Teaser Trailer Update

Hey there.

Time for an update on the upcoming MOTW Teaser Trailer:

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

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

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

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

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

Production Update

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

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

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

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

MOTW: How it all began

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

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

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

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

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

Stay tuned...