Mutantville.com

Changing the Face of Independent Horror!

Mutantville heads to Fright Night Film Fest

Roger Corman In Person 24 June 2009. Photograph: ©Margaret Drysdale/EIFF Edinburgh International Film Festival 2009

Author:EIFF

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.

The Official Fright Night Film Fest site!

Fright Night Film Fest Promo 2010

Promo for 2010’s Fright Night Film Fest in Louisville, KY. Footage is from 2009.

Fright Night Film Fest 2010 Promo 2

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

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.

Publish Date: 07/29/2010 20:24

http://www.prlog.org/10826019-fright-night-film-festival-louisville-kentucky-hosts-tales-of-an-ancient-empire-world-premieres.html

FrightNight Film Fest Offers Up Jason After Jason

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 …

Publish Date: 07/26/2010 13:55

http://fridaythe13thfilms.com/blog/frightnight-film-fest-offers-up-jason-after-jason/

Fright Night Film Fest

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.

Publish Date: 07/20/2010 11:25

http://hellnotes.com/fright-night-film-fest

Fright Night Film Fest 2010 to Host to Legendary Filmmaker and

Fright Night Film Fest will host legendary filmmaker and Oscar winner Roger Corman as well as Michael Madsen (Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, Thelma & Louise),

Publish Date: 07/07/2010 10:00

http://www.fatally-yours.com/news/fright-night-film-fest-2010-to-host-to-legendary-filmmaker-and-oscar-winner-roger-corman/

Bane of the Werewolf at The Fright Night Film Fest 2010 | Bane of

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.

Publish Date: 07/22/2010 14:27

http://www.baneofthewerewolf.com/blog/2010/07/22/bane-of-the-werewolf-at-the-fright-night-film-fest-2010/

Welcome to Fright Night | The Gallery of Horror Artist Chris Kuchta

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 …

Publish Date: 07/27/2010 4:57

http://www.horrorartist.com/blog/2010/07/welcome-to-fright-night/

The Taking of Savannah Trailer to Debut at Fright Night Film Fest

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 …

Publish Date: 07/10/2010 3:50

http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/38456/the-taking-savannah-trailer-debut-fright-night-film-fest

People are Tweeting about it as well!

TALES at Fright Night Film Fest is announced on aintitcool.com http://fb.me/xToH2qxX

By AlbertPyunFilms at 07/29/2010 22:34

On the road to Louisville, KY to attend Fright Night Film Fest.

By evyled at 07/29/2010 21:01

Come to Fright Night Film Fest Tomorrow from 1:30 am to 4:30 am. Most of you already know about this anyway…… http://fb.me/DpVKjBpu

By PlanetRobbin at 07/29/2010 20:44

SallyShow: Ready for FRIGHT NIGHT FILM FEST …come by and see us if you are in KY!

By RaVeN__X at 07/29/2010 20:33

Packing for Fright Night Film Fest. Those who stay behind will miss out on EPIC tales of debauchery.

By bestboye at 07/29/2010 19:38

So TALES OF AN ANCIENT EMPIRE Didn’t Premiere At SDCC After All, But It’s At Fright Night Film Fest This Weekend!! http://bit.ly/9gZfHO

By MovieNewsWire at 07/29/2010 15:46

We’re on the way to Louisville to see Corman at The Fright Night Film Fest! Say hey if you see us!

By MVP at 07/29/2010 23:45

Ok…just seeing if you’re paying attention. :p

Posted 1 month ago at 3:58 am.

View Comments

Build a Steadicam

Author:EnJork

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!

How to build a pro level steadicam for $14 | Video « Wonder How To

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 …

Publish Date: 05/19/2010 18:50

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-build-pro-level-steadicam-for-14-367487/

Steadicambuild story « gadas.eu

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: …

Publish Date: 05/15/2010 16:55

http://gadas.eu/2010/05/steadicam-build-story/

DIY Merlin Steadicam Camera stabilizer with test footage | Diy

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. …

Publish Date: 07/20/2010 20:49

http://diyhomeadvice.co.uk/do-it-yourself-guides/diy-merlin-steadicam-camera-stabilizer-with-test-footage/

This one looks pretty Awesome, but not so easy to build. Plus not as cheap.

*UPDATED* How to build a DIY $100 Merlin-type Steadicam camera stabilizer that really works.

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 …

Point Pivot Steadicam design

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

John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness and Dark Star this week at Retrofantasma!

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.

Check out the official link for Retrofantasma, the Carolina Theatre, and the Nevermore Film Festival.

Trailer for John Carpenter’s Dark Star.

Trailer for John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness.

Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago at 4:36 am.

View Comments

Low Budget Filmmaking Tips

Filming Low Budget style on G.H.O.S.T.

On location for G.H.O.S.T.

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.

Low-budget filmmaking tip #165

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, …

Publish Date: 07/10/2010 15:53

http://www.guerrilla-productions.org/tips/?p=197

Filmmaking News – 519th Edition

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 …

Publish Date: 07/10/2010 16:47

http://www.screenwritingbasics.com/2010/07/filmmaking-news-519th-edition/

Movie Training – No Budget Filmmaking Guide

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.

Publish Date: 07/03/2010 20:13

http://www.screenwritingbasics.com/2010/07/movie-training-no-budget-filmmaking-guide/

Filmmaking Tips : How to Make Low Budget Movies

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…

Low-budget filmmaking tip #157

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 …

Publish Date: 06/30/2010 10:38

http://www.guerrilla-productions.org/tips/?p=180

Low-budget filmmaking tip #151

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 …

Publish Date: 06/22/2010 11:44

http://www.guerrilla-productions.org/tips/?p=173

Important Tips for Low-Budget Filmmaking | Digital Filmmaking Blog

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.

Publish Date: 07/28/2009 17:12

http://www.misteridigital.com/lounge/important-tips-for-low-budget-filmmaking/

Low Budget Filmmaking – Getting Down to Basics

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 …

Publish Date: 05/20/2010 9:58

http://filmdirectingtips.com/archives/5222

Low Budget Indie Filmmaking : Release Form Tips for Indie Films

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…

Microbudget Filmmaking – How to make a movie for 2 grand

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

Vampire Narc

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 Recipe

Photo:hearing.sounds

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.

Blood and Gore Fx #1: How to make fake blood low budget filmmaking

A “How to” blood recipe for low budget filmmaking. Justin Powers explains on the set of Kodie. special fx tutorial with no money SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE

Makeup for Halloween : How To Make Fake Blood

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 Gets Sick 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. …

Publish Date: 06/18/2010 0:22

http://www.celebrity-mania.com/news/view/00013701.html

Posted 2 months, 1 week ago at 1:08 am.

View Comments

The Crazies

The Crazies

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!

I found some articles and reviews of The Crazies:

The Crazies – New Film Review | Front Row Reviews

The Crazies – New Film Review. The Crazies takes its title from a 1973 George A Romero horror film. Timothy Olyphant is Ogden Marsh sheriff.

Publish Date: 03/09/2010 15:46

http://www.frontrowreviews.co.uk/reviews/the-crazies-film-review/3923

Review: The Crazies – Cinematical

Your friends and neighbors want to kill you. It’s a simple concept, the basic underlying idea that drives the zombie movie genre, and it’s the.

Publish Date: 02/25/2010 21:45

http://www.cinematical.com/2010/02/25/the-crazies-review/

The Crazies Movie Review

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 …

Publish Date: 02/25/2010 16:50

http://www.cinemablend.com/dvds/The-Crazies-4486.html

The Crazies | DVD | Review | The A.V. Club

George Romero’s 1973 horror movie, reissued in advance of a new remake, isn’t one of his zombie films, but carries a similar thematic charge.

Publish Date: 02/24/2010 1:00

http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-crazies,38532/

Here’s the preview:

‘The Crazies’ Trailer HD

For more info on ‘The Crazies’ visit: www.hollywood.com

“The Crazies” Interview with Timothy Olyphant

The Crazies Review: Rotten Tomatoes Show

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…..

Behind the Scenes with “The Crazies” Part 1

Looks like people are talking about The Crazies on Twitter too!

When is the crazies coming out of dvd? That was a good horror flcik

By CrankyMovienerd at 06/09/2010 20:33

I saw that movie! The Crazies It was great, and it was crazy alright

By MenofAcertnAge at 06/09/2010 20:29

The crazies is an intense movie

By johnisascarykid at 06/09/2010 16:04

something stupid: the beginning of “the crazies” makes no effing sense. complete unsportsmanlike conduct. u cant shoot a player on the field

By CloudZero45 at 06/09/2010 20:11

Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago at 1:35 am.

View Comments

Heroes Con Swag with Streebo.

CB6WVEZBYMTH

Posted 3 months ago at 4:44 am.

View Comments

George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead Opens This Week!

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.

http://www.break.com/usercontent/2009/10/romero-talks-about-survival-of-the-dead-1476209.html

Stop by the Mutantville Players’ Youtube channel to hear our thoughts from the advance screening of George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead. Streebo and the gang loved the movie and had a lot of fun with it so check out our video review to see our initial reaction to viewing the movie.

And just so you know we’re not alone in enjoying the movie – check out this video review from our buddies over at Gutmunchers.com.  The writer of the fantastic Gutmunchers webcomic – John – shares his thoughts after viewing the early DVD release of George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead. After you watch John’s review, stop by the Gutmunchers’ webpage and enjoy the hilarity of a world gone mad with zombies in the ongoing Gutmunchers webcomic.

http://www.gutmunchers.com/Web_Comic.html

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

George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead

Mutantville at Carolina Theatre

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 (1968) Movie Review by SpookshowStudios

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 …

Publish Date: 05/01/2010 3:32

http://www.horror-movies.ca/horror_reviews_8206.htm

Night of the Living Dead 3D (2006) Movie Review | BeyondHollywood

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. …

Publish Date: 03/29/2010 10:56

http://www.beyondhollywood.com/night-of-the-living-dead-3d-2006-movie-review/

Review: Night of the Living Dead Reanimated | ZombieChatter.com

Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated review, trailer, pics and general feel around this art-house project.

Publish Date: 05/07/2010 9:35

http://www.zombiechatter.com/2010/05/07/review-night-of-the-living-dead-reanimated/

13: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD In Living Color!!

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, …

Publish Date: 03/17/2010 14:32

http://monstermoviemusic.blogspot.com/2010/03/night-of-living-dead-in-color.html

Here is the Trailer:

Night Of The Living Dead Trailer

Screening July 12, 2008 at Coney Island. www.coneyisland.com

Interview with Zombie Guru George A. Romero

In this clip www.WatchMojo.com sits down with film director and Zombie guru George A. Romero to talk about his long and legendary career.

George Romero Masters of Horror

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