will's computer troubles -he's doing the first episode, by the way- caused it to be delayed till the 13th. At the time, it looked like the problems were taken care of and that it was going to make the new date.

But, mere hours before the webisode was set to debut, the computer troubles struck again.

So, now Will tells me that more than likely he'll have to get a new computer. So that means the series will be delayed yet again. I talked with him about when would he think be the best time that it'll be ready. He told me most likely February.

So that's when the series will begin.

Sometime in February.

As to an exact date, I'm not going to say. After being burned twice after posting a premiere date, I've decided not to do so until I get the date 100% locked in. So the moment I do, that's when you know.

So, as it stands right now, the first two episodes are set for February and March. Plans are underway to confirm what will be on April. Also, there have been some slight changes as to who will be doing what. A few members have dropped out while some new ones have agreed to join the roster. I'll fill you in on the changes on the next post.

Anyway, thanks again for your patience. I'll let you know when the series will officially get started.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Premiere Date Rescheduled, New Poster Unveiled

2008-01-12T22:16:00.001-08:00

Hey there.

Two bits of news to report.

First, I'm proud to unveil a new poster in anticipation of the MOTW Web Series' rescheduled premiere date (which I'll mention in a moment) It's on the left.

The photo contains some screen shots from the trailer promoting the series and I've also included the two main sources where you'll see the webisodes, YouTube.com and Stage 6.com.

Once the series is up and running, the episodes, along with any related extras, will be seen on both sites, as well as here. I'm also in the process, with some help from my friend Will Phelps, of setting up channels on both YouTube and Stage 6, where they'll be centrally located. I'll let you know when they're up.

Now, for the other piece of news. The webseries now has a new premiere date. Originally scheduled for January 5th, the first episode is now set to debut tomorrow night (Sunday Jan. 13th.)

Will Phelps, who is doing the debut episode, has been dealing with some computer problems the past week or so, delaying things for a few days. Well, he has since gotten the problem fixed and he will soon upload the webisode tomorrow.

So stay tuned for the next post on this blog. That's when you'll be able to see the first episode of MOTW: The Web Series.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Premiere Delayed, First Pics from Debut Episode

2008-01-07T19:40:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

I know you were expecting to see the first episode of MOTW: The Web Series by now. The trailer promoting the series announced that it would premiere on Saturday, Jan. 5. And up into that point, it was going to be the case.

But now, things have been delayed for a few days.

My friend William Phelps, who is doing the first episode of the webseries, has been having some problems with his computer and is unable to process the footage he's done so far. So because of that, the episode wasn't ready by the announced premiere date.

These things happen, I've had my share of computer problems over the years, so I know how that goes.

Talking with him earlier, Will's told me that he should have things straightened out this week. So the best case scenario is that the first episode will debut on Wednesday. I'll let you know for sure when it is ready to go.

In the meantime, to hold things over, Will's provided some pictures from the yet-to-be-titled debut episode. Here they are:

So stay tuned. The first episode of the webseries debuts later on this week.

Major News: MOTW:The Web Series Trailer WORLD PREMIERE!!

2008-01-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here it is. The trailer for MOTW: The Web Series:

I want to give special thanks to some friends of mine who helped to make this possible. To William Phelps, Thomas Gallagher, Tony Gardner, Michael Rhudy and Sterling Gazdik, thanks for supplying the footage. I also want to thank Andrew Mitchell for composing the original music that you'll hear in the trailer and will serve as the theme music for the series.

So stay tuned sometime tomorrow night for the Online World Premiere of the first episode of MOTW: The Web Series.

Status Update: Movie Lead Role to Be Recast-- Again; Webseries Trailer to Premeire This Week

2008-01-02T22:51:00.000-08:00

Hey there, first of all, Happy New Year.

I hope 2008 will be the year of MOTW, both with the full length movie as well as the web series, so with that in mind, here's some news on both projects:

-MOTW: The Movie -- Some news to report. Looks like I'll be recasting the lead role yet again. My friend Josh informed me recently that he won't be able to commit full time to the movie because he'll be busy doing work over in California. I wish him well in his new endeavors and I told him the door is still open for him if he wants.

Now, unlike last time where I was just crushed over having to recast, this time I'm not too upset about it. This means that I'll be planning things out to include the lead role in the upcoming casting call. So I'll keep you posted.

I've also had a meet with one of my old college professors, letting him know about my project and seeing if I can use the resources of the school towards the movie. He told me he will help out, so I will definitely take advantage of it.

Also, I've contacted a couple of possible leads for makeup artists for the movie as well. It's still very very early and I've yet to hear anything back, but again I'll keep you posted.

-MOTW: The Webseries -- Things are progressing along as far as the web series goes. After first planning to begin the series of webisodes in December, it will now start January 5th instead. My friend Will Phelps will be doing the first episode, with future installments to follow once a month.

I've also crafted together a trailer to promote the upcoming series, which will debut this week. You'll be able to see the trailer here on this page and on YouTube as soon as it's done.

The development of the series has come along pretty well. I've helped establish another storyline for one friend who's doing an episode and come up with a couple more ideas for others.
As always, I'll keep you posted.

That's the latest for now. Watch for the world premeire of the webseries trailer on the next post, with the series debut to follow.

Major News: Web Series Logo Unveiled, Roster Expands, Possible Premiere Launch Date

2007-11-21T20:44:00.001-08:00

Hey there. This entry is an update on "MOTW: The Web Series", a series of short films that will tie into the full length MOTW movie.

The first bit of news is that there's a logo now associated with the web series, as seen at the start of this post Again special thanks goes out to my friend Bobby from Waveride Entertainment for coming up with yet another cool logo. What I love about this is that it's unique in its own right, yet still has traces of the logo from the MOTW movie.

Now that the web series has it's own identity, the next big news is about the roster of episodes. Originally, the plan was to have nine or ten episodes. Then several more people began to express an interest making the lineup grow even more. That just blows me away. When I first came up with the concept, I figured me and my friends will do a few that will directly link to the main movie and maybe a few friends would chip in with one or two at the most. But, when I realized how many of my friends wanted to take part in this, it occurred to me how cool and exciting this entire project is going to be. I can't thank all those who will be involved in this enough.

Speaking of people, in addition to those who I've mentioned in my last post, I also want to announce that Tony Gardner, Sterling Gazdik and Michael Rhudy has also expressed an interest in doing an episode. With their additions, the roster is now at the 13-15 episode range. Thanks again guys for taking part.

So now comes the question on when will the series begin. Well, if things go the way I think they will, expect it to happen sometime in December. I'm not going to confirm an exact date, but I can say that my plan is to release them every month after that. I'd like it to be like the first Friday of the month, or something along those lines, but it depends on when the episodes will be done. I'll let you know.

Also, plans are in the works for a trailer to promote the series. Again, I'll let you know when it's up. hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

I also want to give a major shout out to Andrew Mitchell, who has come up with what will be the theme music for the series. I heard it and it has what I think will be the good vibe to set the tone for the webisodes. He'll also be one of the contributors for the series as well. Thanks again man!

So that's the web series update. I'll have an update soon on the full length movie, including plans for a new site associated with MOTW. Stay tuned.

Major News: MOTW Web Series Roster Set!

2007-10-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

Small but important update. In my last post, I mentioned about the announcement of the MOTW Web Series, a series of several short films that will be set in the universe of the full length film. I told you that I've asked several friends and acquaintances if they would be interested in taking part, and the response has been overwhelming.

Just today, the last spot available for the webisodes has been confirmed and I can proudly announce that the Web Series Roster has been set.

These are the ones who will be writing and/or filming an episode of the series: William Phelps, Armin Stojanovic, Chas Blankenship, Andrew Mitchell, Thomas Gallagher, Thomas Blevins and Thomas Parker.

Each will do one episode. Some will just write the episode, while the others will write as well as film them. Me and my friends will do the rest of the series, which will total out to either ten or eleven episodes.

Through some of the conversations I've had with the guys, they have told me what their ideas will be about, some have even shown me the scripts, and others have told me what effects they plan to do. So far, all of it looks very very cool.

So again guys, thanks for taking part of this. I look forward to helping each and every one of you putting the episodes together. I'll keep you posted on how things progress.

Major News: Announcing MOTW: The Web Series

2007-10-24T00:30:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

I am proud to announce a new addition to the movie project:

"Mark of the Wolf: The Web Series"

Now, some are wondering if I had gone back yet again to doing a mini series, which was the case once before. (For those who don't remember my original plans, MOTW started out as a miniseries, then a film, then back to a miniseries and then back again to a film.)

In this case, the answer is no. MOTW will still be a full length film and the concept for it is still in place.

What the web series will be about, however, will be something entirely new.

Before I tell you what it's about, let me begin by saying it all goes back to my phone chat last month with my friend Josh, who'll be playing the lead role in the movie. In our talk, we got to mention what I was looking for him to do as we prepare to start filming next year. Among the things I was looking for was doing another trailer, this time with Josh in the role, since I wanted the audience to start associating him with the movie.

He was all for it, and soon an idea sparked in me. I had several short scripts and ideas to use as groundwork for the trailers for the movie. Some of them I didn't want to go to waste. Also, I was thinking about what will work best for the lead character, give some background that may or may not be used in the movie.

Then I got to thinking about the full scope of the werewolf itself. What if we could touch on other werewolves, some that may be associated with the lead character in the movie or with the film's storyline in general?

So with that in mind, that's when I came up with MOTW: The Web Series.

Here's how it'll be broken down:

--The series will consist of about nine or ten short films, probably ranging between five to fifteen minutes.

--About half of the films will have a definitive link to the main feature. I'm already plan on doing a flashback to the character and maybe even doing something that will serve as a direct prelude to the movie.

--The other films will be ones that will be based in the world the film will be set. So it's a safe bet that you'll see other werewolves in these films. Some will be good. Some may be evil. There may be those you won't know whose side they are on.

--I've come up with several story ideas and I've written some of the stories and will even direct a few. But the others will be handled by several friends of mine who've done some film work of their own and will add their own touches and twists to the ideas I've given them.

--I'll tell you who the directors are in future posts. But I can say that I've already got five commitments set already. So we're halfway there as far as that goes.

--It's too soon to say when you will you see these webisodes. But I can say that they'll probably debut towards the end of the year and on into 2008, just as things ramp up with filming for the main feature. I'll let you know when.

--And when MOTW is completed and the film is available on DVD (and it will be) expect the webisodes to be on the disc as well, along with any behind the scenes footage and extras.

So, that's what the webseries will be about. Sort of an extension to what the main film will be about. I personally think it'll be a cool way to expand on the storyline and the universe that will be seen in the film, especially when it comes to some cool plot points that may be addressed in the actual film itself.

I'll keep you posted on how the web series is developing, as well as the main film itself. But I can tell you 2008 is shaping up to be a very cool year ahead for MOTW.

Oh, one quick note I want to mention. The teaser trailer has now passed the 3,000 view mark on YouTube since it's debut over a month ago. Thanks again to everyone who's seen it and commented on it.

That's it for now. Sometime next month, I'll have another major announcement about MOTW. Probably the biggest when it comes to getting the film up and going. So stay tuned.

Status Update: Teaser Hits 2000, Meetings and Plans

2007-10-09T10:36:00.001-07:00

Hey there.

First of all, the teaser trailer for MOTW has crossed the 2000 views mark on YouTube. It reached the milestone on Oct. 4 and is still climbing. I'm very pleased about that, especially for a video that's been up for about a month now. So thanks to all that has viewed it and left comments as well. Keep them coming.

Next, last week I had a very good meeting with my friend Josh about the movie. It was the second meet I had with my lead actor, only this time we chatted on the phone instead of meeting in person. A main part of our meeting was still going over the script and also laying the groundwork for him to become more involved in the promotional efforts. Hopefully soon, you will start to see him in posters, trailers and the like.

And lastly, I've come up with another plan for the movie. Now, I can't say anything about this just yet, because it's still in the early stages, but if it works out it will definitely open things in the MOTW universe.

That's it for now. I'll have another report soon.

The Story behind the MOTW Teaser

2007-09-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

September 7, 2007 was a milestone moment in the history of MOTW.

On that day, shortly after 7pm local time, the long overdue teaser trailer for the movie made its world premiere online.

In the three plus weeks since its debut, it's been viewed over 1,700 times on YouTube, which is very impressive. Plus it has been viewed countless times through this blog site and also through my website. That blows me away, especially with the countless amount of videos posted online lately.

Amazing to believe that all of this began way back last December when the idea of the film's teaser first came about. Almost ten months later, it is now a reality, thanks to three people who helped make all of this possible.

So, with that in mind, let me tell you the story of how this teaser all came together.

It all started last December, shortly after the second production meeting where me and Josh (who'll be playing the lead role) talked about the film and what I had in mind.

During the meeting, I brought up the idea of filming a teaser. My initial goal was to shoot some footage of Josh after the meeting and use it to set the stage. But due to a lack of time and people available to help out, we couldn't get together. A few days after looking over the original teaser script, Josh came up with an idea on his own, which I liked. It was that idea that would be the groundwork for the teaser that is playing now.

After coming up with an outline based on that idea, I crafted a script that would be used for the teaser. But, since Josh was out of town and busy with school, he wouldn't be able to film his part. And I wanted to have something concrete to show, to get people's attention about the movie and what I have in mind.

Which brings me to the first person I want to thank for helping make this teaser possible, seen in the photo to the left. He is the one who is pretty much the "face" of the MOTW teaser: Eric Smigiel.

I've known Eric for almost two years now, ever since his work in the two Batman fan films, "Batman Brutality" and Batman Duality", through his film company Smigiel Pictures. Through our chats online and messages in emails and the Batman Fan Films website that we both visit regulary, we became good friends.

When it looked obvious that Josh wasn't going to be able to film anything for the teaser, I ran the idea by Eric to see if he was up for acting in the teaser. After looking the script over, he was interested in helping out and things were underway.

While this was happening, I knew that if I needed to pull this off, I needed someone to help put the transformation shots together. I wasn't looking for a full on transformation (sorry for those who were expecting one), but just enough to show what was happening. For that, I asked another friend of mine -and the second person who helped make this possible- Rob Roy from Wits End Entertainment. I had seen his work in his own werewolf movie, Lycan Colony, and I knew he'd be just the guy to help with the CGI effects I was looking for. Through several emails, Rob was able to help out with that.

Flash forward to March, and Eric, who was busy filming several other projects, was able to film the majority of the footage that you see in the teaser. He filmed it in his hometown, just outside Albuquerque. Once I received the ten plus minutes of footage, I then emailed the video over to where Rob lived, in New Hampshire so that he could work on the effects, giving him tips on what I wanted done. In the meantime, I was hard at work on completing the script for the film.

It wasn't till April that Rob started to send me

short clips of what he did with the footage. Slowly and surely I was starting to see how good the CGI was turning out, especially with showing enough, but not too much of the transformation process, which is what I wanted for the teaser.

The short clips were just that, short. So it was pure torture waiting to hear from Rob on how the footage was coming along and if he had done any new updates. It was getting to a point where I would email him just about every week for an update. "Good work takes time" he told me in one email. I went along with it, but believe me it was brutal, waiting for something new to come in.

Again fast forward a few more months. Rob woud send out several more updates in that time frame. In fact, it took until early August before Rob was able to send out the last bit of footage. During that same time frame, I would get behind the camera myself, filming in some footage of the full moon. Once I got the last of the CGI shots from Rob, I asked Eric if he could do a few pickups to flesh out the teaser. I was very lucky that he could squeeze it in, as he was in the middle of filming yet another movie. But again, he was able to come through.

So by late August, I had all the footage and I began the process of editing the teaser. But I still needed one last piece to make it complete. I needed music. And this is where the third and final person I wanted to thank for making this possible comes into play. His name is Jason Feder and I came across him through the Low Budget Horror Film Society boards -the same place where me and Josh first met up. He had done several bits of horror based music for movie soundtracks and after hearing some of his work, I asked him (way back last year when I originally was planning the miniseries idea) if he could do music for my project. I recently renewed my contact with Jason about using one or two of his cuts instead for the teaser. He agreed and after looking things over, I found two cuts that I can use.

By the way, the music you hear come from not one selection but two. The drumbeats you hear from the start and the end come from his Library collectioin and the music in between is from a selection he calls "Increasing Tension". Nice title, I think.

So once I got the music and everything else, I was able to move to the final step, editing. That was a long, grueling process that took about two and a half weeks to put together. And then, that was it.

Which brings me to September 7 and the official launch. Ever since then, I've gotten a lot of cool comments. Not just from my friends but from other independent filmmakers and fans of the genre. They like what the tone of the movie will be about and they really liked Eric's performance. And just so you know, Eric won't be appearing in the film. Any future trailers will include actual members of the cast. However, I did offer Eric a cameo role, if he can be able to do it.

Of course, not every review has been positive. Some say it's too long for a teaser. Some didn't like parts of the footage or the CGI. They were even some that didn't like the lower case letters or the exclamation points in the graphics. But overall, the response has been overwhelming positive, which is exactly what I was shooting for when this came about last December.

So once again I want to thank the three people responsible for helping me make this a reality. I want to thank Eric for acting and especially being able to squeeze it in with his crowded plate of a schedule. You could've turned me down a million times over, especially with what I was looking for, but you didn't and I can't thank you enough for that. I know you and I will get together for a future project someday. I want to thank Rob for doing the CGI and I hope we can work on the film and any future projects. Best of luck to you on your upcoming works as well. And to Jason, for providing the music clips which was a perfect fit.

I also want to thank all those who've seen the teaser and commented on it. I hope this will give you guys just a taste of what I have planned for the full length feature. And if everything works out the way I hope, you guys haven't seen anything yet.

Major News: MOTW Teaser Trailer WORLD PREMIERE!!!!!!

2007-09-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

OK, no more talking, no more excuses, no more delays.

After a long overdue wait, it's time to FINALLY present the teaser trailer for "Mark of the Wolf":

Watch for the story behind the teaser on my next post!

Major News: MOTW Teaser to Premiere This Week!!

2007-09-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hey there. I have a very short, but important update:

The teaser trailer for MOTW will debut sometime this week!

The rough edit is now complete, clocking in at just over two minutes. All the visual shots have been chosen and now I am moving on to the audio feed, laying down the sound effects and music. Once that's done, it will be ready to go.

That means that sometime this week, the teaser will have its world premiere on the web. Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow, maybe even Sunday night at 11:59pm, but it will happen this week for sure.

So that's it for now. The next update I'll post on here will be the biggest yet for the movie.

That's when the long anticipated teaser trailer will debut.

Stay tuned.

Major News: MOTW Teaser Trailer Update: Editing Underway

2007-08-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

Small update to the one earlier about the MOTW teaser. I just got the music I needed to put the trailer together. With the footage completed, the editing process has begun.

It won't be long now before the teaser trailer will be finally be released. Stay tuned.

Major News: Teaser Trailer Footage Is Done!!

2007-08-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

Big news to report. Footage for the long delayed, long overdue teaser trailer for MOTW has been completed.

I don't want to give too much away for it just yet, but I can say that earlier this week, some last minute pickup shots were done to flesh out earlier material that has been shot.

With the footage now wrapped, I'm waiting on one last element: the music needed for the trailer and then I can begin to edit the footage. In fact I've already started working on a rough cut.

So it won't be long now before the teaser is finally released.

In other news, in case you've noticed the blog site has changed its look somewhat with a new header and an updated poster (with both listing its new release date of 2008) Special thanks once again goes to Bobby of Waveride Entertainment for making the changes.

I'm also looking into setting up a MySpace page as well as an official website for the movie, but the website probably won't be up till next year as we get closer to starting production.

That's the latest right now. But stay tuned as we get closer to the debut of the MOTW teaser!!

Major News: MOTW To Be Released in 2008

2007-08-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Just wanted to let you know that after giving it much thought, I want to make this announcement:

Mark of the Wolf will be released sometime in 2008.

Now I know what you're thinking: Is the movie having problems yet again?

This time, I can honestly say... No.

This time around, things are progressing slowly and surely with MOTW. A lot of stuff is happening behind the scenes. My friend Brandon, who's doing the costumes, has started some early work with the masks. So far it looks good. I'm also negotiating with someone who may be doing the physical makeup effects for the movie. It's still not a done deal, but it's looking promising. I'll let you know if it's a go.

Also, as far as cast members go, we're still at three. Only you can subtract one and add one, at least for now anyway. Back when we had our first production meeting in December, Jason, my friend and castmate, introduced me to his friend Dave, who had expressed an interest in taking part in the movie. After our talk, it looked to be a safe bet that Dave was going to play one of the supporting roles.

Well, in the time since then, Jason has told me that Dave has kind of backed off of his interest and hasn't communicated with Jason since then. So hearing that, Dave is no longer part of the cast. But recently, Jason told me about another friend of his, Mike, who is interested in a supporting role. So as of right now, he's aboard. Which means that Josh, who's playing the lead, Jason and now Mike are part of the cast.

The way things are going right now, there's a chance that production may start later on in the fall. But if it does, it'll probably be a few scenes here and there, if that. If nothing else we may do some promotional stuff for the film. The real bulk of the shooting, where the makeup, costumes and other stuff will come into play will happen sometime next spring. So for that reason, the film will be ready to go next year. Which is good, because I want to go into this completely ready and have everything set to go by then instead of having to rush and scramble, which is what crippled the film's development before.

And, slowly but surely, work is coming in for the long overdue teaser trailer. My friend Rob Roy is still working on the effects part of the teaser. But as I've told you before, with each new bit that he sends me, the more I like how it's going. So hopefully it won't be long now before it's done.

So that's the latest right now with MOTW. Again, the film will be done sometime next year, but this time, things are moving along in a positive direction, so I'm not concerned about the delay at all.

Stay tuned. I'll have another update soon.

Status Update: More Photos from the MOTW Teaser

2007-07-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple more photos from the upcoming teaser trailer, which is still in post production.

My friend Rob Roy from Wits End Entertainment has been working on the effects for the teaser and was kind enough to send these pics out the other day. I have to say, these effects look cool with each new photo he sends out. I can't thank Rob enough for putting this together.

The big question is: when will it be ready? Hopefully very, very
soon. Rob is currently working on some CGI renders for the teaser as well. And there may be a chance that some more footage could be added to this as well.

So, for the moment, I have to keep things under cloak and dagger for just a while longer. But, if things work out the way I think they will, it will be well worth the wait. Stay tuned.

There will be another behind the scenes update soon.

Major News: MOTW Script Completed!!!!

2007-06-16T11:21:00.000-07:00

Hey there, big news to share with you all.

The script for the full length movie is done!

Now, this has been through many, many changes, especially over the past few months. But about a few hours ago, I was able to complete the latest version of the movie script. Now this has nothing to do with the script I had originally done for MOTW when it was still going to be a mini-series, although many elements from that first episode script is still there for the movie version.

What happens next? Well, I've sent it out to my friends Josh and Jason who will be acting in the movie, as well as select others who may be helping out behind the scenes. There probably be some slight changes to the script as we get closer to filming. But essentially, the main storyline will remain the same.

I'm proud with how this script has turned out. Almost as proud as I am over a decade ago when I first wrote out the original storyline for MOTW. Hopefully, what I've written out will transfer into something worth seeing when this is all done.

That's it for now. More news coming soon.

New MOTW Teaser Poster Unveiled

2007-04-11T23:02:00.000-07:00

Hot off the heels of the release of photos from the MOTW teaser trailer, still a work in progress, comes a brand new teaser poster based on the photos. You can see it posted to the left.

Special thanks goes out to Bobby from Waveride Entertainment for putting this together so quickly.

Status Update: First Photos from the MOTW Teaser

2007-04-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

Wanted to give you a quick update on MOTW.

Here to the left are the first set of photos from the movie's teaser, which is currently in post production.

Now there's still a lot of work ahead before the teaser is finally
ready, but as these two photos clearly show, things are certainly moving along.

I also want to take this moment to give a huge thank you to Rob Roy for doing the effects work for the teaser. Thank you so much Rob for helping out with this and I can't wait to see the rest of your work.

That's the latest for now. More to come soon.

Major News: Work Underway for NEW Teaser Trailer

2007-03-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hey there. It's been a while since my last post. But I want the posts to be significant updates as we slowly move towards making this movie.

So here's the first of what I hope will be many updates this year.

As I type this, work is underway for the new teaser trailer for MOTW.

And when I say work is underway, I don't mean filming has begun. Because filming was completed almost two weeks ago, thanks to a good friend of mine.

Production for the teaser has moved on to the next promising step: special effects work is going on right now, as I've sent clips of the footage to a friend of mine who will put the effects together.

Once that's done, I'll will edit it all together and finally, the first hints of my long gestating movie project will be revealed to the masses. Now that's all I'll say about it for now. I'll talk more about it once it's released.

So, the big question is: when will it be released?

I don't want to say a specific date, because if there's one thing I've learned while putting this movie together, is to not set a date. But, if everything comes together and I'll be edit it the way I think it'll look, then possibly sometime in the end of April is when it will be revealed. Either way, when it's done and ready, I'll let you know.

In other MOTW news: It's looking like we'll start production of the film in late fall, probably in September. My friend Josh, who's playing the lead, will be done with school in Florida by then and that will give us ample time to prepare for the film. We'll meet up sometime this summer to pin down an exact date.

Also, the latest version of the script is about 65-70% done. If things work out, it will be completed in April.

I'm now looking at opportunites to raise the funds for the movie. I'm looking at several possibilites. I'll let you know what I decide soon.

That's the latest for now. I'll have more updates throughout the month.

2007: The Year of MOTW

2007-01-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

A brief update of things since my last post, before I talk about what I have planned for MOTW this year.

-Conducted another meeting last month (Dec. 17th), this time with Josh, who'll be playing the lead role. It was a good meeting, basically to hear what he thought of the story and what he can bring to the part. I like the fact that he's willing to do a lot for the role and also that he's willing to help in other aspects of the movie as well, which is going to so crucial if we're going to get this film done and out there.

So, now that we're in a new year, it's time to look ahead to what I think will be an eventful, crazy year for this movie. Now, these things are subject to change at anytime, so none of this is set in stone, but here's an early timetable for what's to come:

--January-February: Continuing to work on the script. I'm working on the latest draft of it now, and it's about 55% done. I'm still looking for a new opening segment of the film, something unlike the other films that's out there, so that'll probably be changing a lot between now and the time we actually film. But my goal is to have this draft completed by the end of February if not sooner.

--February: Again, I'm hopeful that by this time, we'll have some kind of promotional teaser trailer up and out there for the film. I was hoping that we could get something done in December through our meetings, but due to bad scheduling and/or timing, we didn't get any footage done. But, I do have a backup plan and hopefully if it works out, we'll have some footage to work with and have some kind of teaser out by the end of the month.

--January-May: This will be when all the pre-production stuff will really kick into gear. Things like raising funds, finalizing storyboards, scouting for locations, will be taking place in that time. I'll also be looking for people to help out with makeup, music, cameras, actors, you name it. I'm going to be following any leads and tips when it comes to putting this together, so if you know someone that will help with this, please let me know.

--May-August:Tenatively, this will be the period where we'll begin production. We still haven't confirmed an actual shooting schedule. But I would like to devote one week to getting all, if not the majority of the filming done. If we can't get all of it done in that one week, then there will be time to get pickups and whatever else necessary to complete the footage. My estimate is that this will be roughly a 90-minute movie.

--August-September: Post-production. Editing the footage, putting together the score and the look of the film as well as releasing trailers will be happening during this time.

--October: If things go well, post production will be completed by then. And if that's the case, then I want to premeire this movie right around Halloween weekend. A lofty goal, but that's what I'm shooting for.

After that, we're going to send it out to film festivals, competitions, whatever to promote this movie. Once that's settled and done, then I'll be releasing the movie to the masses.

Like I said, all of this is tenative and is subject to change. But I'll definitely keep you posted on that.

Also, during that time frame, I'll be planning to release an official website for the movie. And, I'm also toying around with the idea of doing a video log of the film's progress from start to finish.

So, that's what I project what 2007 will be like for MOTW. A lot is going to happen, so stay tuned. The best is yet to come.

Major News: First Meeting Held, New Cast Member Added, New Teaser Poster Revealed, Blog Site Revamped!!

2006-12-10T22:44:00.000-08:00

Hey there. Again it's been a while since my last update here. But as I said before, I want the updates to mean something. And I gotta tell you, this update is jam-packed.

Where to begin...

--December 9 became an important day in the history of MOTW. This was the day that we conducted our first-ever meeting on the film.

I would call it a pre-production meeting officially, but basically it was the first time I was able to chat in person with other members of the cast about the movie and what I have in mind for the movie.

Amidst the hustle of holiday shoppers at a mall not far from my home, I got a chance to sit down and talk with my friend Jason (who'll be playing one of the roles and helping out behind the scenes) and his friend Dave, who's officially has been added to the cast. More about him in a second. I also invited my friend Josh to the meeting as well, but an unfortunate accident involving a friend of his caused him at the last minute not to go. (His friend, by the way, is doing better, so that's good news).

After lunch, the three of us got to sit down and talk for over an hour about the movie and what I had in mind not just for the movie, but for each of the characters as well. It was a good meeting, as it gave us a chance not only to meet in person for the first time, but also to break the ice and go over things for what lies ahead when we start filming next year.

Overall, I consider this meeting a total success and we're already planning to have another get together soon.

--Now, a quick word about the newest addition to the cast. Back in June, when this project was going to be a mini-series and I was desperately looking for help, Jason not only offered his services but mentioned that he knew some others who'll be interested as well. Dave was one of those who were interested. Not only is he one of Jason's best friends, but he's also done some acting as well. After meeting him for the first time and talking things over, I found him to be a perfect fit for one of the key roles in the movie. So let me officially welcome Dave to the MOTW crew. I'll post a picture of him soon.

--Next up: to the right is something that my friend Bobby over at Waveride Entertainment put together for me. This is the first official teaser poster for MOTW. Very, very cool looking. I hope to add a few more posters like this in the months ahead.

-- And finally, if you've noticed, this blog site has undergone quite a few changes. The headline's a lot bigger, I've added the logo to the film to the far right, included some links to current (and future) werewolf movie links and some other touches. Sometime in the coming months, this very site will be changing to more of a production diary page, for I'll be planning an official website devoted to MOTW, complete with videos, photos, and everything else devoted to this independent picture. Stay tuned, I'll keep you posted.

Before I conclude this post, I want to give a shout out to someone who came across this very blog site looking for werewolf films: Mike Hickey. We've exchanged emails several times and he's become quite a good online friend. He tells me that one day, he wants to do a werewolf film of his own, although it's still a pipe dream right now, collecting dust atop his computer desk. I hope, however, that he goes through with his plan. This project of mine has been something I've been involved with for over a decade, and even though it's gone through countless changes and rewrites, I've never given up on it. So I hope that he doesn't give up on his as well. Also, if this blog site, documenting all the good (and bad) things of putting this project of mine together, helps him in any way, then I'm honored to help.

That's it for now. Told you it was a jam-packed update. I hope to have another update for you soon.

Major News: Lead Role Officially Recast!!

2006-10-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hey there, it's been a while since my last update. But I wanted to make this update to mean something, especially with the setback from awhile ago. So let's start with some good news:

I have found a replacement for the lead role.

Here he is, on the photo posted to the right. His name is Josh and he's going to be taking over as the main character role for MOTW.

Now how did this all came about?

Well it all started in March with a visit to the Low Budget Horror Film Society forum page where, on a hunch, I looked around for possible actors who lived in my home state of Michigan. I knew I would have some friends helping out, but I also wanted to try my luck seeing if there were any who lived here who was also interested in working on a werewolf film. I only saw one ad that fit the bill, and it was Josh's. After looking it over, I e-mailed him, telling him who I was, what I was planning and would he be interested in taking part.

He was very much interested. Even though he was currently attending classes in Florida, he was planning to return to Michigan over the summer to help out with the film.

As I was putting together the script, I was starting to see Josh playing the part of one of the main character's best friends. At that time, the movie was going to be a four part miniseries and after sending him the first part, he was definitely interested, but still couldn't commit to a set date due to school. So at the time, I saw him as a backup. But I still kept him informed of what was going on with the movie.

Then in July, came the news about my friend (who was going to play the lead) not being able to make the shoot and the downward spiral which led to me deciding to delay production. When I emailed Josh about this, he was very understanding about it, even though he couldn't make it to the original August shooting date. He did tell me if things got pushed back, (because at the time I was looking at a late September/early October date as a last minute plan) and if things worked out, he would still be up for playing one of the roles. That email meant a lot. I mean, here's a guy who was still living out of state, but was still interested in the film and was willing to help if things got pushed back.

In fact, that's when I brought up the idea of offering the lead part to him. He said even though he couldn't give a firm commitment, he would be up for it.

In the meantime, as things got to a point where I decided to take a step back, changing the focus from a miniseries back to a movie, reworking the script and the like, I still kept him informed and all the time, he not once, said no to it. That meant a great deal. Still, in light of what went down over the summer, I wanted to make sure everything was smoothed out and his schedule was free enough for him to take on the lead role before I made it official to announce that he was on board. I also needed a current photo of him as well, which he gladly provided.

As I continue to fine tune the script, making some changes to accomendate him as the lead, I think he's going to work out. Why? Well not only is he an actor, he's also done some directing as part of his class projects that he's done for school. That's a good tool to have when you're putting together something like this. He's also a fan of horror films and wants to be involved in film directing in the future. Both pluses in my book. I also firmly believe that he'll be up for the tasks that I have planned for him when we do start production.

We still haven't confirmed when we'll start on this. But I did give him a copy of the ever elusive teaser trailer script, and he did tell me that he'll try and work on it, so that's a promising sign. Keep your fingers crossed on whether this means I'll have an actual teaser for you guys to show. Also, sometime either this month or next, I'm going to get Josh together with the others who are aboard and hammer out a schedule of when we'll get started. That's the next huge step.

So, let me officially welcome Josh on board for MOTW. I believe that he'll be a good fit for what I have in mind. And if things work out, I think he will do great.

That's the news for now. I'll have another announcement coming up by the end of the week.

Encouraging Words and News

2006-09-01T22:32:00.000-07:00

First of all, I want to say thanks to all of those who've given me encouraging words on MOTW after my announcement about delaying production due to casting issues. They were very supportive. Many of them said that this was a blessing and that things will work out. I recently got an email from my online friend Tony who told me that he had the same kind of hold ups with his werewolf film "Dense Fear" as I did with MOTW. His actor couldn't make the shoots so he had no choice but to drop him from the movie and wound up playing the lead role himself.
He told me in an email, it took him 3 years to complete his movie and "I have to say it did get to one point where I thought 'ah to hell with it' but I had so much passion to finish this like yourself and in the end we did it, so just want to tell you to keep your chin up bud everything will turn out great and I know you will end up with a master piece of a film."
I appreciate that bit of advice, not just from Tony, but from the others as well. Trust me, this is something that has taken me almost a decade to become a reality, so I won't let this setback bring me down. So thanks again to all my friends for the kind words of encouragement, including Tony, who's hard at work on his sequel "Dense Fear 2: Bloodline".
I do have some encouraging news. I may have found someone to take over for the lead role. I use the word "may" because even though he is interested, a commitment is still a ways away. So for that reason, as well as the fact that I don't want to get burned yet again with having to deal with yet another setback, I'm going to hold off on making an official announcement until I talk with him further. But once I get everything confirmed, I'll definitely let you know.
Once again, I appreciate everyone's kind words of encouragement through all of this. I ask you all to remain patient for a little while longer. This project is far from being over.

Major News: Production Delayed, Lead Role to be Recast!

2006-08-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

Well, this is something that I didn't think I would be talking about.

This was supposed to be the post where I'd be sharing with you stories about the first part of shooting as production began on MOTW.

Instead, I'm sad to report that production is going to be delayed. Again.

Two reasons behind the delay. Locations and casting.

And with the casting, it looks like the lead role will have to be recast.

Here's the story. With about ten days or so to go before shooting was to begin, I got a message from my friend Adam, who was supposed to play the lead. He told me he couldn't make it out for the shoot because his job wouldn't give him the time off. Now, that's understandable, things like this happen. But, when I asked him whether he could reschedule to come up here, he couldn't commit to a specific date. Needless to say, I was quite ticked off with that turn of events.

With so much happening and a lot on the line, I couldn't deal with him having to make a last minute change yet again. So, in spite of the fact that he was my original choice for the role and that he had been interested in it through several changes and delays, I had no choice but to let him go.

This was very disappointing for me to do. Especially with someone who had been involved with it from the beginning. But in the long run, I had to do what is best for the project. And Adam was OK with the decision, albeit disappointed. And, our friendship is still intact, in spite of my decision.

If Adam had told me this say, two or three months ago, things would've been fine. It would've been fine even if this happened a month ago. But with the short notice, there was just no way I could get someone to take over, rush them the script, and have them ready to go.

Then came the matter of location. I had one location set to go, but two other places I thought would be good fell through. Then we couldn't find a third place that I thought would work for the movie as well. When that happened, along with the casting issue. I had no choice but to officially delay production.

So, pretty much things are back to square one. And even though this is a setback (and believe me, this is pretty major), I chalk it up as a lesson learned. And I go back to what I first wrote in this blog long ago: If for any reason things fall through, then I have no problem pulling the plug and holding things off for another time. I rather do it right then not at all.

Now that production has been delayed, when will things ramp up again for MOTW? Pretty hard to say, but I can say that things are happening behind the scenes and there will be some kind of report pretty soon.

But no matter what happens, I believe things will all work out in the end. And I have no doubt that MOTW will be ready to go in 2007.

Count on it.

Status Update: Script Work Resumes

2006-07-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

Hey there.

As I type this, we are now two weeks away from beginning production.

Wow, two weeks away. Can you believe it?!

As things draw closer to the shooting date, I'm at work on the next part of the movie script. This is the second stage of what the entire MOTW film will be. I've pretty much got the outline down and have broken the overall script into four parts. I've already completed the first part (and thanks to all of you who have read it so far and have given me comments and favorable response to it) and right now, I'm hard at work on the second. If things go well, I should have that done by the end of the weekend.

What does this mean overall? Well I hope that with the first stage of filming next month, we'll complete the first and second parts. Then we'll do the rest next summer.

In other news, I think I've found a lead for someone to do the music for MOTW. I'm still looking over options and my friend Jason has given me a lead for another possible backup. I'll keep you posted.

And I've still haven't gotten a confirmation about locations for the shoot. I should get the definitive word though by this time next week.

That's it for now. I'll have another update very soon.

In the meantime, here's an entry I posted in my M1F blog about a fellow filmmaker I met who's doing a werewolf film of his own. Check it out here.

New MOTW Logo Unveiled!!!

2006-07-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

Here it is: The "official" logo to Mark of the Wolf".

I LOVE this logo.

It captures everything I wanted to see for this movie project. And best of all, it looks awesome.

Again, special thanks go out to my friend Bobby from Waveride for taking my sketch idea from long ago and making it look very very cool. He also did the logo for MarkOne Films as well.

So now, as we are about three weeks away from beginning production, you're going to see this logo everywhere, starting with the blog and then to the eventual website and hopefully the teaser trailer which I hope will be revealed by August.

That's it for now. I'll have another update tomorrow.

Oh by the way, here's how the MOTW logo looks in white. Which looks best to you?

Shooting Dates Confirmed!!!!!!!!!

2006-07-03T23:06:00.000-07:00

I've got big news to share. We have confirmed shooting dates for the first part of MOTW.

After talking it over with the main people involved, in particular Adam and Jason, who are part of the cast, I can officially say that on the weekend of August 4-6, filming will begin on Mark of the Wolf.

Let me repeat that, cause even though I've known it for a few days now, it's still sinking in.

Filming will begin on the weekend of August 4-6!!

Now the plan is to get the cast together on the 4th, practice the script and start shooting. Then we'll get into a full day of shooting on the 5th, and then do pick-up shots and possibly other stuff on the 6th.

To say I'm excited about this is an understatement. This is something I've envisioned in my mind for over a decade. And now, we're a month away from actually seeing this become a reality. This is a dream come true.

What's next is to confirm locations for the shoot, which should happen this week. I also want to start with storyboards and planning when and where we're going to shoot. But the main task is drawing near. Production will start on August 4th.

I cannot wait.

Status Update: Casting News, Possible Locations, Major Announcement Coming!!

2006-06-26T20:18:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Here's the latest on MOTW:

First of all, want to introduce you to Jason, the newest member to the crew, as seen is this photo to the right. Last week, after talking over the project with him and getting somewhat frustrated about not hearing anything from people about playing the roles in the movie. Jason volunteered his services, which was great and lifted a huge burden off me. So not only will he be part of the cast, but he'll be helping me out with some of the behind the scenes stuff as well.

So thanks again Jason for the help. He also tells me that he may know some others that'll be willing to help out as well. So things are starting to come together.

I also think we've pinned down a set date for when we'll begin shooting. I'll let you know soon.

On tap this week will be me scouting locations for the shoot and hopefully confirming that we can use these locations for that time. I should find out later on this week.

With everything coming together, I think sometime in early July, I'll have a major announcement to make about this project. So stay tuned for that.

That's the latest for now. I'll have another update later on this week.

Status Update: Script is Done!! Major News Coming!!

2006-06-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hey there, I know it's been over a month and a half since my last update, but that doesn't mean things have been at a standstill.

In fact, I can start the update with four words:

The Script Is... DONE!!!!!

That's right, the basic script for the first episode of the mini-series has been completed. I finished the last part of it late Monday night (June 12). I've sent it out to several people, including the lead actors, guys that could be part of the crew and a few other friends that know about the project. So far the response has been good. I'll let you know in a future post.

Some other things have been happening as well with the project. Some very cool stuff in fact. So cool that as much as I would like to share it with you right now, I can't. At least not yet.

Sometime in early July though, once I get all the key pieces together, it will all be revealed. And I can't wait to share it with everyone.

Oh and one more thing, we're about one step closer from finally coming up with the teaser trailer. My friend David was able to show me a bit of a test sample and if the rest of it is anything like that test, you guys will be impressed. So stay tuned, it won't be long now.

That's it for now. Next update will be soon. And if things work out, it'll be a big one.

Status Update: Work on the Teaser and Scripts Continues

2006-04-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

Hey there, thought I'd give a quick status report on where things stand right now.

-- Work is still being done on the long anticipated --and long-delayed-- teaser trailer. My friend David is still working on the effects part of the trailer, which is requiring a program he's testing out from what he tells me. So until he gets that worked out, again the teaser's on standby. I'd like to say I should have it ready to premiere sometime in May, but you never know with these things.

--I'm still working on the scripts, hopefully I'll have them all done in May. I'm still debating whether this will be a four-or-five part series. When I have everything written out and converted into a script, I should be able to know. I do want every episode to end with a cliff-hanger or a shocking moment, so we'll see.

--An official logo for the series should be revealed shortly. My newest online friend Bobby has agreed to help craft up a logo based on my ideas and once I see the finished product, I'll post it here.

--And lastly, we're still deliberating on the actual shooting dates, but it's looking more like the last week of July/first week of August will be the safe bet to shoot all of the first episode and perhaps some parts of the other episodes as well. I figure we'll meet up next summer to complete the other episodes of the series.

That's it for now. I'll have another update when there's more news to report.

Status Update: Teaser Trailer Footage is Done!!!

2006-04-05T23:35:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest news on the MOTW project:

--On Monday (April 3), I was finally able to get the last bit of footage needed for the teaser trailer. My friend Adam, who's playing the lead role, was able to complete the pick-up shots for the trailer and after a long downloading process, I was able to get the last bit of footage.

What's next? Well even though I have all the footage, it still needs some special effects work and some music and editing. I've sent the raw footage off to my friend David to put the effects work together. And once he's done with that, then I'll be able to edit the teaser.

I also believe I found what could be some perfect music to use for the teaser. I still have to test it out first after I get everything together, but if it works out, I think it'll work. There's also a chance that the person behind this music could be the one who'll be doing the music for the short films as well. I'll keep you posted whether this is a done deal or not.

--May have found another person to help out. Not just with this mini-series, but the other possible projects that I may be doing over the summer. I won't say any more until I hear from him and see if it works with his schedule. But he definitely sounds interested.

--Still hammering out the script, which I hope to have done by the end of the month.

--We may have a time frame to start shooting. I'm looking at a 3-to-4 day window in the last week of July/early part of August to begin. It'll still be a one or two day shoot (for at least the first episode, but possibly some of the second), but with this window, we'll be able to accomendate any possible pick up shots or make up for bad footage. Plus, those days will also help with any future M1F projects. I'll let you know if and when those dates are confirmed.

-- What's a film (or a film series, in this case) without a logo? Or a slick poster for that matter?
Well, I'm not an artist, but after doing some doodling on a sheet of paper, I think I've come up with a cool looking logo for the movie. I've shown it to a couple of friends and they both agree that it's quite good. I won't show it to you guys just yet, but when I get it looking perfect, you'll see it right here.

As for the poster, well I've talked with someone online, who's done some poster work for a fan film I've seen recently, and he's definitely up for it. Stay tuned.

--And lastly, some possible news on the werewolf suit, the all important piece to the series. I got an email from my friend Brandon, who'll be doing the suit and the effects for the movie, and he tells me that he has some ideas and even some designs done. From what he tells me, he'll love to work on it, but it depends on time and cost. So we'll see what happens. (BTW, he's been dealing with a recent back injury, so get better soon bud!)

And that's it. A lot of news there. Again things are moving along quite well. I'll have another update later on this month.

Status Update: News on the Teaser, Casting, and a Website Plug.

2006-03-22T23:59:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

Here's the latest news on the series:

--Teaser: Big news here. I got in touch with one of my online friends and he's totally on board to help with the most important part of the teaser trailer: the special effects. Thanks David for the help, especially considering he's busy putting together his latest project, which I can't wait to see. Still awaiting getting some pickup shots from Adam and hopefully I can get some outside footage done. But due to all of this, I'm going to delay releasing the teaser until April, but at least now things are moving along.

--Casting: Got in contact with my friend Lance, who I hadn't heard from in a while. When I originally came up with the film version of MOTW, he was up for one of the roles. But since I last talked with him, the status of the film had changed to a mini-series. When I talked with him a few days ago, I brought him up to speed on what had happened and was curious to know if he was still up for playing the part, which has radically changed from what I had originally planned. His response was yes. So now that makes two roles cast for the series. There's still one more person who was up for playing a key role in the original movie concept who, like Lance, I hadn't heard from in a while. Hopefully, I'll hear from him soon and see if he's still up for the part.

--Shameless Plug: While I was checking out my usual sites, I clicked on a link to another site and got a pleasant surprise: MOTW was mentioned in another site. Werewolf Movies.com, a site devoted to movies and TV shows on werewolves, added us to the list of upcoming projects in their March 18th update. You can click here for the page they've created just for the series. I also want to thank Noel, the webmaster for Werewolf Movies. com for the mention and the plug. I guess this means there's no going back now.

That's it for now. Good news all around and the buzz, albeit small, continues to build. Hopefully things will continue on this positive track. I'll have an update on the all important teaser trailer next time.

MOTW Status Update

2006-03-14T22:31:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest on the MOTW mini-series.

-- I've got another friend signed up to help out with the project. My online friend Matt is expecting to help with anything, either behind the scenes or in front, or both. Thanks bud!!

-- Adam just sent out the next piece to the teaser trailer, the dialogue for the two-minute or so teaser. Still got a ways to go though before it's ready. Adam's going to do some pick up shots this week. I hope to add some extra footage this week as well. But the essential piece to the teaser: adding some special effects is up in the air. I've got a few leads, so we'll see if they play out for the teaser. If not, I have a back up plan in mind. But I really hope it doesn't come to that, cause I really want to use the special effects.

-- We're looking at two possible windows to shoot the first episode: either the last week of July or the last week of September. It could be one or the other, or it could be both. If both of those periods work out, then we can start on the other episodes of the series.

-- And lastly, sometime in the next week or two, I should be completing work on the next draft of the first episode. I've got some ideas on what I want to do, even have a title in mind. So once I get some free time set aside, I'll get around to finishing it up.

That's it for now. I'll have another update soon.

Early Buzz

2006-02-25T21:47:00.000-08:00

First off, the trailer's nowhere close to being done.

The script's in early early development, going thru a major rewrite.

And aside from my bud Adam, no one else is cast in the mini-series.

But not soon after I announced my plans for the MOTW film series, I've been getting early buzz from my friends about it. They're eager about the concept. They're psyched about the teaser trailer and want to see what I have planned. In fact, I did a very, very rough cut of the teaser a few days ago. The reason behind it was twofold: to try out my movie editing program and to see what I can and can't do with the footage that I've received so far.

Will you get to see the rough cut? Maybe someday, but right now, not a chance.

But I did get to show it to a select few, And through that, I was able to get some feedback and some help.

One of my friends referred me to his friend, who may help out with some of the effects. And another online friend of mine may look into adding some more effects to the teaser as well. So we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, I wanted to put this poster up. It's from that first friend I mentioned earlier. It's not bad, but as he told me in an IM, i't's crappy (haha). He did tell me that he'll come up with a better one later. I might even come up with some ideas of my own.

But, for right now, as I look at it. it's not too bad. Might use it for something down the road, at least until we get real footage and real stuff that I'll be able to post.

In any event, that's the update for now. I'll have another update in March, where hopefully I can tell you how the teaser trailer is progressing so far.

Major News: MOTW, The MiniSeries is On!

2006-02-21T22:20:00.000-08:00

Man, a lot has happened since my last post.

First thing you noticed is the name of the blog has changed again. I'll get into that in a moment.

Now, let me go back to what prompted the changes:

Between November and December, the plan was the same as before: to craft a twenty-minute or so short film based on my full-length feature film idea. The short film was based, in part, on the teaser trailer idea I'd came up a while back. Now, originally, I was going to use this short film to be like a "prequel" or a "lost scene" that would play into the full-length film that I was going to film in 2007. I was even playing around with what to call it. "MOTW: Prelude" or "MOTW: Revelations", as one friend suggested.

But the more I thought about it, the more that I saw that it wasn't working. I couldn't come up with how best to set the story up. I had ideas here and there, but each time it led to a dead end. It was getting frustrating.

Then, something came to me that I hadn't thought about in a long, long time.

I went back to where it all began.

If you go all the way back to my first post on this very blog, I even mentioned how it all began, how I originally came up with this when I was in college. This is what I wrote in that blog: "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."

And that's when it dawned on me, why should I waste more time trying to cram a movie script together or even a short film, when I could do what I originally had in mind long ago: A mini-series.

So, after I talked it over with my friend who's involved in this, I made the decision to go ahead with this.

So, here's how the mini-series plan will break down:

-- It will be a five (or six) part-series of short films or episodes. It won't be sequels, just a continuation of the main story.

--Each episode will run somewhere between 20 to 30 minutes, with each episode (except for the last) ending in a cliff-hanger.

-- The first episode will be shot during the summer, probably in August, and should be ready for release in the fall.

-- The remaining episodes will be filmed in 2007, and should be released throughout the year, but right now that's tenatively set.

-- Once I get all of the episodes done, I plan to craft all of them into one long movie as well.

-- Each episode will have its own name, or subtitle. I'll fill you in on those once they are done.

And that's it. I think it's going to be an exciting venture. And a chance to finally show my vision of a werewolf story with everyone.

But if you think I'm done with all the news. Think again.

You see this guy to the left?

This is my friend Adam.

And you're going to get to know him a lot over the next several months or so, because this is the guy that'll be playing the lead role in the mini-series of films. We've met almost two years ago online and after he sent me a photo of what he looked like, something clicked. He struck me as the perfect guy to play the main character. When I mentioned that to him, he was all for it. And he's been there through all the changes and delays. He is more than up for it now then he was when I first proposed it to him. So, as I said, you're going to see him a lot as the project moves ahead.

And I'm still not done with all the news:

Remember my teaser trailer idea? The one I had planned back in the summer, but got delayed and derailed.

Well this time, it's going to happen.

Last Saturday, Adam completed the first part of what will be part of the teaser trailer for the newly-minted film series, based on a new script that I've written. The footage he sent me looks great.

Now, this is only the first step. I still need a few more elements before I can put it all together, but if everything works out, the teaser trailer will debut by the end of March. And this time, I can say that without a doubt.

So that's it. As I said, a lot has happened. And it's all good. So get ready, the mini-series is coming.

And I can't wait for it to get started.

Introducing MOTW: The Short Film

2005-11-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

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

2005-10-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-02T23:38:00.000-07:00

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

2005-09-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

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

2005-09-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

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

2005-08-23T00:22:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-27T01:52:00.000-07:00

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

2005-01-31T21:29:00.000-08:00

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...