Well….Streebo and I are headed to the Fright Night Film Fest in Louisville, Kentucky. I was eager to go as soon as I heard Roger Corman would be there. Roger Corman is one of the Patron Saints of Mutantville. We studied (and still study) him for inspiration and great ideas. I found some interesting information on the film festival. I’ll do more posts focused on Corman.
Be sure to check out the Mutantville Players videos on You Tube to see the footage we get while we’re there! Plus we’ll come back with lots of pictures as well.
Updated second promo for Fright Night Film Fest held in Louisville, KY. July 30th through August 5th at Inn Place on Hurstbourne Lane. Footage includes scenes from last year’s fest.
Fright Night Film Festival Louisville, Kentucky hosts Tales Of An Ancient Empire World Premieres. Director Albert Pyun is back at last with his long awaited sequel to Sword and the Sorcerer.
FrightNight Film Fest will be running Friday July 30th through Sunday August 1st in Louisville, Kentucky and features three Jason actors. Convention stalwart Ari Lehman (Young Jason Voorhees, Friday the 13th 1980) and Ken Kirzinger …
Michael West will be a guest at Fright Night Film Fest taking place this weekend from July 30 at 4:00 pm – August 1 at 5:00 pm at Louisville, KY 40299.
Fright Night Film Fest will host legendary filmmaker and Oscar winner Roger Corman as well as Michael Madsen (Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, Thelma & Louise),
The Fright Night Film Fest 2010 ROGER CORMAN TRIBUTE Convention Poster. Poster art by Rob E. Brown Join me at the 6th annual FRIGHT NIGHT FILM FESTIVAL in.
Fright Night is to me one of the best vampire films ever made. I’m loving this one and will probably make another someday. I will have prints available at Fright Night Film Festival which ill be attending at the weekend. this will be my …
The full schedule for Fright Night Film Fest, which runs July 30th-August 1st in Louisville, Kentucky, isn’t quite finalized yet, but we did hear from producer/director Jeff Chitty that the trailer for his current project, The Taking of …
If you’re like me, you’re probably not a big fan of shakey camera work. A little is cool, but not “Cloverfield” style (at least not for me). One thing that the studios use is the steadicam. Of course if you’re shooting with low or no budget, you can’t afford one of these big pimpin’ Steadicams like the one in the pic. You can however make something that does a decent job with some time and a little money. When shooting “C for Chaos” we made a simple Steadicam to use with the Cannon GL-1. The new Panasonic DIVX-100B is heavier so I’ve been looking for something different to try.
These links all go to video tutorials. Each sort of has their own build type. Some are straight out counter balances some are more complex. Check ‘em out and let me know what you think!
This first video is a tutorial for how we built the steadicam we used. It’s a good tutorial that shows how to build a steadicam with some pipe and fittings. Very easy DIY project!
Build a pro level steadicam for $14 |► Steadicam is important in filmmaking and can help you get the perfect shot. If you are a budding filmmaker and don’t have the cash to shell out for a professionally made model, check out this …
I have completed my in-house small project building the Steadicam from scratch. This is the 2nd try. 1st one was not so very successful or better say stable. 1st try was based on very small u-joint. I kept the old one: …
Josh, thanks for the great tutorial. It was probably the easiest one to build on Youtube. It works pretty well when perfectly balanced, and that’s where the problem lies. DIY steadicams take a long time to fine tune. …
The Jaybilizer 3000 started out as a DIY Merlin-type Steadicam project. I wanted something that was better than the barbell on a stick type of camera stabilizer but not as expensive as a Steadicam Merlin or even a GlideCam 1000. I assembled a couple …
This video demonstrates a steadicam rig that I designed and built for about $12. It utilizes a unique “point-pivot” which eliminates the need for mechanical gimbals, reducing costs and maintaining a full range of motion. Shoot me a message if you are…
I hope this helps to have several styles of steadicams to build in one spot. Please let me know if you’ve built any of these or if you have a video walking people through how to build a steadicam. I’ll check it out and possibly add it.
Thanks!
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago at 11:03 pm. View Comments
It’s John Carpenter night this month as the Carolina Theatre in Durham kicks off the new season of Retrofantasma with a bang! That’s right, this Friday, Retrofantasma will play a killer double feature of John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness and Dark Star! Long time Carpenter fans know that Dark Star was Carpenter’s feature film directorial debut and Prince of Darkness is the second in his “Apocalypse Trilogy” which started with John Carpenter’s The Thing and concluded with In The Mouth of Madness.
It’s also worth noting that there are always great door prizes given away at Retrofantasma and this week Mutantville.com is donating a vintage copy of Fangoria #69 featuring John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness right on the cover! So come join the fun this Friday as these classic Carpenter films play in 35mm. Grab your beer and popcorn and kick back for a night of organized chaos at Retrofantasma.
Part of being a filmmaker is always learning and evolving. So as I find some cool tips, I may as well share them. One place I’ve always gotten really cool tips is from commentary tracks on DVDs of the “Patron Saints of MVP.” We all studied these people. For example, Robert Rodriguez has great commentary tracks on his movies. Grab a journal or a notebook, start the film, but be ready with the pause button because he puts lots of information in his commentaries. I also recommend his book, “Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player
.” This book lets you see what it’s like to produce a movie with a very low budget from start to finish.
This is not to say that the other elements of filmmaking aren’t crafts, but the script is the first and lowest-level document. Everything has to come from the script at some point. Every character, every setting, every description, …
GP Tips » Low-budget filmmaking tip #165 It’s easy to think you don’t need a script, or that a script is a pain to deal with, or that writing is easy. None of that is true. Although we sometimes joke that “the script practically writes …
Image Source. (Used with permission). Related posts: The Complete Guide to Low-Budget Feature Filmmaking; Budget Filmmaking – 4 Secrets To Making a Great Film With a Low Budget; Movie Training & Film Making Tips – Volume 3.
Before making a low-budget movie, find out what the budget maximum is going to be, and learn how to be creative with money. Shoot a low budget movie on digital tape, instead of film, withfilmmaking tips from a director and filmmaker in this free vide…
If you’re shooting a fight scene, get a lot of coverage. A lot. Every possible angle you can. Overshoot. Maybe even a few takes on slow shutter speed to give you blurry motiony stuff. Whatever. Just get a lot. Your editor will love you …
No matter how cool the makeup effects are, find out how long they take to apply and how long they last under hot lights. Factor that into your schedule. If your schedule can’t afford that, then either change your schedule, or change the …
1. Never Compromise! When you are making a low budget movie, it is important to realize that not everything is going to be perfect. You may have a vision for.
“Low budget filmmaking is a process that can at times be arduous, but the pay-off is one of the most creative forms of fulfillment that can be achieved by a modern day storyteller. It is with this concept that we will cover some of the …
Be aware of legal issues in filmmaking and learn all about release forms for Indie films with expert tips for producers and directors in this free filmmaking video. Expert: Kevin Lindenmuth Contact: www.lindenmuth.com Bio: Kevin Lindenmuth has worked…
This is a DVD extra from my film “Songs About Your Girlfriend”. It gives a little insight into how we were able to make a feature film for under $2000. If this interests you, please check out the rest of the film on my main page.
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago at 5:08 am. View Comments
Let’s set the wayback machine for 1991 as we check out an early Mutantville Production written and directed by our very own make-up FX jedi Todd A. Britt and starring none other than a bodacious young Brent Bowers as the titular Vampire Narc! This is exploitation filmmaking at it’s finest.
Posted 1 month, 4 weeks ago at 10:07 pm. View Comments
Fake blood, also known as, Stage Blood is a staple in making horror movies. You need all kinds…Good looking stuff for close-ups, thinner blood for spraying Kill Bill Volume One style. I know our resident make up effects guru extraordinaire, Todd A. Britt, has various recipes for blood. Unfortunately…I don’t know what they are…so…I decided to look online to see what I could find. I’ll include some youtube fake blood recipes here as well.
Use this easy recipe for homemade fake blood to add a scary prop for yourHalloween costume on this free video clip. Expert: Cable Hardin Contact: www.killingtimepictures.com Bio: Cable Hardin has been making films and animations for over twenty years…
Apparently not everyone loves the taste of fake blood.
Anna Paquin says fake blood makes her feel sick. The 22-year-old actress, who stars in vampire TV series “True Blood” opposite her fiance Stephen Moyer, admits the worst thing about the program is the corn syrup used in bloody scenes. …
That’s right, The Crazies is being released on DVD on June 29th, 2010. I’m sure I’ll remember this film for a long time because we (Mutantville) saw it in the theater with the legendary Matthew Ewald.
For the most part I liked it. The camera angles were good. Nice camera movement. Great zombie or infected make up though. It is a remake of the George A. Romero film. You’ll notice on the credits that Romero was an executive producer on the film. The original film came out in 1973. To make the new film period, everyone walks around in bell bottom pants to the disco soundtrack. Ok, none of that last sentence is true.
If you’re thinking about picking it up on DVD, Help us out and get it here. We greatly appreciate the assistance!
With its lurid title and anti-government paranoia, The Crazies bears the stamps of the 1970s original from the start, but it fits our times remarkably well. We’re discovering poison in baby formula from China, so how much of a leap is …
Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox join forces with bloggers, comedians, students and citizen critics to review “The Crazies.” For more from the Rotten Tomatoes Show: rottentomatoesshow.com VIEW more Rotten Tomatoes & SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube Playlist here…..
That time is upon us once again, oh true believers. Where it once took decades before the master of modern horror would release another film in his epic zombie series, now over the course of the past five years – George A. Romero has released three new dead films and counting! This weekend, George A. Romero’s latest zombie opus Survival of the Dead opens on VOD, Amazon, X-Box Live and in a limited theatrical run. The Mutantville Players were fortunate enough to catch an early showing of Survival of the Dead during an advance screening premiere at the historic Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC back on April 2nd, 2010. MVP was pleasantly surprised by Romero’s latest zombie yarn as it was a light-hearted departure from the nihilistic overtones of the previous entries in the “Dead” series. Fans expecting another dark and depressing bloodbath will most likely leave the theater disappointed – but fans of enjoyable zombie romps such as Shaun of the Dead, Dead Alive, and Return of the Living Dead should enjoy Romero’s latest zombie pic.
Check out the official trailer on Youtube:
Here’s a nice little sneak peek behind the scenes of the making of George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead. As an interesting side note – MVP was able to view this early footage way back in February of 2009 when George Romero hosted the American Zombie Film Festival here in North Carolina.
Hop on over to Break.com and listen as the master George A. Romero discusses his ideas for his latest effort Survival of the Dead. Romero discusses what has been called his neo-western approach taken in his most recent zombie film.
In case you don’t like George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead, that is fine – we all have different tastes – but if you say some kind of nonsense like Romero needs to stop making zombie films – then you need to stop critiquing movies and in the words of the immortal Captain Rhodes – you should CHOKE ON ‘EM! CHOKE ON ‘EM!!! Haters will hate.
Keep on making zombie films, George. We’ll keep watching!
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago at 6:16 am. View Comments
Streebo, Dave and Jason prepare for the screening of Devil Comes Down!
As many of you know, our short film “Devil Comes Down” was shown before the early screening of George A. Romero’s newest film “Survival of the Dead” a while back. After the screening of “Survival of the Dead,” a 35mm version of “Night of the Living Dead” was shown at the Carolina Theatre in Durham. It was great to see this on the big screen.
During the Light Factory’s “American Zombie Festival” in 2009, I was able to hear Mr. Romero speak about the making of “Night of the Living Dead” the night of the screening. I also attended a seminar with Streebo. There were many stories that all filmmakers can relate with. Most of these are about overcoming obstacles and adversities (which is useful in life in general of course). It was very inspirational to hear he started from humble beginnings as well and above all else…..Finish it (referring to the film you’re working on).
As far as “Night of the Living Dead,” I enjoy that he uses a lot of emotion to pull the cast apart as opposed to many movies that are just chase films with no emotional attachment to the characters. There are some movies (I won’t name names…ah ah ah choothe New Friday the 13thooo…excuse me) that has tons of what’s the word….douchey characters that you could care less about. This movie you have someone to pull for and for the time period, it’s not the one that was probably politically correct.
In honor of getting to see this in 35mm on the big screen, here are some interesting articles about “Night of the Living Dead.”
Night of the Living Dead represents the end of a lot of things. It was the last truly great black and white horror film, released at a time when most horror films were moving to full, vivid color starting with The Curse of Frankenstein …
Such is the case of Jeff Broadstreet’s dodgy 2006 reimagining “Night of the Living Dead 3D”, a film that boldly attempts to combine two of Hollywood’s latest trends: three-dimensional technology and remakes. …
So, git ready for big surprise, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD… IN COLOR!! Something different on Tabonga Birfday Special 2010, mostly you can just relax and enjoy these wild an’ crazy color stills from this awesome classic-classic, …
Interview with George A. Romero on the masters of horror tv show
I hope you enjoyed the Night of the Living Dead info and videos! Please help us out by Clicking the “Like” button at the top of the article! We have fan pages on Facebook as well! Thank you!
Posted 3 months, 1 week ago at 1:38 am. View Comments
Welcome to Mutantville Productions MVP Blog. Join Streebo, Brento, Geo & the rest of the Mutantville Players as they set sail on the high seas of guerrilla filmmaking in their ongoing quest to bring you the finest in genre entertainment.
