After another long session of editing, our intrepid adventurers Streebo and Brento strapped on their thinking caps and did their best to come up with a few more poster and shirt designs for the promotion of G.H.O.S.T.. Our plan is to come up with as many as possible until we find the right combination that everyone is happy with. Of course as with most things – the first are usually the best – but we will keep trying until we find that magical combination. MVP has bigger battles to fight at the moment as we are marching towards our final date with destiny in front of the camera for G.H.O.S.T.. This Saturday marks the final day of principle photography on G.H.O.S.T.. Stay tuned to Mutantville.com for your up to the minute MVP news!
From Shock Til You Drop.com: British actor Edward Woodward has died at the age of 79.
He is best known to horror fans for his turn as the unfortunate Sergeant Howie in 1973’s The Wicker Man, directed by Robin Hardy. In the film, he was tempted by the gorgeous Britt Ekland and shared the screen with Christopher Lee.
Later, he’d go on to star in the television series The Equalizer and Edgar (Shaun of the Dead) Wright’s Hot Fuzz.
His agent Janet Glass said the veteran of stage and screen had been ill for several months and passed away in hospital surrounded by members of his family.
Woodward is survived by his wife, the English actress Michele Dotrice, and four children.
LOS ANGELES – Roger Corman, memorably dubbed “the Orson Welles of the Z-Movie” and “the Pope of Pop Cinema,” never expected the words “Academy Award recipient” would accompany his name.
The man, whose 350 movie credits include such low-budget fare as “The Masque of the Red Death” and “X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes,” is receiving an honorary Oscar for a lifetime of achievement that includes mentoring such filmmakers as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron and Ron Howard.
Corman, 83, said he was aware the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was considering him for the honor. He felt certain he would not make the cut, though.
“I predicted that I would not win because I make low-budget films, and I felt the academy would not give an award to someone who made low-budget films. I was truly surprised when I got the call,” Corman said in an interview at the offices of his production and distribution outfit, New Horizons Pictures.
Read the rest at the link below:
Last night heralded yet another amazing day of filmmaking on the set of G.H.O.S.T.. We had an absolute blast shooting all of the elements that make horror fun – chases, ghosties, and other supernatural occurrences. Kathy Sandvoss put on a bravura performance as our gutsy heroine enduring take after take and bump after bump like a seasoned pro. Jack Stecher brought all of his years of experience to bear to imbue our creepy caretaker with a life of his own. Clint Jones continued to put on a solid showing as the beleaguered Seth. Dave Tunik and Jason Wheeley were able to survive a grueling make-up session to bring an amazing sequence of supernatural terror to vivid bloody life. Scott Thomas had his moment to take the center stage and bring the spirit of our ghost into four colored action! Thank you to Sylvia and Sierra for coming out and lending their talents as make up assistants again. Props to our ever reliable boom stick operator Allan Whitley for his sure hand and attentive ear throughout the shoot. Thanks to Jeremy for lending a hand shooting the behind the scenes segments. Everyone would like to extend a hearty handshake to Anne Reid for lending her talents as a massage therapist to keep everyone relaxed and loosened up for the duration of the shoot. Thanks to everyone for staying late and toughing it out. We are on the home stretch now – with the end in sight. Next Saturday will mark our final major shoot on the production of G.H.O.S.T. and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results. This will be an amazing project and you will all be very proud of the final film. Thank you all – because without you – our movie wouldn’t be possible.
A loss of power on the set last week set production on G.H.O.S.T. back by one week. It will take more than that to keep a good G.H.O.S.T. down. The Mutantville Players are rested, ready and assembled to get back on set tomorrow and finish what we started. We can never thank you all enough for your hard work and dedication. This has been an amazing project from beginning to the near end. Thanks for coming on this amazing journey with us. Please take a minute to check out the preliminary designs for the t-shirts and promos for G.H.O.S.T. We have more on the way and you can only learn about it right here on Mutantville.com!
From ASAP TRIP: The Film Sensei’s Six Quick Tips to Keep Your Indie Film From Sucking!
And here, my loyal students, are those tips to help you avoid some of the pitfalls I encountered as a beginning low budget filmmaker.
1. Lay Off the Zoom!
Yes, I know that George Lucas did it in the new Star Wars films and, yes, I know it was popular in the new Battlestar Galactica show, but all playing around with the zoom on your camera will do is make your footage look like a tourist shooting vacation movies out on the Florida Keys. A really good cameraman can make a zoom look ok (or semi-acceptable)…a really really good cameraman, that is. For the most part, though, a zoom will look shoddy and amateurish. Your best bet is to break your zoom controller or, at the very least, the finger closest to it. A dolly, stedicam or even hand-held track in will all look 1000% better than a crappy zoom.
2. Vary Your Angles
One of the most common mistakes of most new directors and a whole heck of a lot of indie and guerrilla filmmakers is shots all looking alike. Most low budget films are shot very tight and never really open up for a long view – they’re full of close-ups, two shots and cramped quarters. They also tend to be diagram shots framed at eye level. If you want to make your film more excited, or more interesting, pull back for longer shots, tilt your camera, shoot from a bird’s eye or worm’s eye angle – use your camera angles to help set your mood and control your audience’s level of tension/suspense/drama. A good guide is to pull back further than you think you should (or push in further). Make sure to change things up a bit or your footage and your film will become stagnant and boring.
3. Use Proper Lighting
One of the hardest things for most indie, low budget and guerrilla filmmakers to learn is how to properly light for the DV or HD cameras they’re filming on. With a much lower contrast range and higher need for light than the human eye (and film), lighting for DV/HD cameras can often be a bit counter intuitive. In other words, what looks good to your naked eye often won’t work for your finished film. If you’re not careful you’ll wind up with footage too dark to use. If you’ve worked with, or lit for, film cameras then it may take a little while to get used to the change in methodology. I’ve shot with a number of really good DPs recently who made the mistake of lighting for their eyes and not for the camera we were shooting with. Shoot some lighting tests before you begin principal photography so you can get used to your camera’s dynamic range.
4. Write for What You Have
Since most low budget, indie and guerrilla filmmakers also happen to write their own material, the number one thing you should keep in mind when putting your new screenplay together is: write for what you have! The best way to give your film a higher production value is to make use of anything and everything you’ve already got access to. It’s tough to go out and find a cemetary or a muscle car or an airplane, but if you’ve got friends/family with unique locations, props or wardrobe then you can make your little $5000 movie look like you spent tens or hundreds of thousands on it. It worked for Robert Rodriguez and it will work for you.
5. Get a Good Tripod
Hand holding is great on a date with your girlfriend (or boyfriend, we’re not sexist here at the Film Sensei’s DOJO), but it should be used sparingly on a film set. Get a good fluid head tripod and make use of it as much as possible to give yourself a solid base to work from. Remember, hand held footage is great as long as it is used for a purpose and for an effect. If you’re just doing it because you’re too cheap to spring for a good set of sticks then your film will suffer for it.
6. Get a Good Mic
I feel like I’m starting to sound like a broken record after yesterday’s post about essential audio equipment for indie and guerrilla filmmakers. However, it’s a point well worth repeating over and over. While your audience may forgive a little wonky storytelling, dark images or even bad acting, the one thing no one will forgive is bad sound. There is almost nothing you can do that is worse than poor sound quality, and nothing that will make you look more like an amateur – well, short of accidentally filming all day with your lens cap on. Decent mics are available even for those of us on a more modest budget and there is absolutely no excuse to be shooting with your camera’s onboard mic – EVER!
There you have it: the extent of my wisdom. Yes, I know there are a lot more things to keep in mind and that will help (like making sure to get a good AD to help run your set properly or not hiring actresses you want to sleep with), but if you follow these six tips you’ll have a good head-start on keeping your first low budget film from sucking worse than a two-dollar whore.
That’s it from the depths of the DOJO for tonight. Until next time, Keep Shooting!
After several weeks of working with various designs – Geo, Brento and myself are proud to announce that we’ve found the winning formula for our first t-shirt design for G.H.O.S.T. and no one had to die to make it happen! We’re in the process of working up a few more shirt designs as well as several poster options – so stay tuned for more MVP news right here at Mutantville.com!
From EW.com: The Cult 25: The Essential Left-Field Movie Hits Since ‘83
25. THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION II: THE METAL YEARS (1988)
Most of the headbangers in Penelope Spheeris’ doc never made it, but Metal Years showcases their big-bucks dreams in a way that’s far more memorable than their songs.
SIGNATURE LINE ”I’m the happiest sonofabitch motherf—er there ever was.”
Get in the spirit with the G.H.O.S.T. desktop of the week. For every week of active shooting, Johnny Brento will be adding a unique desktop in tribute to the characters of the latest Mutantville Productions Film project. Yes, that’s right, ole J.B. missed a week. This one is a makeup for the week off.
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.
After another long session of editing, our intrepid adventurers Streebo and Brento strapped on their thinking caps and did their best to come up with a few more poster and shirt designs for the promotion of G.H.O.S.T.. Our plan is to come up with as many as possible until we find the right combination that everyone is happy with. Of course as with most things – the first are usually the best – but we will keep trying until we find that magical combination. MVP has bigger battles to fight at the moment as we are marching towards our final date with destiny in front of the camera for G.H.O.S.T.. This Saturday marks the final day of principle photography on G.H.O.S.T.. Stay tuned to Mutantville.com for your up to the minute MVP news!
Last night heralded yet another amazing day of filmmaking on the set of G.H.O.S.T.. We had an absolute blast shooting all of the elements that make horror fun – chases, ghosties, and other supernatural occurrences. Kathy Sandvoss put on a bravura performance as our gutsy heroine enduring take after take and bump after bump like a seasoned pro. Jack Stecher brought all of his years of experience to bear to imbue our creepy caretaker with a life of his own. Clint Jones continued to put on a solid showing as the beleaguered Seth. Dave Tunik and Jason Wheeley were able to survive a grueling make-up session to bring an amazing sequence of supernatural terror to vivid bloody life. Scott Thomas had his moment to take the center stage and bring the spirit of our ghost into four colored action! Thank you to Sylvia and Sierra for coming out and lending their talents as make up assistants again. Props to our ever reliable boom stick operator Allan Whitley for his sure hand and attentive ear throughout the shoot. Thanks to Jeremy for lending a hand shooting the behind the scenes segments. Everyone would like to extend a hearty handshake to Anne Reid for lending her talents as a massage therapist to keep everyone relaxed and loosened up for the duration of the shoot. Thanks to everyone for staying late and toughing it out. We are on the home stretch now – with the end in sight. Next Saturday will mark our final major shoot on the production of G.H.O.S.T. and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results. This will be an amazing project and you will all be very proud of the final film. Thank you all – because without you – our movie wouldn’t be possible.
A loss of power on the set last week set production on G.H.O.S.T. back by one week. It will take more than that to keep a good G.H.O.S.T. down. The Mutantville Players are rested, ready and assembled to get back on set tomorrow and finish what we started. We can never thank you all enough for your hard work and dedication. This has been an amazing project from beginning to the near end. Thanks for coming on this amazing journey with us. Please take a minute to check out the preliminary designs for the t-shirts and promos for G.H.O.S.T. We have more on the way and you can only learn about it right here on 
From ASAP TRIP: The Film Sensei’s Six Quick Tips to Keep Your Indie Film From Sucking!
After several weeks of working with various designs – Geo, Brento and myself are proud to announce that we’ve found the winning formula for our first t-shirt design for G.H.O.S.T. and no one had to die to make it happen! We’re in the process of working up a few more shirt designs as well as several poster options – so stay tuned for more MVP news right here at Mutantville.com!
