Cain Rose Up on IMDB

I woke up this morning to find that Cain Rose Up has been added to IMDB. Check it out and if you've seen the film please rate it.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3870937/

Cain Rose Up - Screening

On April 9th Cain Rose Up premiered with 10 other films in a special screening for the graduating seniors of Occidental College. Our 800 person theater filled up within minutes of the doors opening and audience members had to be turned away at the door because the theater could not accommodate any more attendees. I was shocked, my producer (Madison Murphy) told me before we started that her dream was to have the theater fill to the point where people had to sit on the floor. Well, that's what happened.

At 8:15 we walked on stage and did our intro. 10 minutes later the films started. Cain Rose Up was 7th in the lineup with no other horror film to be shown that night. As soon as my first song began the crowd silenced. There was a feeling of uneasiness from the very get go. I've seen the film countless times so my attention was on the crowd. I was very curious to see how they responded to the piece. About 5 minutes in the silence became eerie. I couldn't figure out if people were engrossed in the piece or bored. It was super tense for me. Then came the final scene. As it builds I could feel people edging on their seats. They were hoping that this was a big setup and that the twist would be that Curt doesn't pull the trigger. How wrong they were. As soon as the first shot pops off the silence was broken. I have never been in a theater with that many people gasping at once. It wasn't a scream but a sound of utter shock. It was a very powerful moment for me because it was what I was hoping this film would achieve times 10. Absolutly unbelievable.

Cain Rose Up Official Trailer (2010)

Cain Rose Up Official Trailer (2010) from Jeven Dovey on Vimeo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4wof0MC7aI


Logline: Who has the final say when it comes to morality? Curt Garrish believes his twisted view on life trumps even Gods guiding light.

Based on a short story by Stephen King

Adapted and Directed by Jeven Dovey

Cain Rose Up - Picture Lock

I have finished a picture lock for Cain Rose Up. I've received a good response from the film thus far. People are shocked at the ending and I haven't even began to work on the sound or color.

Keep checking back for updates.

www.cainroseupmovie.com

Moving to Vimeo

I've decided to move my films from Youtube to Vimeo. I enjoy the interface much more and the site is more for the display of films rather than funny viral videos. Also you are able to upload films longer than 10 minutes. Check out my vimeo below.

The Moral Life (2009) from Jeven Dovey on Vimeo.

Cain Rose Up - Updates

Cain Rose Up is currently being edited. I took some time away from this project to get some fresh eyes when going into editing.

I have some new projects coming up and things are getting crazy so I'll try to update this as much as possible but for the next few months I am going to be working on a few different projects.

Keep checking back for new videos.

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.

Law Abiding Citizen Review

Last night I got to go to an advanced screening of "Law Abiding Citizen." After I finished my friend and I sat watching the credits just thinking. She turned to me finally and had the same issue with the film that I did. The ending was terrible.

Synopsis: Gerard Butler plays a father who looses his daughter and wife in a brutal murder. He watches as the killer is only given 3 years in prison because he testifies against his partner. 10 years later Gerard Butler gets his own form of justice on those who let a killer off with a very small sentence.

This movie was wild up until the end. There are a few scenes that are horrifying. Watching Clyde chop up the killer in the most inhumane way possible, but there is a twist. You are with him the entire time. You want him to kill. I think this is a very hard thing to accomplish in film. It's done on Dexter amazingly and in this film you are right with Clyde from the beginning. You want him to get revenge on everyone that screwed him over. My issue is that towards the end of the film the writers flip it so that you are rooting for Jamie Foxx who's the evil one at the beginning. The reasoning is obvious, to show that justice will triumph and have the audience regain trust in the American system. I was so angry when I saw this flip happen. They demonize Clyde to the extreme at the end and he begins to kill innocent people that had nothing to do with the case. My friend and I both saw this as the downfall of a great story. There is much to be said about siding with the killer and approving of his actions. It's a topic I'm personally interested in and future films/research will be exploring it.

Wes Cravens "People Under the Stairs"

Fool (played by Brandon Quintin Adams) gets stuck in his landlords house. Come to find out the people he's trying to rob are sick and twisted. They steal children and lock up all the "Evil" ones. Alice, the good child, is not stuck under the stairs because she hears no evil, sees no evil and speaks no evil. A telling moment is when the parents confront Alice and the sign reads over their shoulder "A child is to be seen not heard." All hell breaks loose as Fool gets away and tries to save Alice.

Cool film! Defiantly think it would be better to see on the big screen. I was very impressed with the set especially the use of light when in the walls. There were essentially two worlds in this film, the house, and the walls. Fool was able to go in and out and create havoc for the parents. In the basement there were flashlights being used to make the space seem more chaotic. Each of the "evil" children were given a flashlight (told in a expository moment) and these were used not only to show the chaos but the beams of light interacted with the characters and lead to the downfall of the father. Another strange bit of this movie was the father when he wore a dominatrix suit to hunt down the kids. It was very telling for his character and I enjoyed the visual aesthetic of it. It becomes a monster that is on the hunt making the situation creepier.

If you haven't seen this flick I'd say check it out.

New "The Let Go" music video

This summer I shot a music video for "The Let Go" in Seattle.

Check it out!

Cain Rose Up - Script Finished

Wow, 2 years working on a 10 page script is crazy! I have gone through so many drafts and I think I finally got a piece that will be both shocking and an eye opener to larger issues in life. I think I went through something like 30 different drafts. I have found that there are so many different ways to adapt this short story.

The film is almost completely casted. I have 2 more roles to fill and will be on the hunt the next week.

Next step... Breakdown script, schedule dates, shots lists and inform the troops!

This film is finally coming together and I'm so excited by the way things are turning out.

More to come soon

Cain Rose Up - Auditions

Today we had our first auditions for "Cain Rose Up." Overall hings went smoothly. Of course with all auditions about half the people didn't show up but that's the nature of the game. Had some funny little kids which are always interesting when you see them read the lines. One kid was the most innocent little kid, but when he read the lines it sent chills down my spine.

Tomorrow we are having round 2. As of now I am casting the lead roles. Hopefully I can find all the people I want this weekend so next round of auditions can focus on the smaller supporting roles. There are so many characters in this piece, its going to be crazy to organize everything

More updates coming soon.

New Kruse Music Video

Last week I met up with Kruse at a hip hop show in Seattle. Then next day we shot a music video. Check it out! I think it came out very cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVoi9FklphY