5 Gallons of blood...

On set for Cain Rose Up we had a five gallon bucket of blood. The parking lot was filled. Friends walked by the set with no idea what was going on. The shock on their face was priceless. They walked up to me as I held my camera, "Wow, that's alot of blood." They would stand and stare as we rolled cameras not sure how to take in the scene we were shooting.

Working on this set was super fun but at the same time horrifying. We were creating a film that has such a strong connection to today's world, especially with the recent shootings, so in that respect is was very terrifying contrasting the enjoyment in creating the movie. For me as the writer/driector, I battled with the intesety of the subject material and lost sleep many nights trying to figure out what the right way to portray the scenes of violance were. My professor challeneged me to come up with reasoning for showing carrnage especially after the image of the Hollocaust and the film Night & Fog is still burned in our memory. However, in the end, I found it neccessary to show this horrible act and shoot it in a way that connects with reality. I've added bits to the script that were needed to take my critique to the next level and I believe that the changes have taken kings original story to a new level and bringing up more issues for today.

Everyone that has had a chance to read the script asks me for the original story right after. One of my big questions when writing was, "how do I stay true to Kings story while still adding my own thoughts and ideas?" It was difficult, however, with the reaction so far, I beileve I have pushed the story in a way that will come off strong in a theater while still staying true to Kings words.

This pool of blood the character David is standing in was created from our first gag. This was before we started dumping the blood for the final shots.

Wise words from Alex Cox

If you do not know who Alex Cox is I suggest looking him up. He is a radical independent director who uses film to give a view on the world that is opposed to the institutional truth which blinds us like a veil. I am currently studying his film Repo Man and its modification of LA as a dystopia in the wake of the nuclear bomb and creation of the neutron bomb. The film is a reaction to state of the world in the 80's and provides an odd look at the dangers of life. A very memorable scene in the film is when Otto goes home to his parents house to ask for money and they have become slaves to religious TV sending all his college funds to the 800 number on the screen. This small instance is one of many aspects that make this film so compelling. Alex said himself that in todays world you will never be able to make such a politically charged movie on a studios budget becuase no one wants you to cause ripples in the pond of reality we live in. For any independent filmmaker, you need to go pick up his book "X Films - Confesions of a Ratical filmmaker." In this book he gives you a first person perspective of how he directed 10 films and various insites while dealing with the process of each. One of the major points I derived from reading his books is this, "it occurred to me that it isn't waht you achieve that matters. What counts is how you comport yourself. Loathing the contest, I still love the ritual, so I remain." (Cox, 298) Being the last line in the book, this moment shows what it takes to be an independent filmmaker. It's tough and working through the system is even tougher, however, if you continue to love it and enjoy making the films then there is no reason to ever stop. There is always a way to get your message out even if it means making no budget films with a group of friends rather than huge studio blockbusters.

Repo Man:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087995/



X Films:
http://www.amazon.com/Films-True-Confessions-Radical-Filmmaker/dp/1593761937/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258530144&sr=8-1

Cain Rose Up - Production Wrapped

Production is finished on Cain Rose Up! After 5 long days of shooting we got all the footage. It has been a fun and crazy shoot. We finished on Sunday with the final scene in the story where Curt is shooting his peers from his dorm room. Below are three of the characters during this scene in the parking lot. This was the first time I've been able to work with physical effects and it was a blast. Many people would rather have digital effects, the idea being "we'll just fix it in post," however, I think there is a very real quality about doing the actual effects and it is a ton of fun to work with on set.


2 years working on this film and it's finally shot. I'm really pleased with everything that I got and I think we created some cool looking scenes. I reviewed some of the footage last night and the clips from the parking lot are terrifying because of how real they feel.


I want to thank everyone that has put in countless hours helping make this film a reality. We have gone through so much and crossed so much red tape on campus to be able to get this film shot. There was a point a few weeks ago where I thought the school wasn't going to actually let me film. However, we worked everything out, wrote proposal after proposal and got this script actualized.



Now comes the task of editing, sound mixing, ADR, effects, score, etc. I'm taking a break and distancing myself from the piece so that I will be able to come back to it with fresh eyes. After dealing with so much on set I know I will be bias in which shots "must" make it in the film yet in reality you need to 'kill your babies' when editing. It's hard to drop shots that took hours to get, but if they don't move the film along its gotta go.


I will be posting more updates and information about this film. Keep checking back!

(Photos courtesy of Evan and Mitch)

Cain Rose Up - Day 4

Today we shot all the flashback scenes and some more of the dorm room where Curt picks off his peers. Overall everything went smoothly today. Had some issues with Spot however after she calmed down we got some great footage. Little kids and guns become very scary very fast. Lots of good stuff today and tomorrow is our final shoot.

Cain Rose Up - Day 3 (Hump Day)

Today was our third day of shooting and it was stressful. We shot all of the scenes in the dorm room and our location did not work with the shot list I had planned. From the beginning we had to improvise and go just off what would look good in camera. Out of the 3 scenes we had planned to shoot, we got 2 and a 1/4 done. Tomorrow is a very big day of shooting and one of the ones I've been looking forward to, however, now we are packing on one more scene to the day and I hope that everything gets finished. On the other side of things we had a great cast today and I am very pleased with everyones acting. 2 more days to go!

On a different note when we finished lunch we walked back to set and some student had his music blaring (extreme techno). I glanced into his room and saw him sitting at his desk fist pumping by himself. He had no audience... It was awesome.





(Pictures courtesy of Mitch Cde Baca)

Cain Rose Up - Day 2 of shooting

We finished out second day of shooting. We worked all day but I think we came out with some really cool looking footage especially during the dream sequence. Got some great extras who really helped out with background and were paitent with the whole process. 2 of 5 days finished. Next weekend are our big shoots (pun intended).




(Photos courtesy of Evan Carter)

Cain Rose Up - Day 1 Finished

Finished shooting the first day of "Cain Rose Up." Shot three scenes and managed to get some really cool looking footage. This film is going to have a very odd quality about it because I'm making a dark film in the light of day. Below is a set photo from one of the scenes once Curt takes his first shot.
Tomorrow is day 2 of shooting. We will be focusing on the dorm scenes up until Curt makes it to his room.

More to come!!

Cain Rose Up only days away!!!

Friday we begin potential photography for "Cain Rose Up." Pre-production has been rough on this project. There is so much red tape to go through on campus. I'm still trying to get specific scenes approved and we are only days from shooting. However, I just saw the special effects demos for the final scene and its going to be a wild shoot.

More info coming soon. I will post some production photos once we get going.