That is all I can say, today was amazing. I placed an ad on Craigslist and Production Hub today looking for a special effects make up artist and I have already had several talented people show interest in the job. I am going all out for The Neighbor. This short film is going to help put LRWF on the map so I am sparing no expense and I am hiring the best people available to help make this movie what I know I can be and that is epic. Hiring an amazing actor like Bill Oberst Jr was only the beginning. I have the best independent sound engineer in the industry on board as well as a kick ass cinematographer. Now I have several special effects make up people to choose from. I will make sure I hire the one that meshes the best with my cast and crew. I have even been able to knock out some of the locations we’ve desperately been trying to lock down so things are really looking up for The Neighbor.
However the biggest news of the day has nothing to do with The Neighbor. Today I had the pleasure of speaking with New York Times Best Selling Author Jonathan Maberry and I will be working on something for Jonathan that is going to be huge. I don’t want to give too much away just yet but needless to say the opportunity to do something for Mr. Maberry is something that doesn’t present itself everyday. What I do for Mr. Maberry is going to help propel LRWF to new heights and to bigger things…like a certain zombie western I’m dying to make.
I haven’t blogged in a while, haven’t done a podcast in a while, however that doesn’t mean I haven’t been extremely busy. We are in the midst of pre-production for The Neighbor and we recently shot a pretty funny promotional video to support the film. We plan on launching a Kickstarter campaign in the very near future, we hope it is a successful campaign but with every indie filmmaker now utilizing kickstarter we are a little worried our campaign will be white noise. That is why we hope we have put together a campaign that will set us a part from the others. We know times are tough for everyone and it is hard to part with any “extra” money one may have. Hell, we know that a lot of people including us at LRWF don’t know the meaning of “extra” money. However, when you see our campaign and see how you can benefit from a miniscule donation, well we hope it moves you to help us.
I have donated to several campaigns the last few weeks. I feel it is only fair to donate to projects I believe in, when in the very near future I will be asking for donations. LRWF is excited for the Neighbor and for several other projects we have on our slate. One of which is my zombie western, my dream project, Tribe of the Dead. I am busy scouting locations virtually. There are several western sets that would work for Tribe. I have also been contacting several well known actors and actresses to gauge their interest. As always, it comes down to money. Every one I have contacted has enjoyed the script and wish me well in getting the project off the ground and I should feel free to contact them once I have the money to back the dream. Only a couple of the actors I have contacted are willing to attach their name to the project to help raise financing. So a big thank you to Kristina Klebe, Courtney Gains, and William Katt. After we finish The Neighbor and a couple other shorts we have on our slate I will be pursuing financing aggressively for Tribe of the Dead. We will have an impressive reel by the end of 2012 and we hope to attract financing based on merit. I hope to announce more big names attached to Tribe in the near future. I will never give up on this dream.
Also, For Love of Zombies, are popular zombie short is still available on DVD. You can order by clicking HERE. Not only do you get the FLoZ short film but you get 3 additional short films from LRWF. Movie Night, Good Night Sweetheart, and Vyslech. There is also over 20 minutes of behind the scenes footage and all the FLoZ webisodes. So help us stay viable, support indie film making and order our little film. Did I mention there is FREE SHIPPING?
I just wanted to mention that I am also writing my first novel. I hope to have it done by the end of the year. I’m hoping to find a publisher but self publication is always an option.
For a limited time you can purchase both Sorrow Hill and For Love of Zombies in a combo pack for only $15 and as always that includes FREE shipping. We are working hard to bring you the finest in independent horror and with the limited budgets we have had I am very proud of the final product. Click on the link below and take advantage of these awesome deals only available on our For Love of Zombies Facebook Page. As always thank you for supporting independent film making. I will hopefully blog later with some good news surrounding our next horror short The Neighbor.
Looking over my previous posts I realized I failed to announce huge news surrounding our next film The Neighbor. I announced on Facebook but not here…so allow me to correct my mistake. Bill Oberst, Jr. the star of the viral sensation Take This Lollipop has agreed to be the lead in The Neighbor. We couldn’t be more excited. Bill is an amazing talent and we know he is going to take this role and production to another level. I had the opportunity to speak with Bill after I agreed to terms with his management team and I was floored with by how genuine and appreciative he was. We spoke at length about how he would portray the character and after we hung up I wanted to start filming immediately. However, principal photography doesn’t begin until May. Leading up to the start of principal photography I will be posting all types of video blogs, behind the scenes, and all the goings on during pre-production. You are going to see the entire process take form. All the ups and downs. I want to give everyone out there a first hand account of what it’s like to be an independent film maker. I will be taping all of our production meetings, all the location scouting, wardrobe shopping, and of course the fundraising. The hardest part of independent film making is financing. In the past I have tried to be creative with the fundraising some has worked and others have failed miserably.
We are shooting a promo video next weekend for our Kickstarter page we will be starting in a week or two. I have worked really hard at coming up with some imaginative and worthwhile incentives to motivate people to donate to the project. However, as with every other film I have made the majority of the money will come from my pocket and DVD sales so if you aren’t comfortable donating via Kickstarter perhaps buying one of our DVD’s is right for you. Our latest short film For Love of Zombies is available now on DVD. We have worked hard putting together a great DVD. Not only do you get FLoZ on the DVD but you also get over 20 minutes of behind the scenes footage, all 3 FLoZ webisodes, and 3 additional short films from Little Red Wagon Films. That is a lot of content and dare I say a lot of entertaining content. Quite a few people have commented that 13 dollars seems high and believe me I understand how hard it is in todays economy to find disposal income but we don’t charge shipping and after you subtract all the costs associated with producing the DVD 13 dollars isn’t a lot at all, in fact it’s the lowest amount we could charge and still have a chance at breaking even. Trust me it’s worth the money. Don’t believe me? Then let’s see what two acclaimed horror authors have to say about For Love of Zombies.
“FOR LOVE OF ZOMBIES is a wild brain-munching, flesh-chomping riot of living dead fun.” -Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of DEAD OF NIGHT and MARVEL ZOMBIES RETURN
“Not only is FOR LOVE OF ZOMBIES the first zom com since SHAUN OF THE DEAD to work as both a horror flick and a comedy, but it’s a genuinely affectionate nod to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD that will appeal to geeks of all stripes, ethnicities, and degrees of decomposition.” – Greg Lamberson, creator of SLIME CITY and JOHNNY GRUESOME
I hope to have a new Random Ass Podcast up this week and I plan on posting our first production video from The Neighbor as well so stay tuned and as always thanks for reading.
It is finally here. Thanks to all the hard work of Ryan Burnett with the editing and Tom Carty from Thomas Design Studios the For Love of Zombies DVD is now available for order. Just click the link below and order your copy now. FREE shipping! Help support independent film making!
I am excited for the new year to begin. 2011 was without a doubt the most roller coaster ride of a year I have ever experienced. Every time something positive happened something devastating soon followed. I lost my mother to cancer in October which was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with. I lost 3 other family members this year, one passed away while I was in Buffalo enjoying FLoZ’s festival debut at Buffalo Screams. However, this year saw Little Red Wagon Films begin to grow at a nice pace and I got engaged to the girl of my dreams in December. So, there was a lot of bad but also a lot of good so even though it was tough at times to remain positive I managed to do just that. Thanks to my daughter Emily, my fiance Sarah, and of course my faith.
I saw a lot of great independent films this past year as well as some not so good, but at the end of the day I always find something positive to say about any film because I know first hand how difficult it is to make a film a reality. I can not wait to work on the projects we have planned for 2012. We are taking our productions to the next level and we plan on really making a name for ourselves on the horror independent film scene. We are already screening FLoZ at the Blood on the Beach event in April. This convention will be April 20th – 22nd and it will be held in Virginia Beach. Check them out by clicking HERE. They have a lot of great guests lined up and the events planned look like they will be a blast.
We are also entering FLoZ in the Chicago Fear Fest. As of this blog posting we have not been accepted yet but we are hopeful we will make the cut and that we will be a part of this exciting event as well. The people who run the horror society web site are spearheading this festival so that alone makes this festival a can’t miss. You can check them out by clicking HERE.
Our first project we will be working on this year is The Neighbor. We will be holding a casting call January 28th so if you’d like to audition contact us at casting@littleredwagonfilms.com. We have two other zombie shorts on our slate for 2012 so we will be casting for those as well so in essence you will be auditioning for 3 films. We are always looking for new talent so take the chance and be a part of something great in 2012. I have been in contact with a well respected actor in the horror community about The Neighbor and I am very hopeful he will be a part of this project. I have gone over the script numerous times to make sure it is pitch perfect. I am confident he will like the script, from there it’s just a matter of coordinating schedules and of course his requirements. Check out the incredible logo Tom from Thomas Design Studios put together for us.
I would like to take this opportunity one last time before 2011 ends to thank everyone for reading this blog and listening to the podcasts. I hope you will continue to follow us into 2012 and beyond.
I have decided that the next project that LRWF will be working will be a short titled The Neighbor. It is going to be a huge challenge for me as a director because there isn’t any dialogue. I am relying entirely on the talent of my actors and on my ability to tell a story with the camera. I will begin casting once the holidays are over and from there we need to scout the perfect location. Once we have everything locked in then I will be working with my actors intensively to get them ready for day one of principal photography. Rehearsal is going to be vital because before we begin shooting me and my actors will have to be on the same page. It will be vital to the film that everyone is properly prepared. I have been working out the storyboards and going over every aspect of the script and making sure that I have every shot, every angle worked out ahead of time. I can visualize the movie from start to finish in my head, just have to make sure I convey it perfectly to my actors and crew. This is going to be a new challenge for me one I can’t wait to take.
I am also working on expanding my podcasts beyond RAP. I have a couple of ideas and I will be trotting out a couple new ones this year. If you listen they will continue if you don’t then I will go back to the drawing board. RAP will still be brought to you on a semi-regular basis, that is my flagship show, the others will be more audience specific and hopefully enjoyable.
I’m working on hard on getting the FLOZ DVD together. I was hoping to have it ready by Christmas but that isn’t going to happen. Definitely in January. I can’t wait for everyone to see For Love of Zombies. It is my best work to date. I should blog again soon but if I don’t I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!
Check out the latest RAP and listen to Teddy and I discuss the Walking Dead, Dexter, Reality TV, upcoming holiday movies, what’s new with Little Red Wagon Films and anything else that pops into our heads…what do you expect…we are random. Click below and give us a listen!
I wish I knew what the future held. Right now it looks bleak for a couple of projects and for the podcast. I’m not ready to go into details now but it’s amazing how things can change in a matter of hours. My last blog post I was more focused then ever to get things accomplished, now even though my focus is there a few other components are now missing. It’s a shame but as I always do I will recover and keep moving forward. One thing I have been better at as I have grown older is to stop looking back and continue to look ahead. It’s hard at times to do that but if I want to achieve then that is what I have to do.
I’m not sure what’s going on with the podcast. I want to continue to do it and I’m sure that if RAP ends I will eventually start up a new podcast but in the mean time things are in flux…and I hate that. I hate not knowing. As soon as I know the future of RAP I will be posting it here and on RAP’s page. I have a couple interviews lined up so if need be I will do a couple solo podcasts but after that it’s up in the air.
I would like to thank Jonathan Maberry for the awesome review he gave For Love of Zombies. He truly enjoyed the film and that means a lot. I have a lot of respect and admiration for Mr. Maberry and to know he really enjoyed the film has taken some of the sting off of the other developments from this week.
I have really been giving things a lot of thought lately and one thing has become abundantly clear. Going forward I need to treat Little Red Wagon Films more like a business and a lot less like a hobby. I really want making films to be my career, that isn’t going to happen if I continue to let things slide and put things before film making. LRWF is top priority from now on. I am more dedicated than ever to making quality films so that my companies name gets out there in the right way. I have a very dedicated, talented, hard working production team now and it is going to help all of us achieve our goal. We have production meetings once a week and we get a lot accomplished. We all exchange ideas and the creative juices really get flowing. The fact that everyone involved wants to do their fair share of the work really frees me up to concentrate on a couple things at a time instead of everything.
I am only going to be working with like minded professional people from now on. No more favors for people, no more people just hanging out on set. If you are on set you are working. If you aren’t working you are going home. Too many distractions on set lead to production slow downs. I can’t have that anymore. I’m sure some people’s feelings are going to be hurt but I really don’t care anymore. For too long I’ve worried too much about hurting peoples feelings…not anymore. If someone can’t understand that my set is a professional work place and they can’t be there they have the problem…not me. I will make sure that everyone who works for me is clear on the rules, and if they don’t like it then they don’t have to work for me.
I am focused on my goals more than I ever have been before. This is my dream and nothing is going to stand in my way…again.
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