Friday, December 31, 2010
Fade In: The Making of Star Trek: Insurrection
Thursday, December 30, 2010
A Thursday Before New Years in the Life
- Create monster in the woods monster reel for sfx artist. (Woke at 830. Cruised the www for a minute and then started at 840.)
- Email said reel to sfx artist. (Done at 9. Time for breakfast and coffee.)
- Fix missing audio bits from Trap. When I upgraded computers. I lost a few sound fx. I have to replace the missing items. (done at 1120)
- Go over the entire feature to make sure there are no futzs. I cut Trap in FCP5 and am now working in FCP 7. Sometimes when upgrading systems, funk things happen to edit files. (it was just fine. In fact, I forgot how good it was. It’s a creep/good little movie.) done at 130)
- Replace an existing substandard song with a new one. Thanks Alonzo. (Finished that while doing the once over. Song work great. Trap has a good little soundtrack.)
- Screened Alonzo’s music in Trap and Monsters in the Woods for him and showed him some Monster’s footage. (Done at 330)
- Export a new uncompressed QuickTime of Trap. (start the export at 330 have lunch, clean bathroom)
- Oh, just got one of the composer sample clips for Monsters in the Woods. Gonna take a sec to check it out. (both clips are good. I think we’ve got our man)
- Encode said version for DVD. (took a little longer to export than I had anticipated. Had a weird issue exporting uncompressed. It kept cutting me off at 1 hr and 9 minutes. Got it fixed though. It’s now 730pm. I’m reviewing the QuickTime before starting the encode. I’ll start the encode when I go to bed.)
- Clean my kitchen floor and bathroom. (Did it while exporting Trap)
- Review Monsters in the Woods rough cut on dvd. Make notes. (Not going to happen today. Moving that to the top of tomorrow’s agenda)
- Work out. (Slipped in a run after cleaning.)
- Review Trap screener on dvd look for errors. Hopefully there are none. (Doing it now)
- Create new trap screener with Trailer, BTS and commentary. (I’ll do this right before reviewing Monsters in the Woods tomorrow.)
- Write new Blog Post on Working for no Pay. (I already did it. Not sure when.)
- Post both Pay post and this one. (Post this now)
I AM NOT A CROOK!
Monday, December 27, 2010
It's a Lot More Fun to See a Movie When It's Free!
~Burlesque: This one definitely goes in the “so bad it’s good category.” Predictable story lines, mediocre acting, and basic music belted out by a girl with an amazing voice. However, with lines like “The only Pole you’ll find in here is the one serving you drinks” and “If you fall off the stage, legs up, boobs out,” how can this NOT be awesome?! Plus, you have one of the most talented voices (Christina Aguilera) paired with The Diva herself, Cher. I won’t lie, the scene where Cher puts on Christina’s makeup was a bit like a passing of the Diva Torch. (In my head, at least.) Plus, the friendship between Cher and Stanley Tucci was really touching. Lastly, any movie where I have one of the musical numbers stuck in my head for 3 days afterward is good in my book.
~Tangled: THIS WAS FANTASTIC. Seriously. FAN. TAS. TIC. It is definitely the best Disney movie I’ve seen in a long time, and, I don’t know how they do it, but I walked out of there with the warm and fuzzy feeling I used to get as a kid. The characters were all so well done and even the story, while not original, was exactly what a Disney movie should be. Add in the horse who thinks he’s a dog and the dancing thugs, and you have the perfect movie to bring you back to your childhood.
~TRON: Legacy: Ok, I have to admit, I had high hopes going into this one. I probably haven’t seen the original in about 10 years, but I remember it being a really awesome experience. And turns out, this one was totally awesome too! It was really exciting and the effects were so dead on that I barely noticed that Clu wasn’t actually Jeff Bridges. I really liked the costumes and think I’m totally going to be Quorra for Halloween next year. It was the perfect action movie and, even though I hate paying extra for things like Imax and 3D, it was worth it.
I still have several movie tickets to burn, it’s just a matter of what is next….
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Not so much a Good Bye as a See Ya Later...
Then one sad day Manny had to say goodbye and it filled his heart with sadness. But, he will carry the memories and love of every beautiful person at S+-_$%%s.
The end.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Cutting Monsters: Week 11
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
2010: It Was A Good Year…for me
2010: It Was A Good Year…for movies.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
My First Film Festival Experience

My first festival experience was a wonderful and timeless moment. It was so cool to look at other filmmakers displaying their dreams on screen. I felt like more of a movie groupie than a moviemaker, running around trying to see every film that I possibly could while waiting for my film“ Kontrolled” to be screened. The stories and techniques implemented were so cool!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Cutting Monsters: Week 10
Saturday, December 11, 2010
10 Things I learnt Making Monsters in the Woods
- Monsters aren’t the most important thing. We ended with some awesome looking creatures courtesy of 1313 FX, however awesome looking creatures mean fuck-all if folks don’t care for the story and/or characters. Luckily the story was good and we had a capable cast. I do feel all of the major characters were well developed, but there were a few minor characters that were 2 dimensional at best. The cast playing these characters elevated them. They took what was on the page and created something greater.
- Even at the Micro-budget level artistic compromises have to be made.
- A little blood does not go a long way. What seems like a fuck-ton of blood on set shows up less on camera.
- Ashton Blanchard has sensitive skin. I put her in the face rip mask with no concerns. Turns out her skin is very sensitive and she spent the entire time in pain, especially when the mask was applied and removed. To her credit she never once complained.
- Chocolate syrup blood looks great on people. But is painful when it dries in certain orifices. (I’ll let your imagination do the work)
- Saran-wrapping the camera is a great way to protect it from gloppy blood, but it makes it next to impossible to monitor from the camera’s viewfinder.
- Blaine Cade can act.
- Shooting in Big Bear promotes weight loss. I lost 12 LBS. (I’m back to my fighting weight now.)
- A little money can go a long way, but a micro-budget feature is still a micro-budget feature. I think our little movie looks pretty groovy, but nobody’s gonna mistake it for Tom Cruise’s latest. Maybe Tom Wopat’s.
- Supposed “easy days" are the ones that kill you.
- I’m lucky charms lucky to know the people I do. A movie is not made by one man alone. I’d have nothing without my friends, cast, crew and producers.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Kontrolled Film Screening at the BHERC Film Fest

Remember to tell your Friends and Family to come out Dec 11th and , 12th to watch some of the top short films in L.A. this year including yours truly's "Kontrolled". Tickets are just $10 bucks for two hours worth of shows and $25 for a whole day! so come out and have some fun , network and enjoy the world of film!
Raleigh Studios
Cutting Monsters: Week 9
Friday, December 3, 2010
Monsters in the Woods Interviews_Ashton Blanchard
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Ashton Blanchard as the script girl. |
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Monsters in the Woods Interviews_Blaine Cade
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Blaine Cade as Bravo Roberts (not based on anyone real) |
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monsters in the Woods Interviews_Paul Misko
I can't express how happy I am that I did cast him. I even expanded the role after our inital couple of days of shooting. Not only is Paul super talented. His enthusiasm and work ethic are inspiring. I expect big things outta him in the future.
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Paul Misko as Kris |
1.Tell me who you are and what you are doing here.
My name is Paul Misko. I played the role of Kris, and I have no idea what the hell I am doing.
2.Monsters in the Woods in the Woods is our 1st feature together. How wonderful was it for you to work with me?
It was great to work with you, sir. This was my first feature as an actor, and it was a great experience. All of the cast and crew were amazing and I felt really comfortable working with you and everyone. Probably not the experience most people have on their first features with some of the stories I have heard. Haha.
3. You started out in music. Why the transition to acting?
I have been playing music and in bands since I was 13 years old. I had some success in two of the bands, and I got to tour and do a lot of things I never would have dreamed possible. When we broke up in 2008, I decided to try something different and film and television definitely interested me. I love to be part of a creative process and acting in a lot of ways is similar to writing music. Everything has to flow naturally and timing and rhythm are very important. Being on set reminds me of tour a lot. You show up early, eat food, and wait.
4.What’s your acting method?
I have next to no acting training. I think I have a natural inclination to it. I am far from an amazing actor and need to hone my skills of course, but I guess that what I'm saying is that I get it. It feels natural and makes sense to me, so I enjoy it a lot. It's always a challenge and I love working with people to bring a story to life in the best way possible.
5. You played opposite your real life love interest in Monsters in the Woods. How was that?
6. What was the most challenging aspect of shooting Monsters in the Woods.
Probably sitting in the hot tubs at the cabins drinking at night. That was extremely agonizing. ;)
7. How would describe my hair?
How would you describe MY hair?!
*sorry, we're were looking for luxurious. We'd have also accepted stunning.
8. You've recently moved into producing. Can you tell me a bit about that?
I have been working on a tv pilot this year that I wrote called "Classy". I am directing it and acting in it as well. It is my first project as a director, and I think I enjoy it even more than acting so I will definitely be continuing down that road in the future. We are actually shooting our last scenes tomorrow for it so I am really excited! I will keep you posted on it's progress!
9. Which cast member would you pick to play opposite you in a buddy cop movie directed by David Lynch?
Alonzo! We would make a great team! He's an awesome actor and a great dude!
10. What are you working on next?
Once I finish Classy, I will be hopefully continuing episodes as I pitch it to networks. I am always trying to get work as an actor as well to get as much experience as possible, but I have nothing lined up currently. I think you should direct a buddy cop movie so that can be what I am working on next! ;) haha.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
The Book was Better
There are so many obvious choices for great books being turned into movies, it’s hard to choose just one. Whether it’s something classy and meaningful, like Gone with the Wind, or a romantic chick flick, like The Notebook, there are some fantastic screenwriters out there who can take a book and make it into a film that is just as good, if not better, than the movie. The writers have to deal with what to cut, what to change, and what to keep. In The Notebook, the ending is completely changed. (SPOIER ALERT!) Instead of Noah going on to live after Ally dies, as is what happens in the book, they both die together, making the movie close out in the possibly the most romantic way possible. In Gone with the Wind, the infamous “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” was not as dramatic in the book. Rhett is speaking to Scarlett in a room and says it quietly, as opposed to storming out and being forceful. Yet, in both those cases, the changes made were ones that made the films better than the books, and made them memorable.
The bad adaptations are a little easier to narrow down and I have a surprise for anyone who knows me: The Wizard of Oz is the worst adaption I can think of. It might be my favorite movie of all time, but after reading the book, I realized the writers changed it so drastically that the original book and the movie can no longer be compared. In the book, The Wicked Witch of the West is only in for one chapter, Dorothy is the one doing the rescuing, the shoes are silver not red, and Glinda is the Good Witch of the South and does not give Dorothy the slippers. The biggest change is that, in the book, Oz is a real place with new friends, not a dreamland inhabited by subconscious manifestations of people Dorothy knew. The movie is still my favorite, but this is the best example of how Hollywood takes a great work of literature and changes it to be almost unrecognizable against the original work.
Overall, I don’t have a problem with books being turned into movies. I like seeing how someone else viewed a book and turned it into what I’m seeing on the screen. Some people may say that it just adds to the lack of originality in Hollywood these days, and they might be right. But, in my opinion, if you can’t be original, at least be creative, and that is what these movies show me. Hollywood may have lost it’s originality, but definitely not its creativity.
Monsters in the Woods Interviews_Gladys Otero
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Gladys as Bianca |
F#@! and the MPAA
I at first dismissed this as ridiculous. I even started counting fucks. Tonight me and my pal counted 65 give or take in the 1st half. (it was not fun). Double that for the 90-minute run time and you get 130. Which is well under acceptable MPPA R Rating standards.
Casino had 422
Summer of Sam 326
Born on the 4th of July 289
Pulp Fiction 252
Jarhead 251
Big Lebowski 281
*although we did beat out Glengarry Glen Ross which had only 138. Woah!
http://www.listology.com/list/most-occurrences-word-fuck
Shit you could straight double my estimate and still be under the top 3.
But it keeps coming up and then a producer brought up a more artistic concern, that the overuse of the word takes away its power when you do need it. Now this I can agree with. It’s a valid point. So I looked back over the cut with friend tonight and I have to admit, that yes, it is overused. The actors took what was in the script, which was a lot of “fucks” and added another 15%. If I had the whole production to do over, I’d have had a full time script supervisor and I’d have reigned in the improv a little more.
But I didn’t. There aren’t alternate takes and without cutting whole scenes or making really awkward cuts to existing scenes, there isn’t much that I can do about it now. And really when it comes down to it, I don’t have a problem with it. I personally use expletives that way myself, as do many people I know, and I enjoy hearing it onscreen. To me it feels authentic.
It definitely can be off-putting to some. But, it’s not to me. And I have to ask myself, even if I could, would I want to cut them down, would I want to neuter my movie, because of what some may find offensive? Because it might limit the movie commercially?
Wait a minute! One of the characters refers to another Hispanic character as a spic. Might the Hispanic community be offended? I better take that out too. Then there’s the whole Jesus action hero thing (That’s gotta offend someone). Then there’s characters committing adultery, nudity, monsters, blood, a character wearing white after Labor Day… Damn, who won’t be offended?
I made a micro-budget horror flick. It’s not a 4-quadrant Pixar movie. It’s a gritty, no holds barred splattery horror movie. That’s what I set out to make and that’s what it is.
So be it.
But, I am cutting the Michael Bay, Donald Duck stuff…
Sorry Lee, there are legalities to be considered.
Back to the Woods
- Bravo Roberts “Monsters in the Woods”
So, week after next, we’re putting the band back together to shoot some additional footage in order to strengthen our narrative. Another in a long string of “life imitates art” instances on Monsters in the Woods.
As I watched the rough cut it became apparent that, while good in and of themselves, the 1st act scenes when stacked together felt a little too episodic. Too much of the narrative was happening off screen. It was making the scenes feel a little random. So I’m writing a few new scenes to give the 1st act a little more narrative cohesion and dramatic tension. Also there were a few missed character opportunities that I want to explore further. Then as long as we’re at it, a few pick up shots here and there for the 3rd act couldn’t hurt. A missed arterial spray here. A severed arm there. Whatever, no big whup.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Cutting Monsters: Week 8
So now it’s the beginning of the end. After taking the holiday off, I’ll do one more viewing of the cut (solo) to make final tech notes. Then I’ll spend one week polishing/locking the cut. I’ll be going for a locked cut and will start adding sound design. When I send the movie out I want at least the rudimentary Foley and hard sound FX work to be done. Once I send it off it be scored, I’ll work simultaneously on the actual final sound design and mix minus the score.
We’ve also decided to shoot a few small scenes to add it the 1st act in order to strengthen the dramatic tension and momentum. There are also a few small insert shots here and there to get for the 2nd and 3rd acts as well. We’ll tackle all of that in a single day of pickups, in Malibu, the week after next. So the cut should be about locked as we’re finishing pick ups. I’ll quickly insert the new material, no more than a days work and then send off the locked cut for scoring and VFX (visual fx work)
Starting Monday, I’m going to start reaching out to potential composers; our vfx guy is already locked.
The final should be cut and locked before the end of December with the final composed and mixed version done by mid January.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
What's Next?
Seeing how that big question won’t be answered for a few months, I guess I should prepare of the multiple possibilities.
1. It’s received well and I get an opportunity to make something bigger. (Aces! I got several good scripts a-waiting.)
2. It’s received well and I get to make something of equal or lesser value. (Eh, I might have to come up with something.)
3. It’s received well and I’m asked to do a sequel. (I got an idea. but haven’t really put pen to paper)
4. It’s not received well and it’s back to the drawing board.
With my last three flicks I’ve been averaging one a year. I’d really like to up that in 2011, assuming that I’m still making them at a super low budget level. Of course a bigger budget allots for more time, so that would be ok too.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Director of the Week – Roget Avary
Avary worked with Tarantino at video archives in the late 80’s. After True Romance sold and Reservoir Dogs happened, Taranitno and Samuel Hadida exec produced Killing Zoe for Avery. Supposedly he wrote it in a week around a bank location that had been scouted for Reservoir Dogs.
Killing Zoe is a great indie flick. Produced for around 500k. Set in mostly one location. Features killer performances by Eric Stoltz, Julie Delpy, Jean-Hugues Anglade and Gary Kemp (believe it or not). The Tomandandy score is pretty cool too. The whole thing takes place in a blur. Almost real time. It’s highly rewatchable.
I was working at Blockbuster Video when it came out on VHS. It was the 1st poster that I took from there.
His next flick was Mr. Stitch. Starring Rutger Hauer and Wil Wheaton. I think it was written for the Sci-Fi Channel. It wasn’t very good, at least from what I can remember. Maybe I should give it another go.
Then came Rules of Attraction. I absolutely love this move. It’s kinetic, fast paced, viscously funny. With better than they’ve ever been before or since performances from Dawson, Jessica Biel and Kate Boseworth.
I’ve been anxiously waiting another directorial outing from him. Yes, I’m aware of Glitterati, but it’s not exactly available.
From IMDB
Footage was originally shot in October 2001 for a brief 5-minute sequence within The Rules of Attraction. Shot as a three-person cast and crew (Kip Pardue, Roger Avary, and Greg Shapiro), using two miniDV cameras, the shoot quickly blew up to 70 tapes worth of footage. Avary subsequently decided (during the trip) to buy the rights to "Glamorama" and attach Pardue to the project to reprise his role as Victor Ward. The 70 tapes of footage therefore are being re-edited into a feature-length piece, entitled "Glitterati", which will act as a sort of bridge between "Rules of Attraction" and "Glamorama".
Interesting… hopefully we’ll get a chance to see it someday.
I also hope he gets his chance to make Glamorama.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Cutting Monsters: Week 7
The final will be somewhere right around 90 minutes.
The really hard work starts now. I’ve got all the story laid out, now I have to go back and make sure I’m telling in the best possible way with the footage I have to work with.
I took today off and I plan to not look at it tomorrow at all either. Then I’ll burn out a DVD of the cut and view it on Friday with a (hopefully) fresh perspective. Then do a clean up and ready a version to show to the producers. I’ll need to have that ready early next week.
I spoke this week to my special effects artist (CG) and sent him a few problematic shots. Looks like we’re going to be able to do some really cool stuff.
Anyway, I’m going to enjoy my night off…
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
My Very First Short Film Experience
Producing
Hello Zapruter film fans my name is John McGill, and this article is about my first short film “Kontrolled”.Coming to California a year ago from Orlando, Fl with dreams of becoming a filmmaker I immediately began applying for jobs everywhere filmmakers hung out. Eventually being hired at Starbucks where I met Jason Horton. Little did I realize how this average Joe was a Independent Filmmaker who eventually became a driving force behind my production.. I had a few drafts of the script completed and with the help from some established writer friends I was able to lock the script. The script originally fit within a low budget of $1000 dollars but do to a illness I had to take off work for a short period. After I was back to health I noticed that my movie funds were gone but my dreams where not lost , I began saving my tips week after week and during that time made a very detailed frugal budget of$200 dollars. All that mattered was to make a great film regardless of finances. After the money was collected it was off to finding the actors, crew and equipment and thanks to networking on various sets I was able to find these quickly. I assembled my cast Paris Rumford ,Lynne Conner, David Joyner , Kristina Sullivan and a good friend Curtis Nelson II. My crew consisted of Jermaine Jae , Alexandria Storm , Roger Hunt and with everyone's combine skills and talent I was able to complete the 10 pages of action and dialogue in 1 day.
Directing
Directing my first film was.......every mixed emotion of excitement and fear. It came form the thought of failing but the chance at success. The fear stayed with me until lunch came where I ate alone thinking to myself. “ what did you come to Cali for?” , “are you afraid of success?” and answering with a “no!” I pulled myself together and started working harder than ever before. I also learned why so many crew members are need and are dubbed the “army”. You truly do need help from every aspect when shooting a film because one eye will not catch it all, thankfully everything came out great with just a four man crew. The most important tool I learned also that day was to trust in my own style of directing, focusing on emotion and naturalism from the performance, kindness yet stern communication to the crew and most importantly a confidence in my ability's.
Post-production
Post for me felt like Murphy Law kicking into overdrive. Having no computer to edit I had to get help from my good friends Jason and Perdell. Only being able to edit a few hours a day it became hard balancing out my work schedule but despite that editing was coming along well, finishing a few drafts. Unfortunately to have a complete movie I would need to re-shoot some scenes. I was reluctant at first until Jason told me that “it was normal , and nothing to be ashamed off”.I started working to get the re-shoots done by contacting the actors; and although the actors were happy to re-shoot, their schedules were different. After several weeks I finally got the actors together to do the re-shoots where they nailed it like pros. Feeling ecstatic about finishing my movie and my friend letting me use his computer to use from home , I thought nothing could go wrong but It did. I lost my entire project and the backups do to a computer transferring file error. I went home feeling very down that all my hard work was gone. I called my mom late that night and she said “God does everything for a reason, and that if I put my heart into it that I can make my project better”. Her words soaked in as I asked myself two important questions “ why did you come to Cali” and “are you afraid of success?” I came to become a Filmmaker and Success was born in me. With that motivation I started on the impossible of getting two months worth of work done in one week. I was determined to finish so all I did was edit,eat and sleep. I came home every night working on my project until my eyes were glued to the screen. Editing even through my birthday and finished on Oct. 27, I gave myself the best birthday gift ever. After having a test screening to my roommates and seeing the excitement on their faces I felt like I could finally take a sigh of relief. I finished working on the trailer , which is now up on my FaceBook page and YouTube .My plans are to summit the film to festivals in hopes to gaining recognition for my work. and fans for my future films. Thanks you everyone.