In the Works: AoD Genesis Part 4

Alright, lots of stuff to report on how the short film is coming along.

First off, the title may change. The other producers and I have discussed it a little bit and it may be for the best. Mainly because the script is pretty intense and the title may throw people off as being something campy and comic when the story actually is at the other end of the spectrum. It's not that big of an issue now so it has been put on the back burner.

Second, money. We need money. Right now $3000 of this is coming straight out of my own pocket. I have no problem with this as it's pure capital. What I don't want to do is resort to my credit card, especially since I've managed to eliminate a majority of my debt (I have one credit card with a little bit on it, but nothing that isn't manageable). I've tried to put the call out for people to visit https://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2008-01-14.0727455053 and donate a little bit to the movie but that seems to be going nowhere. Two good friends have pledged some cash but that's about it. Unfortunately, if I don't reach my monetary goal by the end date on this Web site, then all pledges are returned to the contributors. Good for them since they don't spend any money, bad for me because it's just another outlet that isn't giving up the goods. Several options are on the table now. One, my two other fellow producers still haven't given a ballpark estimate of what they will be able to contribute so that will be a little extra coming from them. Two, my good friend Joel Wear at Exemplar Films, LLC is willing to contribute a bit to the budget, but I will definitely have to LLC my production company beforehand. One of the producers is working on it, but I haven't heard any updates. I'll get those this weekend. Three, I have several untapped monetary resources in various family members. But I'm extremely hesitant about asking them. I probably will, but I want to get things more in order before approaching. So yeah, money. It's a big pain. Hell, there are still several options open to funding but I won't list them here. This paragraph is be enough as it is.

Third, we NEED locations! This has been another thorn in our side as we have hit several dead ends and we'd really like to nail them down ASAP. Another producer is pursuing this and I'm hoping he'll have some leads by the end of the week.

Speaking of the end of the week, the Director and I have several interviews with potential Special Effects Supervisors this weekend. I'm excited about it because there are some people with great talent and skill that have submitted applications. The trick is to nail down someone who knows what the hell they're doing and can do it on the cheap. We'll see how that works out and I'll keep the two of you updated.

Our tentative shoot date is looking like the end of March and/or the beginning of April. Hopefully we can get our shit together and pull this off. I know that we can, but like Mel Brooks says, hope for the best but expect the worst.

In the Works: Abigail Screenplay

In the later part of 2006 I noticed a post on MySpace from a fellow metalhead and filmmaker by the name of Joel Wear. A talented director based out of Oregon, Joel was looking to find a screenwriter to collaborate with on a specific project. Namely, he was looking to put to film one of King Diamond's (a metal legend) spectacular concept albums. The album in question was Abigail, acknowledged by most metalheads as the ultimate King Diamond release.

Joel and I had known each other previously from the World Metal Alliance

It is the perfect combination. We both are rabid Kind Diamond fans, full blown metalheads, musicians, and filmmakers. Joel is the director. He has made a LOT of short films, finished a full-length called "Multiple" (check it out on IMDB) and is now working on another full-length titled "133".

Though I've really only made one (official) short film, my experience leans more towards screenwriting. I've gone to school for screenwriting, participated in contests, attended seminars, as well as finished several scripts to include: Age of the Dead (zombie splatter horror), Stitches (sci-fi), Last Four (comedy), and a drama/action period piece that remains untitled.

The process has been great as we both have been able to communicate our concerns clearly which has lead to a pretty damn good script thus far.

Currently I am still incorporating Joel's notes and some suggested scenes into the draft we have now. We are pretty much staying true to what King originally wrote. Drama wise, we have taken some liberties and added extra content that we feel will ratchet up the suspense more and give us a closer look into the lives of the main characters.

My official page count now is between 67-70 pages. We did have more but taking story and plot into account, some thing's just have to be cut and whittled away. Usually this happens after a first draft, but we are constantly going back and tweaking items. This isn't a bad thing and I'm glad we are doing it.

Stay tuned for more updates.