We were asked to screen in Southampton!

Mood: Honored

So...we finally entered film festivals and who knew they would like us? This past weekend some actors and producers of the film "Death is no Escape" were invited to the Artisan Festival International! 

On Saturday we were the Signature Film for the night and gathered beforehand to travel together. 

How were we getting there? 

In style!!! Anne and Lonny scored us a sweet limo to take us out in style. A three or four hour trip by train, turned into a fun under two hour thrill! 

Since we got their early we decided to get some food and talk before the event was ready for us. For the girls it was the first time going to a restaurant that you would tip someone at. For me it felt good to be recognized for our work by people we didn't know. 

Once we got there it was like most other events we do. A lot of artists, mingling and wondering who will be their best chance of future success... us included lol. Everyone is looking for a "Deal". For us though it was about having some fun and showing the movie to another audience. 

We did some interviews, met other guests and then were told that the film had begun.... and to a packed house. Heading downstairs we realized they weren't kidding. The space that before had people mingling had cleared out. We would have thought that people went outside but laughter was heard from the theatre. We walked in and saw the majority of the attendants of the festival were in our screening. Including "Chi Chi" from "Scar face". Who indecently was hysterical. 

After the film we were all ready to go and party in Brooklyn but the organizers grabbed us to let us know that the audience wanted us to speak. That was a great reason to stay longer. Most of the audience stayed and asked great questions and had wonderful comments. They wanted to know all about us and our journey to this moment. Each person who spoke was so sincere and truly touched by our work. 

Now with two tired teens and a tired Lilly, it was time to go home. Happy and buzzing from all the positive attention. 

It didn't take long to lose three of the girls but the others were not hearing anything about that! 

After two months and twenty screenings, we got out of the basement in a big way. We are going to make the final little touches to the DVD and get ready for it's release in October. Hopefully there are more festivals that want to introduce us to their audience. 

Until our next step...

For more pics http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3877225521499.2155207.1004556785&type=3&l=6229e993e8

Let's do this full circle!!!

Mood: Feel like traveling 

This film was funded by people online and produced with the help of our local community. Locations were donated. Actors and Crew members donated services and now we have been screening the film in a Brooklyn Basement.

Our friends and fans love it but we want to bring the film across the world. and now you can help us by clicking this link http://eventful.com/demand/death-is-no-escape-the-independent-horror-film-/D0-001-005783154-6 

and hitting "DEMAND IT" on the right hand side of the screen.After you do that, share it with your friends.By Clicking "DEMAND IT" you are showing distributors that this film has a world wide demand. 

Thank you all very much,

FRANKLYN of CYPHER Films
www.cypherproductions.com

View all DEATH IS NO ESCAPE: The Independent Horror Film tour dates

Boy do I have an update

Mood: Defiant

Since the last post (I know I have busy) we finished the movie...yay. Now we had to figure out how to raise money for film festivals and get the film's name out to people. In April, the idea surfaced. We had a basement..a screen...and a projector. Sounds like a screening room to me :)

So we have a screening and people come. Those people LOVE the movie and donate money to our festival fund. We have another and BOOM it happened again. This time one of my producers decides to add concessions to the deal. http://www.lillysfoodblog.com/

Lilly's Food became a hit! They were labeled "the best brownies ever" buy audience members. We also started to sell posters. What a hit the event became. EVERYONE loved the movie. People would bring their  friends back to see it. Our entire community, online and in person, became charged up by what was happening in our neighborhood.  We even did a double feature night! With "Oh Dear God No!" How cool.

. 

Our film was now entered into nine festivals and our online personality was growing. We got up to thirteen screenings and had a blast. That was until someone called 311 complaining that we had an illegal conversion.  We should have known that 1500 commercial views in four days, wouldn't just be a good thing. The conspiracy theories began. 

"Do you have enemies?" 

"Who would want to do this?" 

"I know who did this!" 

"I'll find out who did this!"

Oddly I wasn't interested in finding out who did this or why. I felt calm. As if we just passed an important point in this film. I didn't know why but I felt good. As a precaution I shut down the screenings. Our landlord is very cool and no one wants to be fined or cited. I post a public message to cancel to next screenings and the response poured in. Everyone felt lost. That feeling I felt also but I knew this wasn't the end. 

Now I realize. This had nothing to do with a hater or a space or a government agency. This was about cool people doing a cool thing. So as of now I think we're going underground. Secret screenings. Only word of mouth. Only friends of friends. No addresses promoted. No more commercials. Just the food, friends and a really cool film.

If you know us...email Films@cypherproductions.com to get into the audiences. If you don't... get to know us. I'd start with the Facebook group :) http://www.facebook.com/DeathIsNoEscapeTheIndependentFilm

or go to www.deathisnoescape.com 

To Self-Distribute or try the Traditional way?

Mood: Doubting the System

A couple days ago friend mentioned how relaxed I must be now. Now that we're in the final weeks of post production,  my mind is free to worry about the other half of filmmaking... The audience. Who are they? How to get to them? Do I start screening or do I enter festivals and wait?

This time around I have different goals. I'm not waiting for a distributor to tell us the film is good. This film is great. I want the festivals to promote the film and build an audience. Maybe win some prize money :)
From what I have been reading and watching online, most people make very little from distributors. I think that if I keep promotion costs down, we can screen and distribute this thing ourselves.

In the past we put ourselves in a hole to rent a space to show the film. This film was shot in a location that can host private screenings to our most loyal fans. Who wouldn't want to watch a horror movie in the location that the film was shot in. Besides that, people  have passed away in the location and it may actually be haunted (don't tell my cast). Also wouldn't it be better to go to festivals and have a way for the people we meet to actually buy the film? "Yeah you can buy it here".

I have to see what the festivals that we want require but I'm so leaning towards online distribution of DVDs and file downloads. What do you think? If you  have a thought I'd love to hear it.

Shift gears and slow it down.

Mood: Mentally Spongy

Every step so  far has left me with more work and many more questions.  Today's step has brought clarity of thought.
I bring the latest copy of the movie over to Melvin's. We start going over the music and Melvin gets quiet. Now if you know anything about him you know he is never quiet. He asks me why I am thinking of so many different musical themes. We realize from coming out of editing and doing special FX I see the film as many segments. That doesn't work for the score. The music has to bring to images together as one. Not further fracture the film. So at this point I say "Take everything I said and throw it out. That is if you even took it in". We laugh, smoke a cigar and then he tells me the plan he had before I even showed up. Well the soundtrack is on it's way and this film will be done before the spring has sprung!

Two hours with someone who knows what their doing saves months of problems. I love having a Melvin!

Sometimes you are all you have...

Mood: Shocked

So, months ago we lost our CGI artist. I then contacted every school and message board I could find that had anything to do with compositing or CGI. Most people responded as if I was crazy. "That's way too much work". A bit of a let down to say the least. I knew I was asking a lot but I also know what I am offering. This film will be scored by a film legend! Who doesn't want to be involved with that. Evidently everyone.

Weeks went by and I was contacted by a woman named Sayma. Then a kid named Geoff. At one point we had four people who expressed interest in doing the CGI. I met with everyone. They were great. Email chains were started. I was excited.

A few days went by and communication broke down. Emails were no longer coming back. Calls didn't help either. I started to look up videos that featured effects that I would like in the movie. After playing around a bit I was about to create the first ghost look.

Soon after, varying them became easy and I was attempting more difficult effects. Eventually...one by one, the effects list became shorter. From 37 scenes needed to 30 and so on. Tonight I write on the cusp of our final effect! I will be combining old school practicals, Lucas type screening with new school technology to finish the visual lock of this film!!!

A 3 month shoot, 5 months of post and about two more of sound, music and score to go. This film may be ready by spring! Wouldn't that be a hoot. Finish in the spring and wait till October to screen it. 

Well they are always the festivals. 

Help us get in will ya. 

http://www.cypherproductions.com/GhostHuntedthemovie.html

View Ghost Hunted Film Festivals 2011-12 in a larger map

Life has a way...

MOOD: Hopeful

So, ready for post production and BOOM! We lose our CGI guy. Damn CGI. Well as we search for another artist...Wall Street becomes occupied. I'm watching this on the news and realize that what is being reported can not possibly be what is happening. So since I can't finish my movie yet. I started an new one lol. Don't know what we are doing yet but here are some clips

Building and audience for and unfinished movie is a leap of faith...watch out below

Mood: Open

So the Kickstarter campaign lead to this http://www.cypherproductions.com/GhostHuntedthemovie.html
If you can please donate to the film. It would be so helpful for us to take this great film to audiences. Film festivals are expensive but after making a movie it's unreachable for us. It's hard to explain to myself how we will get people to care about this movie before they see it. Some how we will though. Don't know how or who they will be but they are there.
It takes a village to raise a child and what is a film if not a growing child that you hope will reach it's potential?

Falling short never felt so good.

Mood: inspired 

Over the last thirty days the film "ghost hunted " has been entered in the kickstarter fundraising program. We set a goal of twelve thousand dollars to pay actors and crew and finish post production. We also included enough to enter all the horror festivals we would need to generate an interest from distributors.
As the final hour, then minutes ticked by the realization that we were only six percent funded was eclipsed by the people who actually donated their hard earned money to help our dreams come to reality. Then I realized that they wanted to share in our dreams not just support them.  That was a moment I didn't realize would come from filmmaking. Audience and art makers I got. Audience who become friends I got. Never thought an audience would really help produce a film or fund it's promotion. A realization that we have a core audience of people who cared deeply about our success was worth so much more than the money.

This core can relay why they care about this film. This core can promote because they want to. They are vested. How truly blessed to realize that now. This time round I am launching a private fundraiser on our website that we  control. no time limit. No percentage lost. This time we are going to focus on the festivals. Plot them out on a map, with their entry fees and invite the audiences from those areas to help us win. This is the Cypher way and I didn't even know it.  Well I forgot it.


In the past we would produce live events that funded Cypher projects. Now we are creating projects and asking an audience to help us fund its future. Amazing that people found it in their hearts to do so. 


Thank you all.

"I don't like it..I love it"

Mood: humbled

So I wake up this morning knowing that I have stalled Melvin too long. I could no longer not let him see "Ghost Hunted". Get to the station ten minutes early but my train didn't come. Then non service trains came.  Then I was on a train lol. 20 Minutes late. But not to worry...the train will move 5 miles an hour
Before I am underground my phone rings and I see the picture of an older black man smoking a cigar.
After I whisper my ETA I start staring at the clock. Now I'm sure he will hate the movie lol.
Long and short...he loves it! This man made me feel so good about what we did. I think he's becoming part of the cypher =)

Just wild. 

Sent from my Windows Phone

Careful what you wish for :)

Mood: Determined

A year of casting, rehearsing, searching for funding, recasting, re-rehearsing. Having assistants not having assistants. Now though I am happy to announce...

I have finished shooting "Ghost Hunted"!!! Needless to say I am clean shaven again :)

Now ...I have to turn 2 hours of roughly cut footage back into the 90 minute movie that the 88 page script was supposed to be lol. It's not that we added a lot of scenes. In fact for every line I added I probably cut a scene. It's just that the film is longer to look at than to read. I've been at it for about two weeks now (not including the 3 months of shooting/editing). Tonight the rough is about 1 hour and 38 minutes. Again, not an easy feat.

It hasn't been all work. When I'm not glued to a computer screen I'm on my roof enjoying what's left of the summer, feeding pigeons and..."Urban Gardening"

OK, Back to work. I have to stress that there was NO scene that I didn't like and nothing I cut out because of poor production. Every cut was painful but needed to happen to service the film. I have a simple rule for this one..."Does it continue the story?".

I think I'm doing a good job with this but I need to pull out the big guns.

If I can get a few more cuts done, I'll be ready to give it to Melvin Van Peebles. He has been ready to see this from the first week of shooting, lol. Am I ready for his cuts?

If I am or I am not...I'm doing better than the US congress. Pathetic.

I am soooo ready for you guys to be at another premiere. There's always so much between the end of the shoot and that night. For now I'm enjoying the ride this time. My actress Lauren has a lot to do with that this time. She reminded me I do this to have fun. Sounds simple but with the world around you becoming chaotic it's easy to forget you like making movies. The day can easily become a series of tasks to complete. Valuable lessons learned on this film. I also have learned to not try to alter things that you have no control over. That also lends to people. If you can't change them or they are not open to be changed...don't.

If they work, great but if not keep it moving. Till next time cats.

Three shooting days left...here comes the heat!

Mood: Melted

The Marathon is almost over...the problem is I'm not racing anyone. It's so hard to push to the finish line when no one is chasing. This film h

as been defined in my mind by trying to schedule it. I've never done so many different jobs on a film at once, but the schedule has been my main job. Odd... I thought it would be directing, lol. Now that the film's last days are scheduled my energy level has shifted. My every day panic is being replaced by thought of promoting this film. It's just not time yet. Oh...and it's getting hot.

Not shooting and editing a rough cut every day or so has brought me into a strange calm. Almost

walking through a fog. A steamy, humid fog. It may be underlying sadness of ending the film and saying goodbye to the cast. It may be the anticipation of getting into post production. Or it may be that I am soooooooooo Damn tired of this "shooting beard"!

We'll be sure to post the video of this beast getting shaved off. Maybe it will be our first promotional video. See, that's what's going on in my head. Off to promotional head again. I guess we gotta keep moving but I'd feel better staying in the moment. Never in this pre or post-production have I been completely in the moment. Maybe this is a good thing? I'm always a few seconds ahead on set. I have an entire rough cut that represents 90+ of all the shot footage. This system with a full crew and a pay check would be amazing. Let's hope people love this one enough to get a budget again. If not...A lot of this cast will be kept in the Cypher stables. They're a good bunch of kids and for the most part getting my shooting style. More importantly they were willing to give their all, for no monetary reward.

Again the triangle rule of production is proven true. "You need three things to make a production. Money, Time and People, but you still will make an amazing

production with Time and People with heart". Heart can trump money :)

Feeding the frame not hugging the skeleton

Mood: Calm and Curious

When you write a script you give birth. Like a kid you don't know if you will like it very much or at all but you will love it till the day you die.

I see a screenplay as a skeleton that we hold on to during the rehearsals. To teach each other about the world we are about to populate. But once the actors become the characters I loose sight of the skeleton. Muscle and tissue begin to form around it and a living entity becomes clear.

What's hard is that other writers and directors live and die by the script. That means that most actors are used to that style of directing. It takes a bit of effort to free actors to live in the moment, outside of the script. Now though I have learned a different problem. Sometime, for some actors...the moments aren't the same. That's great for theatre but you have to edit film. In fifteen years you would have thought I would have had this problem already but I haven't. I had to learn how to keep a stallion wild but to only run on the track. I'm finding right now for actors like this coverage is the key. You have a much better chance to match them up if you have multiple cameras, lol.

I have turned the shoot into a one camera shoot because it was speeding up the shoots. Now I am bouncing between. Tomorrow I shoot the big dramatic end to the film and it needs to be one of these scenes. Perfect cuts but full emotional range. I'm confident that this is working. The answer to every problem I come across as a director is "Be like water." If you don't bend you will break and take a bunch of people and a feature film with you....and what a disaster that would be.

1 hour and 11 mins...I think it's gonna be done :)

Mood: Tired Optimization

So, on April 30th, I made what seemed like a rash decision to people around me and started another feature film. The year before I had written a screenplay for the sole purpose of being cost effective and create something between major budgets. Somehow after the first rehearsal for that screenplay an agent/manager found me and decided that they could could get budgets for not only that screenplay but multiple screenplays. I gave them a year.

Back to April 30th. I went ahead and cast the film. Started securing locations and on April 30th started shooting the 90 minute Horror feature,

"Ghost Hunted".

In a basement in Brooklyn, the cast of the hit show "Urban Ghost Hunters" are investigating reports of violent possessions and ghostly sightings. Barely settled in they quickly realize they are in trouble when their own personal demons start to show up. Will this team make it out of this lock up?

The shoot has been wild because I'm the only crew member who is on every shoot lol. That means they're days where I set up lights, do make up, set the cameras and check the sound. All before I have rehearsed the actors. It's been a trip. Also as I think I wrote before this cast would NEVER natural cross paths lol. Their schedules are amazingly opposite.

Some how though...we are almost done. 1 hour and 11 minutes out of 90 ain't to shabby. I'll take that for less than two months of shooting this. Let's see how long the last 19 mins will take lol.

1/3 ain't too shaby...still have an hour left though lol

So my new film has passed the 30 min mark or usable final footage. Not bad for about a month of shooting. Granted, shot in tiny, sparse moments. In two weeks there is a huge chunk about to be shot and that may bring us very close to the hour mark. At that point I will feel like their is no way we won't finish. That would be a great moment. I have never wanted to finish shooting so quickly. Not because I don't enjoy it and love this cast. But because with no budget there is a HUGE chance of not finishing this thing in a reasonable time.

Luckily we seem to be on pace and the footage looks great. I'll let out a small clue...it's a horror movie :)

1 year, 6 assistants and we've come full circle.

In the last 15 years, Cypher Productions and I have partnered with over 50 artists to create 4 feature films. Each project has a different life and is created by a different family. New issues and surprises. More years to draw from. Somehow though, if I'm lucky...there's a familiar part that shows up. I'm there again. If anyone reads this blog I apologize for my spotty posts but preproduction and early production is tasking.

This film (which I won't release the name of yet) has reached it's stride. It's an odd gate with a slight limp but it's moving and becoming it's own. As we get further into the process I will release more information. Look forward to another production soon.

Notes from a Filmmaker: Sun, May 23rd, 2010

We have...Distribution :)
Current mood: Hyped

Watch movies online! You can watch three of our features films right on your computer! Try it today!

Notes from a Filmmaker: Thurs, Feb 25th, 2010

Getting soft...but I lost all this weight?
Current mood: pumped but scared.

Happy New Year!!!

So since October things have been so odd. We had a great time with the Obama video and actually won the Huffington Post Poll for best video. Unfortunately the judges thought kids were too cute to lose. I kinda thought so too.

Jina has started grad school (so time is scarce) and I have had countless bookings! Followed by an equal number of cancellations. I would say 09 went out like a nap.

Among those bookings were many music videos that suffered from my clients economic recession. The film is still selling but it definitely slowed after the Presidential bail out speeches. We have been approached by an online distributor for the films and that is very exciting. We have had a lot of over seas requests and now we can fill them. Another client (sort of) was a Producer I know who approached me to write a new screenplay around a warehouse that people are trapped in. He believed he had the budget and the actors and I went to town. Four days later I pretty much had a screenplay called "freight".

Like anything you make for people it's great but need a little here and there. Now it's a screenplay called "cargo". Same idea different name...same cancellation lol. This time I got a spark though. I can write a silly ass script in no time for any location. Why not do one for myself and make it under $500. So that's going on now. It should be done in a week. I am planning on shooting the whole thing in my building and using old tapes and old friends. More on that one after copyright and storyboards.

Another fun occurrence has been the return of the "KID FLICKS" program. I have entered it into Pepsi's refresh everything contest and expect to win $50,000 to make movies with inner city kids again. That will be a blast.

So now that it seems 2010 is getting booked up...Lilly has come up with a great idea we will be filming this year. More on that after copyright, lol. We're also planning to kick off screenings again of "Last Night in Brooklyn" in Rochester. Stay tunned for that one.

Notes from a Filmmaker: Wed, Oct 28th, 2009

President's a calling.

Current mood: kinda shocked

So, on Friday my phone rings and it's a D.C. number. I joke to my girl that Obama's calling but low and behold...it was his staff! I had produced a video for the Democratic National Committee's Health Care Video Challenge with my friend Angela. We are finalists!!!!

Here is the video and the link where to vote. Please do and please call your local reps to have them pass the public option. We need to take care of each other.

You must rate all 20 videos. Our video is called "Angela's Story". Five stars please :)

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hrvcratings?v=tWKici6hOhw

Notes from a Filmmaker: Monday, August 31st, 2009

4 years walking...found a flower to stop and smell.

Current mood: greatful and relaxed

Yup, I've been greatful before in this blog but relaxed comes far and few between. After four years fighting, fussing, crying, laughing, and begging people to know about this film, last night in New York City...

WE SOLD OUT!

I was going write about the night but I think the pictures speak for themselves. Can't wait to do it again :)