July 19th, 2006
Crossroads
One thing’s for sure. I’ve grown. Controversies abound with the local filmmaker wannabe’s and I won’t make a peep. There’s more drama than a high school play and I have little or nothing to do with it and I will NOT participate. I have far more important things on my plate. I have choices; I can either work hard on my new script or get into it with talk-a-lot blowhards. I think I’d rather write. I can comment on the sexual preferences of a well known local actor or I can do an interview about HORRORS OF WAR. I think it best to do the Interview. Did this actress have an affair with a married local actor, thus ending a 5 and half year marriage or should we discuss the merits of shooting HD over film?
One of my most avid readers of this blog asked me how life after HORRORS OF WAR is and I said I had an Interview with Markee magazine on Monday and a Horror magazine on Wednesday. Let’s just say it’s not easy to put it behind me when there’s so much left to do and no one to do it.
We’re getting solicited to submit to film festivals. Just this week I’ve fielded offers from a festival in Toronto Canada and another in Phoenix Arizona. Entry fees get waived, and I drop the packages quickly in the post. I think once we get formal announcements, we’ll do the festival run through November of this year, then shift focus to the DVD release in North America. Yes, that’s right – HORRORS OF WAR on DVD this year, at least as it stands now. Things may change, the release might get bumped back, but I think it’s going to hit on schedule this fall.
As I think about it, it was one year ago today we were on set and I was directing on HORRORS OF WAR. Consulting my shooting schedule, we were in Mechanicsburg shooting the Chateau exteriors, where we shot & killed Brandy at least 8 times in a row. It doesn’t feel like a year ago, but it was.
Since my last blog, I was on set at Johnny Wu’s feature shoot for THE RAPTURE. Johnny Wu is a talented guy who surrounds himself with good people. The crew, unlike many Columbus shoots, is not half-assing it waiting for their turn to direct, convinced they could do it better.
Other than that, it was a wonder to see Brandy acting in the film, especially in very very provocative outfits that reveal much and hid little. Gee, thanks Christine for making my girlfriend the object of attention for every erect penis in the state of Ohio for 2 weeks. Actually, yet again, I don’t experience jealousy. I don’t mind because it’s me she’s coming home to, so there’s no bother. I trust her implicitly, no matter whom the guys are and how much they try.
I worked with actors ever so briefly on the movie and found that I still have this burning desire to work with actors all the time. Finding ways to deliver lines differently and that director/actor relationship that I’ve learned to cultivate, even quickly. The real truth is I hate being a director on someone else’s set. All I want to do is get the hell out of there because I feel this conflict of interest being there with no real job duties to perform. If I were a grip or a camera operator or anything, it wouldn’t be bad, but I detest being asked to “help” on a movie and have no real function.
I’m certain Johnny Wu will edit together something really nice from the piece. He’s a master at culling together footage & making magic from it. I find him to be one of the most capable filmmakers in the state.
Writer’s block sucks. I hate losing the ability put thoughts on paper and the aimless floating from one menial task to another while awaiting inspiration to kick in. At least at this phase in my life, I can find something productive to do in the mean time. I always fill in that time with hard core marketing.
I just got on YOUTUBE.COM after spending a year aware of it, but not being too excited to add yet another video site to my resume. I also joined METACAFE.COM
. I split my efforts between the 5 best short films I feel I have and 5 video clips regarding HORRORS OF WAR. I’ve spent over a year promoting nothing but HORRORS OF WAR and not focusing on my singular directing career and short films. Since it was just a few minutes work, I put forth only the works I feel best represent me and put those out there, plus the best material for HORRORS OF WAR as a whole.
I’m not too excited because every year short film and video sites come up and go down. It could be a full time job riding the trends and keeping up. I rode the first wave of sites in 1999-2000 and only 3 sites still stand – Ifilm.com, AtomFilms.com, and Undergroundfilm.org. Even sites like Pop.com from Steven Spielberg & Ron Howard never lasted. FilmFilm.com from Nora Ephron closed its virtual doors. I have not been keeping up on the trends and newer sites. It’s too much work to be 1 in several thousand. I’ve done enough with the short films and I want to keep my focus sharply towards feature filmmaking endeavors for now. This little diversion into YOUTUBE.COM is not a lasting thing.
I’m going to be writing not only dialogue polishes on my next feature script, but I’m trying to hammer out a longer article that I’ve had in mind, but not written for over a year. A follow up to the ever popular FILM FLAMS & SCAMS, as part of the INDIE FILM CLICHÉ series of articles I wrote will be cathartic to write.
That’s all for now folks. I must keep typing and on things other than a Blog. Plus I just picked up Steven Spielberg’s AMAZING STORIES season one DVD set and can’t wait to get 23 minute nuggets of great entertainment.
Good Night and Good Suck,
Peter John Ross, evil boss of John Fromes, now a documentarian under my thumb
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DRINK IT UP! www.Sonnyboo.com
July 1st, 2006
CODA
Well, by completely random means, I found the Japanese DVD cover for Horrors of War online. There is an import site selling it, but the DVD is region 2 (meaning not playable on most U.S. players). The image for the cover gives me mixed feelings. I think it’s very very professionally done, but I don’t know if I like it. I need to see it in my hands & I’ll determine if I dig it or not. For $50, I better like it a lot…
Shortly after, I found a site that streams the Windows Media Player video of the Japanese trailer (CLICK HERE)
. Now they used entirely their own music and cut their own trailer from scratch. It’s a decent trailer, and I absolutely LOVE the voice over in Japanese. No, I have absolutely NO CLUE what it says, but I love it anyway. It sounds like all the Kurasawa trailers, but they might be saying, “These stupid Americans made this awful movie that you MUST see!”.
What I really really need to know is if they name translated. I many cases Japanese translations aren’t even close to the original titles. “Horrors of War” might translate to “Nazi Super Death Monkeys Die Die Die”. I asked a friend to see if his Japanese wife will convert the words for me.
On another front, one I’ll be intentionally vague about, we have finally got to the final laps of North American distribution. I won’t say with whom or any real details, as it’s NOT final until they tell me it’s final, but I will say that we’re in the final stages and contracts are signed, but there’s still some formalities and paperwork to be done before it’s “done”.
I was relieved and excited until I realized how much work was left to be done. #1, I had to get a few minor tweaks to the DigiBeta master tape. We had missed several names in the end credits that have since been corrected for the screenings, but not on the master tape. Also, from the directors’ cut, I wanted to insert (meaning overwrite) 5 shots in the cemetery battle scene that I found crucially important.
Now, I was asked if I was going to try to sneak the directors’ cut in on the master tape. No, I did not and I won’t. I will not deny I disagree with the cut being released, but this is a TEAM decision and I won’t piss off or backstab my executive producer over a disagreement.
Maybe one day the Directors’ Cut will see a DVD release, but as of now, the old, non-linear edit is what will be released this fall (tentatively). I have mixed feelings on the matter. On one hand, I know the Directors’ Cut tells a better story, but I agree that for some people in the audience, it’s less about story and much more about “more guns, more monsters, more explosions”, so we lose some people, but get others. It’s not entirely a wash, but an acceptable one.
We’re in a mad rush to copy paperwork, get new contracts signed, and also edit together the last of the “WebDocs” and extras for the DVD release. I can guarantee that some are going to be WEB ONLY as there is no where near enough room on the single disc edition of Horrors of War that is now being planned. If we’re lucky (and in my dreams) in a few years, if there is interest, we have plenty of material for a 2 disc special edition. Maybe Horrors of War will take off (possible…) or maybe one of the people involved, like John Whitney, or one of the actors will get big, not now, but within a few years.
We taped the final interviews recently at Ken Wilson’s house, with its cool suits of armor & eclectic sets of weapons. It made a perfect setting for the interviews. Ken & Deb are two of the coolest people on planet Earth, and I daresay any other worlds.
Now the race to finish documentaries is on. John Whitney is handling the bulk of the editing, but I’ll be there for the finishing process and an overall tweaking edit. The “WebDocs” and the entire “Making Of” videos are my pride & joy. I have taken no credit for producing and directing these, but they are my baby. They have been a labor of love. Editing these is like therapy, even when there’s stress. The stories of how we made this are great and everyone comes across so well, telling the tale as they saw it.
We are going to submit to film festivals and get Horrors of War out there a bit more. Now, this is NOT a “Sundance” film, so we won’t be wasting our time, their time, or someone’s money. However, there are a ton of genre based festivals and screening opportunities. There are Horror movie marathons, Science Fiction events, and Comic-book conventions, and multimedia presentations are getting more and more available. Think outside of the box, and you can find some alternate ways to get a fan for your film or a sale for your DVD.
As soon as we get approval, the machine will begin and the wheels will start to turn. I’ve always said that a feature film, if you want to be successful, is the long haul. It’s beyond full time and it’s so soul scraping that you can’t imagine the depths to which you have to go within yourself to keep going. No one’s success story ever started with, “I was burned out, then I stopped working it, and THEN I was a huge success!”
I spent the weekend with Brandy at rehearsals for Johnny Wu’s feature film THE RAPTURE. These were also wire-work and fight choreography rehearsal so it was fun. Now Brandy, in a rare move, pulled a practical joke on me with Andy Schofield. Everyone knows I love the Spoons. Brandy, hates spooning. This is NOT a sexual thing, only a huggy, lying down thing. Let’s face it Brandy hates touchy feely and neither am I, but her saying she hates it makes me want it. In a joking way, I made a proclamation in front of everyone that perhaps we needed a substitute “spooner”, preferably a young, very attractive Asian girl.
The 2nd day of rehearsals, they got an Asian girl to approach me while I was on my laptop, ensconced in a writing extravaganza. She said she talked to my girlfriend and was into whatever we wanted. I bought it hook line & sinker until she said she wanted $1,000, and I thought that was a little pricey for Spoons. Low and behold many were staring and laughing.
My freelance worked has picked up a big, thank God. I’ve been without money coming in for a while now and it feels good to have. I’ve recently started watching movies again and trying to get through a slew of “extended cuts” and “director’s cuts”, so far few of them have meant anything to me or added a lot. I did however see SUPERMAN RETURNS, and I must say that it not only evoked a spark of sense memories from 1978, but it hit some core emotions in all the right spots. I have no real criticisms of the movie, as I loved it. A perfect sequel/reboot of the Donner movie(s) this is. Even though more than 70% of Superman II was directed by Richard Donner, it’s credited to Richard Lester, which is practically a crime. The great & powerful Johnny Wu gave me the feature length Ken Burns documentary on the history of Superman (“Look Up In the Sky!”) and also the Jet Li masterpiece FEARLESS, which is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year.
I started teaching my editing class again for the first time in over a year. It was odd, but pretty easy to jump back in. I’ve got 8 students and they all seem pretty interested. I think I’m a better teacher now than I have ever been. I have my technique down & of course my metaphors. I love my metaphors. I’m armed now with better videos for demonstration and having the completed feature film cred doesn’t hurt. I think I’ll continue on with another session or two this year.
No news on the new feature film. I’m so bogged down on Horrors of War still and making money, there has been no progress. I am not thrilled, but it’s a fact of life. There will be progress, as I will be writing quite a bit in the next few weeks on tweaking the screenplay and making it the way I want it.
Today may just be a writing day… Brandy is off to work and I have little else to do and no movie really seems to jump out and say ‘WATCH ME TODAY DAMNIT!”, so if the muse comes to visit, I may have to tickle her inner thigh and hope that she lets me in.
God bless the Acolytes of Boo! Long live the Rockin’ Rangers of the SOnnyBoo Brigade
- Peter John Ross
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DRINK IT UP! www.Sonnyboo.com
