Don’t miss Horrorfind Weekend 10 Aug 15-17 at the UMUC Marriott Inn & Conference Center Adelphi, MD.
There are some cool, first-time guests: Michael Biehn (The Terminator, Aliens), Chris Sarandon (Princess Bride, Fright Night), and William Forsythe (Devil’s Rejects). Plus, many returning favorites like Tony Todd and, Tom Savini, and Ken Foree.
And stop by the Timewarp table and say hello!
We’ve been chomping at the bit to film a new feature for over a year now. We’re finally getting our chance this summer. The cast is set, the locations (sort of) secured — any micro-budget company knows what I mean — and the shooting schedule is done (for the next couple of weeks, anyway).
Now, we start rolling.
This is the first time I’ll be behind the camera, other than for the Horrorfind commercial in March. So, I made a checklist for the set:
And, um, anything else?
Oh yeah,
Photo provided by Robert Long II
We finished auditions for our next feature last weekend. We didn’t get as large a turnout as we expected, but the quality of those that did show up was surprisingly high. Usually, about 5-10% are really good, another 10% we can work with, and the rest should look for a new career, but this time we must have gotten at least 15% that were excellent, and another 20% that were workable. I’ll take that kind of quality over quantity any day.
After viewing the tape and mulling over the choices, we decided–with very little disagreement–on our cast of choice. It was comforting to see that most of the parts had solid backups in case the first choice didn’t work out.
This week we called the actors and made the offers. Nearly everyone accepted– excitedly. While we had to go for a couple of backups, we don’t feel like we settled in the least.
Now we’re gearing up for production, which should begin in July. There’s a lot left to do before then. Final script tweaking, prop gathering/crafting, scheduling, scouting a few more locations, purchasing equipment, and drafting all kinds of lists.
Whew, that’s a lot. And I wouldn’t miss it.
I’ve been following the Celtx software for some time. I currently use Final Draft for screenwriting, but I have a soft spot for free/open source projects.
Celtx has now released their version 1.0, which usually means it’s ready for prime time. I can’t say for certain that is true, but they have tweaked a lot of their features and added some new ones. I’m personally interested in the production tools: call sheets, prop lists, storyboard organization, etc. I plan to try out the production features on our upcoming project. I’ll post my results.
As I mentioned in my last post, we’ll be holding auditions for our latest feature on June 8th and June 14th at The Days Hotel Timonium – 9615 Deerco Road, Timonium, Maryland, 21093.
Here is the list of major roles available (other smaller speaking and non-speaking roles are also available).
“Deborah Mason”
(Female, 25-40)
She dresses for success and takes her career seriously. She’s new to management and hasn’t dealt with difficult employees before; though she’s confident she can handle whatever comes her way.
“Charles Vanderhaven”
(Male, 30-60)
Extremely detail oriented and paranoid, Charles is a textbook example of obsessive compulsive disorder. His only friend in the world is his dog, Pixie. He would do anything, ANYTHING, to ensure her safety. Other humans just inconvenience him; he wants nothing to do with them.
“Harold Becker”
(Male, 28-40)
A blue-collar man through and through. He has no patience for intellectuals who think they’re better than he is. He’s old fashioned, and will go to great lengths to protect his family.
“Sally”
(Female, 21-60)
Deborah’s assistant. She’s overworked because of her own desire to get ahead, but lacks the skills to get much further than assistant. And her passive-aggressive, sarcastic nature doesn’t help.
“Shane Foster”
(Male, 30-50)
Foster is a mafia “Hitman,” who’s been contracted for one last assignment for his boss. He had been previously promised that he would never have to do anything like this again, but his loyalty is so great that he accepts the offer. Foster has ice in his veins, but this latest assignment has limitations that he must follow, which compounds his frustration.
“Eric Litchfield”
(Male, 45-65)
Litchfield is a corporate America man, been a business man all his life. He hasn’t let his career get to him, though. He’s very friendly, conversational and outgoing. He’s one of three men trapped in an elevator, but even so, this doesn’t rattle him, and he can find humor in virtually any situation. He’s the kind of guy almost anyone can like.
“Ravi Sinjaad”
(Male, 25-45)
Sinjaad’s family is originally from India, but he came to America at a very young age. He is hard working, but somewhat timid, and does not like enclosed spaces. He gets nervous easily, and every once in awhile comes up with funny quips…that he doesn’t realize are funny.
“Don Buccini”
(Male, 55-75)
A mafia powerhouse, Don Buccini is THE major player in the area he controls. He is ruthless, vengeful, and yet has a soft side for those who have supported his rise to power. He looks upon “Shane Foster” as his second son.
“Dominick Buccini”
(Male, 23-30)
Spoiled, angry and incredibly vicious, Dominick is the typical psychopath that would kill someone just to watch them die…and then will run and hide behind his father’s mafia empire. He can’t wait for his father to be gone, however, because he has plans…BIG plans…for the role that he will assume. He hates “Shane Foster.”
“Darlene Spencer”
(Female, 18-25)
She is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, taunted by the ghostly image of a woman that haunts her dreams. She also hears voices that are beginning to influence her — leading her to contemplate suicide.
“Lindsay Campbell”
(Female, 21-35)
Impressionable, and a bit of a drama queen, she’s happily married, but always worried her husband will leave her, because she feels she’s not good enough. She currently takes antidepressants, and looks at her new home as a fresh start on her life.
“Jason Campbell”
(Male, 21-35)
Geeky computer guy, always upbeat. Husband of Lindsay, he no doubt loves his wife, but gets frustrated by her almost constant need for attention. Even so, he will step up and protect her when she needs it.
“Bonnie Hanson”
(Female, 28-40)
A polite and friendly — though noticeably phony — real estate agent, she treats her clients with respect, but never strays from her goal: selling the house and making lots of money.
“Maddy Hatfield”
(Female, 30-50)
An old-fashioned, devoted wife. Maddy is painfully aware of her husband’s contempt for her. She longs for his affection, but constant failure is wearing her down.
“George Hatfield”
(Male, 30-50)
Ignorant, abusive and controlling, he hates all women, including his wife, Maddy, and only interacts with them when he wants food or sex — and sometimes he doesn’t ask. He takes.
From Director Joe Ripple:
After seeing both national and world-wide distribution on four of their first five features, Timewarp Films, LLC will be holding open auditions for its sixth project, tentatively entitled “Sealed Fates.” This horror anthology project is slated to begin filming in late June. Several roles are available for both men and women, all races are welcome. Respectfully, no roles for children are available at this time. This is a non-union production, shooting on weekends with deferred pay, but meals will be provided. A DVD copy of the completed project will also be provided to each actor.
We will be holding auditions at “The Days Hotel Timonium,” 9615 Deerco Road, Timonium, Maryland, 21093. The audition dates will be Sunday, June 8th and then the following Saturday, June 14th from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. both days. The audition will be a cold read. Please bring a headshot and resume; however you MUST audition to be considered for a role.
Please do not call the hotel with any questions. All questions can be answered by Director Joe Ripple, via email at timewarpfilms@comcast.net
For more information about our company, please visit www.timewarpfilms.com
If you’re a fan of George Romero, or just love zombie movies, you don’t want to miss the March Horrorfind Weekend. It features reunions of Night, Dawn, Day, and Land of the Dead. Click here for details.
And don’t forget to visit us at the Timewarp table any time during the weekend. We’ll be selling copies of our films, and will have some of the actors available for autographs.
Here’s the extended version of the Horrorfind commercial we filmed last month. It’s over 3 minutes, with lots of zombie goodness and eerie music. Enjoy.
Today Mike, the head honcho of Horrorfind, approved our cut of the commercial. So, here it is:
Monday, Joe will pick up the DV tape and get a digital beta (I think that’s what it’s called) made. He will then send it to…wherever you send commercials, I guess. I know nothing about that end of the business. I’m just ecstatic that something I shot and edited will be on local and cable TV.
Stay tuned for an extended version later in February.
Saturday we shot a commercial for the March Horrorfind convention in College Park, MD. Since George Romero is one of the guests (along with cast members of the Dead movies) we wanted to do a zombie- themed commercial. One with some zip.
Joe, our director, came up with a great idea: a hip granny reminisces about Romero movies and then kicks some zombie ass. And there was a lot of ass to kick. We were expecting 10 extras at the most, but wound up with at least 25–plenty to pull off a Romero-esque horde. Of course, we only have 30 seconds to work with–it’s amazing how short that really is–so we couldn’t do all that we wanted.
Overall, the shoot went very well. The weather was cold but clear, and not too sunny; too much sun wreaks havoc with digital video. And the setting was awesome. We have to shoot there again.
To be honest, I was a little nervous going into the shoot. This was my first time behind the camera for Timewarp. That role was always reserved for Don Dohler, our mentor–and this was the first shoot since he passed away in 2006. I was fully aware of the large shoes I was filling. But just kept thinking about making him proud.
Many thanks to Joe for keeping the zombies under control, and for checking to see if I focused the lens 
, and thanks to Stewie and Zig, our faithful crew, for helping out. Zig actually reminded me about the ND (neutral density) filter on the XL1. It helps with overexposure so you don’t have to stop down too far. That was a big duh.
I mentioned earlier that 30 seconds is a very short time. Well, I did my first pass cutting the commercial, and it came in at 45 seconds, an eternity in editing. After a couple more passes, I’m down to 34 seconds. I’ve had to chop some lines, and make some shots shorter, and generally be creative. But it’s not over yet. I guess I need a chainsaw. Luckily, we plan to make an extended version so we can put the rest in. We filmed a ton of zombie footage. No way we waste that.
And, by the way, everything was in focus. 
I’ll post the final version of the commercial when I’m done.
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