The cast and crew have been amazing. I've been living at the crew house in the Tampa area since May 1st, and not once have I had the desire to run screaming from the house. The comradely is incredible, and it's made production a very enjoyable experience despite all the to-be-expected problems during filming.
So my new plan is to post more once the production goes on hiatus during the hot summer months. Stay tuned...
We did, however, elect to start the day by shooting most of the scenes that take place in a bathroom that has a huge mirror. The AD, UPM, and I spent the first couple hours hiding in the bathtub while the cameras rolled. Finally I got smart and turned the director's wand over to the DP, who had to be in the bathroom while the rest of us waited outside. But it did raise the question as to how many of us could fit in the tub. We found out at the end of the day for our obligatory group photo.
We did have a lot of fun dressing the set for the bedroom of a very slovenly character (and kicking our UPM out of his bedroom in the process.) We also had to "distress" the character's wardrobe by staining it with food items, which somehow escalated from "slob" to "peanut butter fetish". Yeah, it took a complete wardrobe change until we got that one right.
We also learned that our gaffer/AC's home-made LED lights can illuminate the entire neighborhood when placed outside to simulate sunlight coming through the windows at 11pm.
First of all, I will be using trems like "our film" and "we" rather than "my film" and "I", because quite frankly, this is very much a collaborative medium and everyone on the main cast and crew have been pouring their hearts into the production. So this baby has lots of Mommies and Daddies and I'm not about to take full ownership of that just because I have the writer/director position.
ONE WEEK BEFORE SHOOTING...
We really had very little to do. By this miraculous process known as planning carefully, we had all the props and wardrobe obtained, schedule made, locations locked down, equipment secured, menus planned, and pretty much everything else that could possibly be done ahead of time completed. All that was left was to sit back and ponder the possibilities of what else we could do to add production value to the film. Then our sound mixer fell victim to a hit-n-run collision. (Note: Car Calamity #1)
48 HOURS BEFORE SHOOTING...
The phone call that every director in the world has nightmares about came in. One of the lead actors had to drop out due to circumstances beyond his control. But fortunately for us, my husband was both a seasoned actor who could play the role in a pinch and had wide open availability for the next six weeks. Yay us!
DAY ONE.
I'll admit, I was very nervous about shooting the sex scenes in this film. Gore and horror are a cake-walk for me, but sex... yeah, zero experience on what to expect on those types of sets. I knew enough to have a "closed set". But our actors and the crew bonded very well and very fast, so "closed set" soon came to mean "Keep the cats off the set." And the two on-screen lovebirds? You'd think they'd been dating for years instead of having just met 18 hours earlier. So what I thought would be one of our hardest days has been the easiest day so far. Well, except when one of the actors managed to run over a large coquina rock and get his car stuck on location, spraying the camera operator with a blast of sand during attempts to get it un-stuck. (Car calamity #2)
Our phrase of the day was "Nipple Continuity".
DAY TWO.
First day of exterior long conversation shots. You know that thing on the news about the sequester causing a dramatic cut in air traffic controllers? Well, none of us had watched the news in a while so we were completely unprepared for the six private planes literally circling overhead on our set as we tried to record dialog sound. At least the crew was able to take it all in stride, and at one point two of the actors broke out into doing their scene in the style of a Spanish soap opera.
The phrase of the day was "Fucking planes!"
DAY THREE.
Werewolf attack day. Shooting mostly without sound, so there was little concern about the heavy air traffic. We did manage to knock the stunt puppet's teeth out, but otherwise a very trouble-free day on set. And bloody.
The phrase of the day was: "Ommm Nom Nom Nom Nom"
DAY FOUR.
Our AD arrived late on set after having a car accident in the parking lot of the hotel. (Car calamity #3) Shortly after we begin shooting, our sound equipment begins to crap out on us... continuously. After several hours of trouble-shooting, sound is operating fine and the camera goes crazy... then the dry-erase pen for the slate starts even starts erasing itself. So we decided that whoever was responsible for operating the malfunctioning piece of equipment would be blamed for everything until the next thing broke down. I believe that everyone on crew had their turn at being the center of all blame.
The phrase of the day was "Scapegoat".
LOCATION MOVE PRODUCTION MEETING...
We moved the entire production from Ormond Beach to New Port Richey, Florida and most of the key crew moved into a beautiful house that we've rented for a month as a "crew house".
On the day before we were scheduled to start shooting at the new location, we held a big crew meeting so everyone could walk through the location. Everything went fine until some people left...and our Key Wardrobe got into a car accident on the highway. (Yes, that would be car calamity #4)
DAY FIVE.
First day shooting an actor who is under the age of 18. Everyone on this usually-raunchy crew was incredibly well-behaved while the young man was on set. Unfortunately, the local wildlife in the woods wanted to see what was going on, particularly the arachnids. We could hardly set up a shot without one dropping into frame.
The word for the day: "SPIDERS!!!!!"
DAY SIX.
Second day in the woods. This time the arachnids sent a far more worrisome species to represent them on set. I think only a couple people managed to get through the entire day without pulling at least one of the little blood-suckers off of them.
The phrase of the day: "Is that a TICK????!!!"
So I've been directing for the past four days now, and I do have to admit that I've been enjoying it. It's a strange position for me though. I've had so many years of training myself to move like a ninja whenever I hear "quiet on the set!" that there were a few occasions when I forgot that I'm the one who was supposed to yell "Action!" this week.
The energy on the set is amazing, so I'm pleased to tell you that I have indeed tested all my theories about what directors can do to improve the conditions on their sets and put together a good working team. (Nice to know I haven't just been blogging out of my arse for the past few years, eh?) I'm not about to say that everything runs perfectly... let's face it, this is a micro-budget creature feature that is being held together with duct tape and a prayer to the Film Gods, but at least the food is good and the energy is, well, very energizing!
We did have a near-fatal blow about 48 hours before filming was scheduled to begin when one of my lead actors had to suddenly drop out. It wasn't his fault and I certainly understood the circumstances so there is zero bitterness there. Fortunately, my husband Duckie volunteered to jump into the role and after a mad dash to get a very specific costume made for him, we were good to go by 9:00 AM on April 25th.
I know that sounds horrible. "Hey guys, we lost one of our leads, but don't worry... my husband can play the role!" What everyone found out quickly: Duckie is actually a veteran actor who has just been away from it for the past few years. He shook the dust off easily and made a very smooth transition from crew-to-cast...which I was entirely thankful for since the first day was shooting two sex scenes involving his character.
Please note: I would never recommend that anyone ever replace a lost character two days before shooting with one's Spouse or Significant Other unless that person does have a very solid acting background! I was REALLY REALLY lucky in that situation!
So far it has been the expected headaches involving equipment malfunctions and airplanes, and the very unexpected thrill of having a cast and crew that work so well together that you'd swear we'd all been working together for four years rather than just four days. We've been posting our antics on our Facebook page for Predatory Moon, as well as the website at www.predatorymoon.com
Cast and Ormond Beach Unit Crew on Day One under the full moon.
The second difference is the focus of tonight's rant.
Why are scary monsters becoming an endangered species in movieland?
I saw this posted on Facebook from Horror Central, and I really couldn't have illustrated it better myself:
Horror fans and supporters, this is my promise to you: The creatures in Predatory Moon are not wolves, huskies, or any hybrid of the two. They are FANTASY MONSTERS. Yes, I know that the purists will argue that a traditional "werewolf" is a bloke who turns into a wolf on nights of the full moon, but I was brought up in the 1980s. We didn't have pretty specimens of just-out-of-adolescence men running around half-naked in the woods and morphing into specimens of perfect lupines. We had The Howling and An American Werewolf in London. (And before that we had The Wolf Man.)
There are a few critters out there that are beautiful because of their method of attack. Vampires, Incubi, Succubi, Mermaids/men ... they all depend on enticing their human prey with their seductiveness. Some witches can get away with that too. But do we really have to beautify everything? Since when did every fantasy creature have to look like it belongs in an adult fantasy?
Screw that, I'm going old school! I don't want anyone to drool over the werewolves when they see them in Predatory Moon. I want people to scream!
Okay, it is a little disturbing to me but it doesn't actually surprise me that I've been asked this a lot. There are a lot of very small production companies that shoot in the spring and are ready to premiere a few months later. A good chunk of them are straight-up dramas or comedies that didn't require a ton of pre-production or a lot of work in post. However, I've seen a few horror films go this same way, and the quality suffers from it.
Predatory Moon is a werewolf horror film that's being done with 100% practical F/X and makeup. That means that there is a LOT of building and designing involved just in the F/X department alone. There are at least two different versions of each individual creature character - an actor makeup and a mechanical puppet. The style I've chosen to go with for the film is very gritty and realistic, so it's not just a matter of spraying a few gallons of blood on the actors and calling them "werewolf victims". And, because I am completely insane, we show most of the action in broad daylight and deny ourselves the advantage of hiding imperfect work in the shadows.
Pre-production for Predatory Moon started in October 2012. Our last scheduled day of filming is in October 2013. Yes, it will take well over a year for this particular micro-budget film to be shot and edited.
Does this guarantee that Predatory will go down as being one of the best films ever shot for less than $30,000? Of course not. But it is my aim to make it the best film it can be given its limitations. A lot can still go wrong, but there is a lot of time to plan and prepare for the imaginable calamities.
While I've been working on the F/X gags for Predatory, I've had to turn down at least three other jobs. What I found disturbing about all three requests is that there really wasn't enough prep time involved for me even if I were available to do the work. For example: "We're doing a really bloody slasher movie in two weeks. Can you do some really realistic effects for us?"
So I thought I'd illustrate the kind of time it takes to make even one standard horror prop, a severed head. (Nevermind the prep on how the head is going to come off in the first place, this is just the head prop itself.)
This is Mel Heflin, an actress in a role that requires decapitation. the head itself will be shown on display in closeup, so I couldn't just toss a wig on a mannequin head and call it a day. So I had to schedule a time for her to come over to my studio in Ormond Beach so I could take a lifecast of her face. (Time note: busy actors can't always just drop everything and rush right over, and she lives almost 100 miles away from me.)
I'm using lifecasting silicone for her rather than the more common alginate because I knew I wasn't going to be able to pour a positive right away. The whole process of capturing her likeness in a mold took about an hour.
Now, here's the step-by-step of what came afterward, including time allotments:
1. Nose holes on silicone negative filled with silicone and left to cure: 8 hours
2. Melted clay poured into silicone negative and left to harden: 4 hours
3. Clay positive removed from silicone negative and imperfections fixed: 2 hours
4. Clay positive re-sculpted to show post-mortem mutilation and decomposition: 2 hours
5. Plaster poured over clay positive to create a plaster negative mold, left to cure: 4 hours
6. Clay scraped out of plaster mold, then left to finish curing: 26 hours
7. Several coats of casting latex bushed into plaster negative and cured: 32 hours
8. Shopping for hair to match actress: 3 hours
9. Eyeballs sculpted and molded in casting rubber: 18 hours
10. Eyeballs cast in acrylic and painted: 6 hours
11. Latex face secured to foam head shape and glued down: 4 hours
12. Face painted (in 4 stages) with latex paint: 8 hours
13. Hair glued down: 2 hours
14. Eyebrow hairs punched into head (one strand of hair at a time): 3 hours
15. Eyelashes glued in: 1 hour
16. Eye inserted and given glossy finish: 1 hour
17. Hair slicked down with "old blood", debris added, and left to dry completely: 12 hours
18. "Wet" looking goo mixed up, added where needed, and left to set: 3 hours
19. Whole head sealed with a combination of matte and gloss finishings and left to dry: 6 hours
Yup, that's a combined 145 hours to create the prop, not including the time taken to make the initial lifecast of the actor's face. A lot of time and work for a prop that will only get a few seconds of screen time in the movie. But "realistic" was the goal here.
I've spent the last month working on "Scruffy", one of the werewolf puppets for Predatory Moon. I've never done a large creature-puppet like this before, and the F/X list calls for three different versions that can do three different things. Scruffy is the attack puppet that we'll be using to bite and claw victims with. The other two, whom we've christened "Cuddles" and "Buttercup", are to be mechanized for expressions.
I did mention that I've never built anything like this before, right?
So it has been a month of gnashing my teeth, swearing, and pulling out my hair while also jumping for joy and praising the Film Gods. As I write this, Scruffy is almost camera-ready and all the mistakes I made while putting him together have gone on the list of What Not To Do when I start on his buddies this week.
This weekend we did some B-Unit work for Predatory Moon, and the FX Makeup artist (Nicole Sweeney) and I had to tackle another problem that I'd never run into before... an actor (Sean Landenberger) with a very long beard that he couldn't shave off. Our plan was to rip his face off.
My first thought was to go with a method that I use when it comes to having to put any kind of prosthetics in hair... a method known as "soaping out" which uses melted bar soap to slick down the hair and keep it as close to the skin as possible. Unfortunately, Sean's thick, curly beard proved to be too much for this.
Then we thought we could cover it somehow and then use gelatin blood to hide it. Knowing how much fun gelatin is to get out of any type of long hair, I suggested we try gluing some plastic wrap to his chin as a barrier, then painting that with latex. Well, once again the bushiness of the beard was our enemy, and before long we had a flesh-colored sack hanging off his chin that really started resembling something you'd expect to see in a porno. Needless to say, we had to ditch that idea.
The solution was finally to abandon all hope of tearing his face off, and settle on raking werewolf claw marks across his face. Nicole slashed his face up with tissue and latex and I ran some blood tubes hidden in his hair. It turned out very well and Sean died beautifully for the camera.
Some people might wonder why I chose to list the actors alphabetically rather than the more common standard of listing the main characters first. My simple explanation is this:
EVERY character is important.
I know that sounds cliche, but I happen to think that it is true. I wrote the script for Predatory Moon, and every character serves an important role in moving the story forward, even if they only appear in one scene.
I feel the same way about "extras", and you can bet that every single one of the actors in the very small roles in this film will have a character name and proper credit on the end roll of the movie. The Extras add to the scene and create a convincing atmosphere for the film. Without them, poor Ronald would seem like a very unpopular kid with only family attending his funeral and Springville itself would be a ghost town.
In Predatory Moon, many of the extras will be involved in some pretty intense scenes that set the mood for the entire story. They will be acting on camera, not just milling around to fill in space. Some of them are going to get pretty messy with gory makeups. Others will be asked to react to things in a scene that many seasoned actors have a difficult time with. As far as I'm concerned, these people deserve a round of applause too.
I understand that there are many aspiring actors who are only interested in speaking parts, and I suppose that there is something to that. I really don't have a firm grasp on common knowledge when it comes to acting. I have been on some projects where Extras were treated like third-class citizens and I always found that to be rude of the production, particularly on projects with a very small cast to begin with and everyone there was a volunteer.
However, since I'm accustomed to working on crews for film and theatrical projects, I'm familiar with the power of networking among actors and crew people. If I had the desire to be an actor, I'd be taking any role I could get, even as an extra, just for the opportunity to meet other people in the industry and get my name/face around. Many productions (and Predatory Moon was no exception) will start casting from within their working social circles before holding auditions if they know actors who they believe would fit a role.
Link: Dangerous People Redband Trailer
Dangerous People was written and directed by Garo Nigoghossian (who is also co-producing my film Predatory Moon.)
So this is exciting for me, because it's the first time that I get to decide what my characters actually look like on screen. I am looking forward to seeing all my options over the next two days!
