Horror House

First IMDb review

2009-10-05T13:44:00.002-05:00

Someone was nice enough to post a review of Horror House on its IMDb page. One star out of ten and a heading of 'words can't describe how bad this is' shouldn't please me like it does, but the very same thing has been said of Transformers 2, Saw, American Beauty, and many other movies that made handsome money at the box office. What do I care what some random anonymous viewer thinks? They watched my movie. I hope more will watch it. If nothing else, maybe people are curious now to find out if Horror House is, indeed, the worst movie ever made. I can't help but laugh.

Buy Horror House on DVD!

2009-01-14T18:58:00.002-06:00

http://store.singahe.com/horrorhouse.html

Horror House DVDs are available from Singa Home Entertainment. Click the above link to get your copy. The DVD includes 2 commentary tracks, a gag reel, and a behind-the-scenes slide show. If I do say so myself, the commentary tracks are well worth the cost of the DVD.

Cast and crew, of course, will get their free DVD from me soon, as will investors and anyone else who contributed to the movie. If you're unsure if you get a free copy, just e-mail me and ask. The DVD release party is being planned for the first week of February.

New Blog

2009-01-02T19:16:00.003-06:00

http://mn2la.blogspot.com/

My entries in this blog are few. I could say much more about Horror House, but I think I'll shift gears and discuss the entertainment industry more wholly. Thus, I have started a new blog titled, "MN 2 Hollywood." In the blog, I will reflect on my own experiences in my quest to 'make it' in this ridiculous industry and hopefully offer some insight to others interesting in embarking on the same ludicrous journey.

I will still come here every once in a while, I imagine, to make Horror House announcements. For instance, the DVDs are now available to purchase. Go to the website and we'll have a direct link available there soon: www.horrorhousemovie.com

Then go check out my new blog. Leave a note to let me know you're reading. Even if it is only you, Mr. Wilson. :)

http://mn2la.blogspot.com/

Premiere Follow-up

2008-11-04T09:56:00.002-06:00

Last Thursday night's screening went very well. Better than I had expected. I'm so appreciative of the 200+ who came out to show their support for all of us involved in the creation of Horror House. DVDs should be available real soon, and as soon as they are, we will share a link here and on the HH website (www.horrorhousemovie.com).

I'd also like to thank Fearless Filmmakers and Oak Street Cinema for hosting the event. The screening would not have happened without their support.

Onward and upward from here with future projects! Look for a new blog soon.

~ Justen

Premiere

2008-10-09T09:24:00.002-05:00

Roughly 16 months after shooting, Horror House is ready to be released.

Theatrical Premiere:

Thursday, October 30
9:00pm
Oak Street Cinema
309 Oak Street SE
Minneapolis, MN

Q&A with myself and others involved in the movie will follow the screening. DVD release will be simultaneous with copies available at the screening, just in time for Halloween! Hope you can make it!

Still Kicking

2008-08-20T23:05:00.000-05:00

Katie Hnida chronicles her journey in becoming the first woman to play Division I college football in the book, Still Kicking.

Only the title of the book has relevance here. Horror House is still kicking after being "in the can" for more than a year. We have signed with a sales representative and indications are that a Twin Cities theatrical premiere could be in the works for October along with DVD release shortly after. Nothing is guaranteed, but in this industry, nothing ever is. The important thing is we're moving ahead.

On a personal note, I have a handful of other projects brewing and I plan to start blogging on a more regular basis at a different blog location. I will be sure to post the new link here so the millions who read this blog can continue to absorb my consummate profundity each and every third month.

On another personal note, I am saddened that the Rogers Super Target no longer carries Totino's Party Pizzas. Why, cruel world? Why?!

~ Justen

Anniversary

2008-06-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

Hard for me to believe, but this day twelve months ago marked the first day of principal photography for Horror House. My stress level is considerably lower this year, but I miss the excitement of embarking on an ambitious project. Many small projects are on my immediate radar, but no features until at least next summer. If it were up to me, I think I'd do a feature a year or more. My stomach probably wouldn't appreciate it, but I've got an itch that needs to be scratched.

Reflecting today, I am certainly not where I hoped to be a year after we started shooting, but I'm further along than many, or dare I say most, who think they have what it takes to walk down this path. I say that humbly recognizing it is not just talent that got me this far, but my unwillingness to give up.

The Horror House audio problems have been remedied (Thank you, Adam!), and the color is fixed. The movie is ready for release, so now it is just a matter of convincing a distributor to release it! Things are looking good and I will update when there is news on the release front.

By the way, those who visit the website may wonder why the news tab is so outdated. I wonder that, too, and hope to have it fixed soon. :)

Happy summer to all!

~ Justen

Forging Ahead

2008-03-28T21:11:00.002-05:00

The updates have been rather mundane the last couple months so I've chosen to withhold blogging. That's not to say things aren't moving ahead with the movie. They are. Just in a mundane fashion.

I've been working hard with Jim, my sound guy, to finalize the audio mix. We finished last week, but there was a problem with the export so now it's troubleshooting time.

I continue to make tiny adjustments with the color of the movie. This is, perhaps, the mostest mundanestest part of post-production. That's quite an honor considering the stiff competition. I have learned an important lesson with color correction: Always do it in a dark room. I have made adjustments during the day only to be appalled by the look of said adjustments when the big yellow sphere commutes to China.

To complete the trifecta of glamourous happenings with the movie, I am researching and contacting distribution companies, hoping to find the right home for Horror House.

With a little luck, the movie will screen sometime in the next few months. Start checking the website for updates in May. I'll update here, too, of course.

I'm anxious to shoot the next movie...

~ Justen

Happy New Year

2008-01-16T08:47:00.000-06:00

No updates from the festival circuit. I've submitted to a handful since Sundance and Slamdance, but haven't received word from any as of yet and probably won't receive word for another month or so. In the meantime I am sending screening copies to distribution companies and sorting through the myriad other film festivals out there. My biggest goal is to simply sell the movie and I like my chances of doing so in 2008.

The movie, incidentally, is still not 100% complete. Jim Morgan (sound) and I plan to get together this month to finalize the sound mix, and I am still working on color correction, though I took a couple months off from Horror House for sanity purposes. I have self-diagnosed ADD and need to work on several projects simultaneously to stave off mental breakdowns. My success in doing so is debatable.

I will continue to update the blog sporadically as news warrants.

~ Justen

No Dances

2007-12-10T15:17:00.000-06:00

Word from both Sundance and Slamdance was received and we failed to make the cut for either festival. I expected the Sundance rejection (though I held a small hope for a miracle) since Sundance has become a venue for established Hollywood vets to try new things with their 7 and 8 figure budgets. Slamdance, however, I thought could have been a nice fit for Horror House. They only accept movies from first or second time directors, which Chad is. But the cut of the movie they saw was not the right fit for them this year.

Onward and upward now as I continue to submit to film festivals across the world in hopes to find an audience and impress a buyer. I'll do the festival circuit for 12-18 months and if I don't find distibution in that time, I'll explore other routes until we sell the picture. I don't think we'll have any major problems selling.

I just read Bob the Gaffer's comment on the trailer. I certainly can't conclude from that particular comment what the anonymous follow-up poster concluded, but I can say with some certainty Bob is wrong about the acting. We had some very talented people involved, each of whom took on a persona quite different from their own. That in itself is a trait of a good actor.

As for the movie, it is what it is. It's a mockery of low-budget slasher flicks while being a low-budget faux slasher flick itself. Not everybody will like it, and not everyone is supposed to like it. My mom won't even watch it! ;)

~Justen

Trailer Online

2007-11-07T15:28:00.000-06:00

Check out the Horror House trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XugR7044i9U

Y

2007-10-16T19:23:00.000-05:00

The question that keeps coming to mind as I decide what next to write about in this Horror House blog is why? Why should I write about any more of my experiences? Why should I give any more advice? Why should I speak of Horror House as any kind of success when in reality it has accomplished nothing so far?

This isn't to say I am not proud of the movie, because I certainly am. And I'm not implying that seeing a movie through its inception all the way to its completion is not a success, because it is a HUGE success. I just can't help but feel pretentious giving advice about the movie making process when I have no proof I did it right.

Were I to keep giving advice and insight I would become too much of a hypocrite. I am the first to criticize screenwriting teachers who have never sold or optioned a script, so for me to make claims that I know what I'm doing without having proof I did it successfully would put me into the very same category as said teachers.

So as of the middle of October I am going to take a little hiatus from the Horror House blog. I still have much to say, but I want the credentials before I say it. I'm sure I'll still chime in once in a while, but I may not hit the blog hard again until early 2008.

In the meantime, please feel free to contact me at hhshoot@yahoo.com.

God bless.

~ Justen

Early Autumn Update

2007-09-22T11:15:00.000-05:00

The last few months have been draining. I don't want to over dramatize, but I'm spent with all the post-production work. Editing isn't an exciting process for me. I'd much rather be on set 14 hours a day than sitting at a computer for even half that.

But the hard work has paid off. The movie is done. Well, there are still slight tweaks to be made, but the current cut was sent off to Sundance today. I'll know in December whether Horror House will be screened next January in Utah. It's a long shot, but most success stories come as the result of a successful long shot.

Praying.

~ Justen

Rubbing Shoulders

2007-09-14T19:00:00.000-05:00

I'm a sucker for massages. Calf massages are my favorite, but I'll take a massage wherever I'm sore. My lower neck and shoulders are usually prime candidates, so a good shoulder rub is usually quite nice.

But that's not the type of shoulder rubbing I'm talking about. I'm talking about rubbing shoulders with influential people in the industry.

This morning I met with Ali Selim, director of "Sweet Land" (www.sweetlandmovie.com). His insights were very enlightening and educational, and I am so appreciative of the time he shared with me. The content of our conversation is kept between the two of us, but I can't stress enough how important it is to seize opportunities to meet with those who have had success in this industry.

And find a good masseuse.

~ Justen

A buck two ninety eight too much

2007-09-13T09:33:00.000-05:00

A high school friend's dad used to cite things as being "a buck two ninety eight too much" when he felt an item was too expensive. Every expenditure on a movie falls into the "buck two ninety eight" category. The trick is to keep things from rising into the "buck three ninety eight" or "buck four ninety eight" or "buck eight ninety four" categories. Independent moviemaking is as much about frugality as creativity.*

To make a movie you need a camera, an editing suite of some sort, someone to run the camera (maybe yourself), a director (maybe yourself), actors (maybe yourself, although it is difficult to hold the camera while you act - I know from experience), crew, food for the cast and crew (and yourself), and a shoebox full of money for the little things that come up every day on set (like when your lead actor spills coffee all over his shirt between takes - gotta wash it or buy a new shirt).

Things you'll want include salaries for cast and crew (no need to try to make them millionaires, but at least cover their gas for crying out loud), backup wardrobe (for the actor who spills coffee), insurance (I hate that this is as important as it is), legal counsel (there goes your future son's college tuition), lights and equipment rentals, makeup and hair supplies, more food, location rental money, set dressings, and last, but certainly not least, Monster Energy Drink.

What does all this add up to be? A buck two ninety eight too much if you're lucky. A sudden urge to rob a bank if you're not. And I haven't even mentioned anything about publicity or film festival entry fees. Even those things can add up in a hurry.

I'm not going to advertise the final budget for Horror House just yet, but I can tell you between legal fees and insurance, you're already going to be around 10,000. So why not just skip the formality of doing things legally? Robert Rodriguez got away without a lawyer or insurance and it worked for him. Hey, it could certainly work for anyone. It just doesn't seem worth the risk to me. Why? Now there's a lengthy blog that I don't think I'll get to. Others have written enough about the importance of protecting yourself. That reminds me, I have yet to blog about the scores of books and other literature I recommend for budding filmmakers. There are a buck two ninety eight of them out there.

It's storming. I love storms.

~ Justen

* Though frugality certainly can't trump creativity. Frugality, after all, is a matter in itself of being creative.

On Trees?

2007-08-31T11:05:00.000-05:00

If your motivation to make a movie is solely for your own entertainment and satisfaction, then you can (and probably should) skip the financing stage of preproduction. Buy a cheap 3CCD camera and a Mac-Mini with iMovie already installed, get some buddies together, and shoot what will end up being at best a fond memory and embarrassing product. Use your own money for the camera ($500), computer ($1000), and snacks for your buddies ($100 - $2000 depending on length of shoot and number of fatties in your posse).

Or, buy a crappy camera ($200), install cheap movie editing software on your already sluggish PC ($0 - $200), and make your buddies provide their own snacks.

Either way, shoot the movie in your house, a buddy's house, some woods, a family business, a park, on a boat, in your garage, or any place where you won't get in trouble.

If, however, your motivation for making a movie is closer to Robert Rodriguez's, get some money. In other words, if you want to make movies as a career, secure some kind of financing for your movie. Money doesn't grow on trees, so you have to be creative in your search. I wasn't creative, and I ended up with less money than I would have liked.

Here's what I did. I researched the financial records of other movies, mostly independent movies that garnered success. Like Blair Witch, Napoleon Dynamite, Open Water, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I used that data and painted scenarios for potential investors to see what they could have earned had they made a similar investment in any of those movies. When you get into the 6-digit percentage returns, you can't help but at least ponder the potential.

I packaged that data with investment scenarios for my movie, a synopsis, reasons to invest, reasons not to invest (honesty is important), and answers to other anticipated questions. The neatly packaged investment prospectus was sent to my (and one of my co-producer's) closest friends and family. I was surprised by the results. Quite honestly, I had a few people I thought I could count on that didn't invest, and I had a few that surprised me by investing. I don't think any differently about anybody for the decision they made, although I am ridiculously thankful to each and every investor in Horror House.

Had I been more creative and approached others outside my ring of friends and family, I may have connected with someone willing to finance the whole movie. That's one of the many mistakes I made with Horror House. I didn't sell the product as well as I could have. I have to become a better salesman to really succeed as a producer in this field. I will.

Most who invested did so predominantly because they wanted to support my (and/or my co-producer's) endeavors in moviemaking. They don't necessarily care, nor expect, to make any money on the movie. I, of course, believe whole-heartedly they will make money. Time will tell, of course. Even if Horror House proves to be a financial failure, it was an incredibile learning experience and we have a visually impressive, entertaining story that should lead to bigger projects in the near future. I still believe Horror House will make a nice profit, but if it doesn't, the next one will, and if the next one doesn't, the next one will, and if that one doesn't... my point is, I won't give up. Never.

And that might be the biggest point out of this whole blog. If you truly have a desire to make a career out of making movies, you absolutely cannot give up. It's hard. It's scary. It's not something normal people do. But if you believe strongly enough in yourself and have received reliable, positive feedback from people who know what they are talking about, and you're willing to work harder than you've ever worked before, then don't let the imminent failures and struggles along the way deter you.

More on that later.

~ Justen

PS - The term "fatties" as used above was used in a humorous tone. I am not prejudiced against fatties, or lardasses, or fatsos, and I don't mean to offend anyone in the 400 club. Please accept my apology, which is also meant in a humorous tone. :)

I echo echo echo his thoughts

2007-08-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

Here is an interesting (and short) article featuring British filmmaker Mike Leigh. Don't worry, I'd never heard of him either. He talks about storytellers being born, not created, and I couldn't agree with him more.

living.scotsman.com/film.cfm?id=1329522007

~ Justen

Budge It

2007-08-27T09:29:00.000-05:00

If you don't have a budget, budge it, but don't fudge it. Hey, that's kind of catchy. Like conjuctivitis , only without the redness. But does it make sense? Here's what I mean...

Movies cost a lot of money to make. Even simple independent movies. If you haven't read "Rebel Without a Crew" by Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids, Sin City, Grindhouse), be sure to read it. He made his first feature for $7500. And he shot on film. That's insane. He couldn't do it today for that much, and he is probably the only person who will ever pull off what he pulled off a decade and a half ago.

That said, with the advent of digital video and a community of talented people willing to work for little to nothing, it is possible to shoot a mini-DV feature for just a little more than what Mr. Rodriguez spent on his first feature, El Mariachi. The budget for Horror House, by the way, was considerably more than $7500 and it was still too small to do all I wanted to do with it.

I am no authority on movie budgets or movie making. I simply have gone through the process and am sharing my opinions based on what I learned. I mentioned in a previous blog the importance of professional sound and that is reason enough to secure enough financing to hire a qualified sound team. But it is also important to have other talented crew. With a low budget, you won't be able to pay them Union wages up front, but offer deferred payments that amount to Union or slightly above Union minimums. They may never see that money, but at least it shows you are committed to rewarding them for their efforts if indeed you are one day able. And don't underestimate the importance of food and drink on set. A happy crew is a hard working crew. We were happy and we worked hard for 12-14 hours most days.

I could go on and on about budgets, but I see this is a topic that needs to be broken down more. I will touch on specifics in upcoming blogs as well as writing more about Robert Rodriguez. He's good.

Happy birthday, Dad.

~ Justen

Good Intentions

2007-08-18T14:50:00.000-05:00

August 1. My last entry. August 18. Today. My intentions have been to update this blog every few days, but said intentions have failed to evolve into reality. I guess life gets in the way sometimes and the editing of the movie has taken presidence over discussing it. In the [hopefully] near future, I plan to discuss myriad topics including budget, actors, SAG, recommended reading, script, legal counsel, insurance, location scouting, and Barry Bonds. Well, maybe not Barry Bonds.

For the [one or two] readers of this blog, I invite you to offer requests for discussion. About what are you curious? Respond to this entry or send me a message at hhshoot@yahoo.com. I hope to make this a helpful resource for both, um, all of you.

~ Justen

A Sound Decision

2007-08-01T09:34:00.000-05:00

Here begins my new motive to offer tips and advice for other filmmakers. The order of the blog entries will not reflect the order of importance for the recommendations. I am not that organized.

This first recommendation is a biggie, though. HIRE A GOOD SOUND PERSON! I can't stress enough the importance of good sound in your movie. It's much easier to fool an audience's eyes than their ears. Whatever you do, don't skimp in the sound budget for your movie. If you don't have any budget to speak of (even though you should have at least SOMETHING - more on that tip later), barter with a willing and talented individual who will make it their sole purpose to record great sound for your movie.

I highly recommend my sound engineer, Jim, and my boom operator, Lion, who did a knock up job of capturing great audio even in less than ideal situations. Oh, yeah, along with a good sound engineer, you need a qualified boom operator. I didn't realize just how important it was to have a good boom operator until I saw how Lion and Jim worked together. They were absolutely seemless in their execution. Jim would set up his mini-studio 10-50 feet away from the scene and he and Lion would communicate inconspicuously through headphones as they worked out the best location for the boom.

As I've been editing the last few weeks I've been amazed at the difference between the reference audio (sound recorded by the camera) and the professionaly recorded audio. Once I replace the bad audio for the good audio, the scene really comes to life. It's an extra step in the editing process, but it is absolutely worth it.

Whatever you do, please don't use the camera's built-in microphone for your movie's audio. If you absolutely can't afford to hire a sound person, buy or rent a high-quality microphone and a boom pole and practice with a buddy willing to help you for free. Yes, spend some time practicing before you get on set. Shoot some scenes together and then cut the footage to hear what was done well and what wasn't.

But, really, get a good sound person. It's worth it.

~ Justen

One Last Emotional Entry

2007-07-25T09:50:00.000-05:00

I plan to switch gears in this blog and try to lean more towards an insider's look into making a low-budget feature movie. Upcoming entries will hopefully offer tips and advice for up-and-coming moviemakers like myself. I have learned plenty from my mistakes and I hope to help others avoid those same mistakes.

First, however, I am going to once more compliment my cast and crew. This movie would not have been made were it not for the contributions of each and every one of the cast and crewmembers. I whole-heartedly recommend each and every one of them to any local filmmakers in need of hard working, professional, and friendly additions for their movies. I certainly hope to employ them all again in future projects.

As important as they were as professionals, the friendships gained with each of them is even more important to me. It was an honor to be on set with the cast and crew of Horror House for 15 days, many of which were more than 12 hours long. I miss them and I miss the production phase of Horror House. I love you Chad, Nick, Jim, Lion, Amy, Mike, Kat, Phil, Jay, Amanda, Kari Jo, Casey, Nicole, Emily, Anna, Gary, Natalie, Kari Ann, Aaron, and all the others who were involved in smaller capacities.

Enough gushing. Sheesh.

~Justen

Day 15 [The Final] Wrap

2007-07-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

How fitting that we wrapped the Horror House shoot with a 16 hour day! We did what was necessary to get all the footage needed. Our time was split today between the attic and the basement, two close locations separated by probably 20 degrees of temperature and relative humidity. One of our biggest FX shots was saved for this final day. We got that shot first knowing it may be one of the trickier shots of the entire shoot. It was. And we got it. Then it was on to more chasing. As much chasing as we've done it almost feels like the whole movie is nothing more than a chase scene. I assure you it's not. Setting up for the fast moving chase scenes is much more involved than setting up for an average dialogue scene. These last few days have exemplified the oft quoted movie phrase of "hurry-up and wait."

We wrapped around 7:00 Tuesday morning. After a teary champagne toast it was back to the Rosewood for a quick shower and a slightly longer nap before gathering at Green Mill for an informal pre-wrap-party party. It was sad leaving Hastings Tuesday night, but the most exciting part still lies ahead. When this movie is finished and ready to show, we'll all be very proud of ourselves. Especially the fact we were able to put this together with only 15 shooting days!

In the coming weeks I plan to update the progress of the movie as well as offer tips and ideas I've learned throughout the process of making this movie. I can't, nor did I ever, promise this blog would be a succinct well of pertinent information for budding filmmakers, but I hope the ramblings will prove entertaining and at least mildly insightful. Thank you for joining the ride. It ain't over yet!

~ Justen

Day 14 Wrap

2007-07-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Back to Hastings for the final two days of shooting. Driving into town across the Highway 61 bridge felt so good and seeing Pam at the Rosewood Inn made me feel right at home. Hastings has been a wonderful place to shoot a movie and I hope to one day return to shoot another.

There was a tour going on at the LeDuc when we first got there in the afternoon so we couldn't start setting up right away. Once inside the crew worked double time and had the house looking exactly like it looked the last time we were there. The museum plaques and artwork were taken down, the exit signs and security lights were covered up, and the beautiful interior of the mansion was uglied up again for the purpose of our shoot. We had an extra lighting package with us this trip so we could handle a longer shot from an upstairs bedroom all the way to the basement stairs. Fine tuning the lights proved to be a lengthy task, but we got everything the way it needed to be, including blacking out all the natural sunlight from outside. Three hours of set up for a scene that lasts a whopping 30 or so seconds in the movie. It was worth it, though.

The rest of the overnight shoot was spent with more chasing scenes. I got beat up a little, but that's all part of the game and well worth it for the end result. I sure didn't get to stretch my legs as an actor much, but all we did tonight was still very necessary for the movie. I apologize for being vague about the scenes, but getting too detailed would spoil the movie.

We were visited on set by a photographer from the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He got some great photographs for an article to be printed in the East Twin City's paper. Look for it online under our publicity heading.

After wrapping around 2:00am (wow, an early night!), we went back to the Rosewood for some deserved rest before the final day of principal photography. Smile and a tear.

~ Justen

Day 13 Wrap

2007-07-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Thursday night was added to the schedule when our first attempt at capturing the 'walk and talk' scene failed. We convened not far from the location from where we were expelled a couple weeks ago. True guerilla filmmaking was the theme this evening. No grip truck. No lights. No sound. Smaller crew. The scene itself is basic exposition, but we still wanted it to look good visually. The natural sunlight made it both beautiful and difficult to shoot, but I think we came away with something that will work. Anna and Emily, of course, were spot on in their performance. So was Chad as the peeing bum, but I don't know if I'd even call that a performance as much as just a behavior.

After the shoot, several of us coasted to Elsie's for some bowling. My first bowling excursion in 5 years yielded mixed results, but my turkey in the tenth frame left me with a sense of accomplishment I have not felt in many years. Few feats are more impressive than throwing a polished sphere down a greased aisle and obliterating 10 stiff rednecks with a symphonic echo of reverberation. Bowling is fun, too.

I bet a movie about bowling would be cool. Especially if Bill Murray was in it. Maybe someday.

~ Justen

Day 12 Wrap

2007-07-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

After a peaceful day's sleep at Country Inn and Suites in Cambridge, we were scheduled to begin shooting at 4:00pm today. Mother Nature couldn't hold out any longer and just had to drop some rain on us today. No harm, though. The rain let up by 4:30 and we got the rest of the driving sequence under a consistently overcast sky. Emily was kind enough to get lost yesterday and stumble across a great little road canopied by trees. Nick and Chad followed Emily, Anna, and me to the spot a couple miles away from the Gunderson home. I sat in the backseat and got some footage with one camera while Nick and Chad set up alongside the road and in the woods where they slapped at mosquitoes and shot the car from the outside. The driving sequence is pretty straight forward, but I want some footage to give me time to lay a cool track by the band Viscious Aloyscious.

For one of the driving shots, Nick set the camera tight on a puddle through which the car would drive. Knowing I wouldn't be seen at all in the backseat of the car, I decided to give Chad and Nick an early glimpse of the full moon. That footage won't make the DVD extras. :)

The night before, Emily and I were the only actors on set, but tonight we got to welcome back Anna and Aaron. Aaron had to perform a delicate scene of self gratification. I couldn't help but laugh as Jay and Mike sat nearby taking notes. And making recommendations. And performing along with Aaron behind the camera... Oh, what's gotten into me? My better judgment has been trumped by the desire to make jokes. First time that's ever happened to me. The scene described above is definitely not gratuitous, so fear not, you will not need to bathe in tomato juice after watching this movie.

We wrapped shortly after the sun reached the foggy, misty horizon. It was another very long night of shooting, but everyone was great. Let me remind you again how amazing the cast and crew is for Horror House. This movie would not be a reality without them all.

~ Justen

Day 11 Wrap

2007-07-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

On to the exterior shots. Aside from the shot of the girls driving up to the house, all our exterior house shots are being filmed north of Cambridge. It's funny to shoot scenes 100 miles away from where they supposedly take place. Maybe not funny, but amazing. Maybe not amazing, but crazy. Maybe not crazy, but extraordinary. Maybe not extraordinary, but Kit Kat.

Tonight we had action, blood, gore, and horse flies the size of sparrows. It was a fun night. Maybe not fun, but enjoyable. Maybe not enjoyable, but pleasurable. Maybe not pleasurable, but satisfying. Maybe not satisfying, but Jenga.

Mother Nature was again very kind to us. We got started at 8:00pm and wrapped shortly after the sun came up, which this time of the year, is before 5:00am. Special thanks to the Gunderson family for letting us take over their yard, woods, house, and power, and still inviting us back for the next night. I am absolutely indebted. Maybe not indebted, but beholden. Maybe not beholden, but obliged. Maybe not obliged, but grateful. Maybe not grateful, but Meatloaf.

I am unable to go into detail about tonight's scenes because because that would blow the whole movie. Maybe not blow, but, blow.

~ Justen

Day 10 Wrap

2007-06-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Chloe couldn't get enough of Parker so they picked up right where they left off the previous night. In the interest of getting through the scene without being made fun of again, I injected novocaine in my lips to squelch any alleged quivering. OK, I didn't inject novocaine, but I am now thinking about my favorite Pink Floyd song, Comfortably Numb. Check it out on iTunes or visit your local music retailer for more information.

The opening scenes tonight went well if not a little awkward in front of everyone. I couldn't help but laugh when I'd look up and see Jay (gaffer) and Mike (1st AD) sitting on the opposite side of the room watching us as if we were putting on a puppet show. I half expected them to don reading glasses and break out a notepad and start taking notes. I also laughed many a times at the replay of a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode in which Larry David reads a misprinted bulletin to a funeral crowd. A simple 'c' for 'a' substitution in the phrase "beloved aunt" leads to a hilarious result. For more information about Curb Your Enthusiasm, check your local television listings or DVD distributor.

The remaining scenes tonight were considerably more intense than lying on a bed. Yet I still got the impression Jay and Mike wanted to take notes on the action that ensued. Luckily for me, Amy (script supervisor) has been taking awesome notes throughout the shoot which will make my editing job a lot easier. How's that for a segue? For more information on how to spell 'segue' and other commonly misspelled words, visit dictionary.reference.com.

It's hard to believe tonight wrapped our big week of shooting in Hastings. We spent six days in the wonderful little city. Thanks to the Rosewood Inn and Country Inn and Suites for lodging us, The Green Mill for feeding us, Dunn Brothers for caffeinating us, and, of course, the LeDuc Historic Estate for letting us take her over for 80 hours. It's been fun and I know we're coming back in a couple weeks, but it's still sad to leave. For more information on sadness, consult your local psychiatrist or clinician.

~ Justen

Day 9 Wrap

2007-06-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Our first scheduled shots today were outside of the mansion. Scheduling exterior shots is like daring Mother Nature to prove she's in charge. Luckily for us, Mother Nature is on our side. The visual threat of rain failed to materialize and we were left with a predominantly cloudy sky which was ideal for matching shots. We used Amy's (script supervisor) cute little Saturn for the car in which the girls drive up to the mansion. Speaking of Saturn, watch for Emily and me in a couple Saturn television commercials.

Our first setup outside didn't work out the way we had hoped. After practicing a long tracking shot several times it became evident we couldn't frame the house in a way that made it looked completely isolated. Whether picking up the industrial building in the background or the modern addition, the shot would have given away the fact that the house in which we are shooting is no more isolated than the one moldy grape on a vine of perfectly juicy little orbs. I had a bad experience once with such a grape and I have vowed never again to eat grapes with my eyes closed. I like green, red, and black grapes equally. But I digress.

We improvised and got a second setup that worked out just fine and that setup setup a good setup for the third setup. We setup the setup and all setups ended up setting up on the up and up. I like 7-Up.

Here's a fun little secret to look for when the movie is released. As the girls walk up to the house you will see a very faint image of a person in an upstairs window. We threw that in there just for fun.

The exterior shots in the can, we moved inside and picked up some scenes with Anna that were scheduled for the night before. The professional she is, Anna knocked out brilliant performances and we moved up to the bedroom where the love story between our two lead characters finally begins to develop. That's right, kids. Parker was finally involved in some scenes today! Only problem is he had to kiss a girl. Ewwwwww. He got through it and somehow so did Chloe. But not before Chloe made fun of Parker's lips. Poor Parker.

~ Justen

Day 8 Wrap

2007-06-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Seriously, is Parker even in this movie? Another night without any acting for me. I guess I did give lines off-camera, but that's just not the same. Anna left us early tonight when she fell ill. I'm amazed she came in the first place and I'm sorry she had to drive home feeling the way she felt. I give her props for making the effort to come to set at all.

With Anna gone, one scene that involved her, Emily, Gary, Natalie, and me had to be shot over two days. We shot Gary and Natalie's side tonight and will shoot Emily's, Anna's, and my side the next night. Ah, the magic of movies. Last night we got little inserts for a scene shot 10 days earlier; tonight and tomorrow night we will shoot different angles of the same scene. When the movie's all edited, the audience will never know how they were shot. At least that's the hope.

We spent time in the basement again tonight picking up some POV stuff for Anna's character. We were interrupted twice by the civil defense sirens. No tornado found us, but we were pelted (well, not us literally) by quarter size hail. Dings and dents on our cars and branches down in the yard, but we were all safe and the shoot was only minimally affected. I felt pretty safe in a house that has been standing for more than 150 years. I'm sure she's seen her share of storms and she has weathered them well over the years.

I can't believe we're already more than half way done with our week down in Hastings. I also can't believe I'm typing this as if it really is June 22. When I publish this post I will change the date to give the illusion I stayed on top of this blog during the shoot when in reality I'm typing this (and the previous 3 posts) July 7. Not sure if I'll keep going today or if I'll get back to editing. Only I will ever know...

~ Justen

Day 7 Wrap

2007-06-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Well, another day without any Parker scenes. For the second billed actor I sure haven't had a ton to do yet. Who wrote this screenplay? Parker should be in every scene! Oh, wait a second... I wrote it (with help). I've got plenty of scenes coming up. It's been kind of nice sitting back and watching the other tremendously talented actors do their things. And it's fun sticking my head in scenes once in a while just for fun. :)

We shot in the basement for the first time tonight. The lowest level of the LeDuc is amazing. Earth accounts for most of the floors in the basement and the natural stone walls and extensive halls and room arrangement give it a catacomb feel. Phil and the guys created a green-tinted hue down there that looked amazing. Pair the atmosphere with Anna's incredible performance and we came out with some more groovy footage.

In the above paragraph I used the phrases "green-tinted" and "groovy." I don't suppose anyone reading remembers a song by Mr. Big called "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind." Look it up on iTunes. I think I'm going to go download it now. I miss that song like I miss Frankenberry.

We had some dead bodies on set tonight. Nicole (makeup) and Kat (Asst. DP) paled themselves up and laid on the dirt floor in the basement. Casey (grip) was nice enough to sweep away the bat poop before they laid in it.

At the end of the night we picked up a couple inserts for the dinner scene that was shot 10 days earlier. Luckily I had cut the scene together and realized we missed a couple angles. We didn't have to set the entire room; we just needed to match candles and small portions of the background since the shots were so tight. We did, however, need to set up track and the dolly to stay consistent with the camera movements of the scene. It was worth the effort to get the inserts because the scene will now cut together a little better. Sometimes a little better can make all the difference.

~ Justen

Day 6 Wrap

2007-06-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Tuesday was packed. After Monday's wrap, I think I made it to bed around 5:00am and slept lightly until eight bells. A quick trip up to Minneapolis to shoot a Vikings promo with Emily and then back down to Hastings where Emily and I were interviewed on KDWA radio. Then back on set at 4:00pm for another 12 hour shoot. I loved it! Doing anything else for 20 hours in a day would run me ragged, but when it comes to acting and talking about acting, you don't need to stick a quarter in me to keep me going.

Tonight we shot our first death scene. It was intense! The footage we got was equally beautiful and disturbing. It certainly wasn't easy to get because of the cramped quarters and hot lights. I can't get much more detailed without giving away too much of the movie, but I think the scene we shot tonight will be one of the more memorable scenes in Horror House.

As short as the mentioned death scene is in the movie, it took us several hours to get what we needed. The only other setup of the night was a pair of kitchen scenes that equalled nearly 8 pages of the screenplay, and that footage was captured in just about the same amount of time. I was so impressed with all our actors tonight and it's due to their professionalism we were able to capture as much as we did in a 12 hour shoot day.

I'm lucky my itch to act was scratched in the morning because I didn't get to do any Horror House scenes tonight... except for a quick pickup shot with Gary right away when we got to set. The third take of the shot Gary improvised a ridiculous line and I proceeded to take my shirt off and run after him. Too bad Horror House isn't a comedy because that was my favorite take. :)

~ Justen

Day 5 Wrap

2007-06-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Though days 5 through 10 are somewhat blurred together, I will try to comment on each day individually, albeit a bit later than I had hoped. My goal is to have a trailer cut together by the middle of July so editing is a major priority right now. And the neverending paperwork. It's a sad day when I have to make paperwork a priority. But it's a happy day when I use the word 'neverending' because it prompts me to break into a chorus of Limahl's "Neverending Story." Look it up on YouTube.

Day 5 went very well. I was thrilled to have more than three lines of dialog in a scene! We spent the entire day in one of the second story bedrooms. Thank goodness for Heidi's fan! With all those lights pointed down on us in the scene it got awfully hot in that room. Troopers that we are, we got through everything and even wrapped a little early. At least I think we did. After going nearly 14 hours 3 out of the first 4 days it was a nice break to wrap early. With a bigger budget it would have been great to be able to spend 8 hours a day and spread the shoot over a couple months. Future projects, right?

We were able to leave all our equipment at the LeDuc overnight which saved us a great amount of time. Most of the crew spent the night at the Country Inn and Suites where Mark Larson took care of them, and a few of us stayed at the Classic Rosewood Bed and Breakfast where Pam Thorsen cared for us. Without lodging in Hastings this shoot would not have been a reality, so I am thankful we were able to make arrangements that worked.

The cast and crew worked hard on Day 5 and we got some great footage. All the scenes shot today were tame. No blood or scares today, unless you count my look in glasses a scare. Speaking of those glasses... they are actually prescription glasses and they would really hurt my eyes if I looked through them at distant objects. Ironically, they were fine for reading the magazine I was holding in the scene. It probably would have been healthier to buy fake glasses, but for $2.00 at Goodwill I'll take what I can get. :)

~ Justen

Day 4 Wrap

2007-06-13T13:00:00.000-05:00

The good: Grabbed a great shot of the Minneapolis skyline at sunset
The bad: Most of the other footage will need to be reshot
The ugly: Forced to improvise our location because of one unflexible person

Plans were made to shoot Emily (Chloe) and Anna (Jazz) walking along the sidewalks of this tight dead-end warehouse block in Minneapolis. A good friend of mine had offered his studio to shoot the skyline at sunset and he assured me we'd have no problem shooting outside the building. We started unloading and mapping the area we had scouted weeks earlier when the building manager forced us to pack up shop. Liability was the biggest concern which is the very reason I spent the money to get production insurance. The manager thought I'd created a fake insurance policy on my computer. Who does stuff like that? Instead of trusting me and showing some heart for a producer on a tight budget and schedule, she pushed us away without batting an eye.

Don't get me wrong; I understood her liability concerns and I agreed with them, but there comes a point when you just throw your concerns out the window and show some compassion for someone working his butt off to try to make a living to support his family. Never did I raise my voice with this woman and never did I treat her with anything but respect, and even now I don't hold any resentment toward her as a person. I simply disagree with her decision to allow herself to remain so uptight about a relatively harmless situation. My grandpa always tells me he raised his family in the greatest time back in the 50s and 60s. In situations like these I tend to agree with him because, from what I understand about that era, people were more willing to help each other. It seems today we are scared of others and the biggest concern is "what's in it for me?" We are so egocentric today and it's only getting worse.

Wow, I've sure digressed here. My underlying point in this rant is that more compassion is needed today. I felt very hurt by the manager of the building Monday night and there was nothing I could say or do that would even convince her to consider letting me shoot outside the building. A wise man once said, "The mark of an educated mind is to entertain a thought without necessarily accepting it." Had this woman at least entertained my proposal I would not have been as hurt as I was. Saying no is one thing, but backing it up with flimsy reasoning is such a slap in the face.

Once more I will say (or type if you will) that I never raised my voice and I never lost my cool. I'm not patting myself on the back by announcing that, but it's important for the two readers of this blog to understand that anger does not fuel this rant, but rather hurt feelings and disappointment in the mentality of many people today. Rules should be followed, but helping your brother man should trump the rules you think you need to follow.

Then again, I may be wrong.

~ Justen

Day 3 Wrap

2007-06-12T12:30:00.000-05:00

The good: More outstanding footage
The bad: More overtime
The ugly: More bad jokes

Our first day of shooting at the LeDuc was a treat. The bulk of the movie takes place at the location so it really felt like we were getting into the meat of the shoot, even if it was just for one day this weekend. Yes, it ended up being another 14 hour day, but the cast and crew were all willing to go the extra mile and our gracious hosts at the LeDuc were accomodating even at the end.

Chad and Nick designed some great shots for the dinner scene in which PZ sets the stage for his movie. I don't think we used any static shots during this scene. Lighting and setup takes a little longer to get these visually appealing shots, so that adds up to extra shooting time. Fortunately the actors were all wonderfully prepared and they all delivered on cue. My hat goes off to Gary (PZ), who had a huge amount of dialog. I don't recall cutting once at his fault. What's more, he had memorized a completely different monologue a couple weeks back, and then we completely rewrote this scene and he had it nailed right away.

On a personal level, this day had an extra appeal to me because I finally got to play a more significant part in a scene. Acting is still my favorite part in this whole game and I'm happiest when I get to step in the shoes of a completely different person.

Between takes the cast and crew kept each other entertained by quoting movies and telling jokes. Aaron (Tad) is always good for a few jokes even though they're the same jokes over and over again... :)

~ Justen

Day 2 Wrap

2007-06-05T14:45:00.000-05:00

The good: Accomplished all we set out to accomplish
The bad: Went over schedule again
The ugly: That was one creepy dude in Chloe's bedroom!

Another very successful day on set. We started at an apartment in Eden Prairie where we picked up a scene with Chloe (Emily) and Jazz (Anna) packing their bags. If I didn't know better I'd swear Anna and Emily have been friends for years. They have great chemistry and perfect timing, which is key to selling the realism of the movie.

After the packing scene, we got a quick shot of a very creepy image. Just a quick scene in the movie, but thanks to Jay's (Key Grip) great lighting idea, the image is sure to cause some uneasiness in the audience. Not in a gross or supernatural way, but just a general creepiness. I got goosebumps when I saw it!

After packing up at the apartment we moved on to Edina Grill where we ate a wonderful meal, chewing between stories, laughter, and singing. Every time Chad orders the meatloaf I can't help but break into a chorus of Paradise by the Dashboard Light. He loves it when I do. (Where is the sarcasm key on this keyboard?)

Then the crew got to work and set up for one of the trickier shots in the movie - a slow tracking shot through a crowded bar that ends at the booth where Chloe and Jazz sit. Kat (First Assistant Camera) positioned herself on the dolly and pulled off a great shot! Several setups and hours later we wrapped in time to beat the morning rush hour.

The Edina Grill treated us very well and fed our entire cast, crew, and 15+ extras through the night. Many thanks to Amy, Jason, Steve, and the rest at the great restaurant at 50th and France!

And again, many thanks to the outstanding cast and crew that are bringing Horror House together. I am undeniably blessed by you all!

~Justen

Day 1 Wrap

2007-06-04T12:43:00.001-05:00

The good: Got the shots we needed.
The bad: Went over schedule.
The ugly: Andy Kraft in a toga.

Actually, Andy looked quite nice in his wardrobe, as did the other actors and actresses darning said attire (even when the togas fell off). Day 1 was a great success. No major complications. No meltdowns. No irreconcilable problems. I attribute the success of day 1 to our fantastic cast and amazing crew. Even in the wee hours of the morning, people were working hard with smiles still on their faces. It's a labor of love for all of us.

I have to thank Gary and Natalie for staying several hours past their proposed wrap times and not raising any fuss whatsoever. Anna and Emily, too, stayed late and performed flawlessly at the end of the night. Katelyn, Keri, Boima, and Andy were patient and upbeat even as their call-times proved to be 90 minutes too early. Bob, battling significant lower body pain, was spot on in his performance. Rachel, Kelly, Loren, Katie, and Brooke all performed wonderfully as well. And, troopers that they are, Kari, Mary, and Cliff stayed later than expected to get the audience scene nailed.

If I took time to praise each crew member individually, I'd write a small novella, so I will thank them as a whole for their upbeat, eager attitudes. Even at the end of the night when eyelids were heavy and voices were raspy, I had willing bodies around me doing everything that needed to be done. Have I mentioned that the cast and crew of this movie are absolutely amazing?

With day 1 behind us and great footage the result, I am more at peace about moving onward than ever before. We have some very busy days ahead of us, but if yesterday set the standard for the Horror House shoot, we are going to have a marvelous time making this movie.

I hope to get a quick nap in now before heading to Eden Prairie for an apartment scene and then onto Edina Grill for a middle of the night shoot.

~Justen

And away we go...

2007-06-02T20:51:00.001-05:00

Saturday night. 9:00pm. Principal photography begins in exactly 15 hours. Overall I am relaxed and confident things will go smoothly. That's not to say my head isn't swimming with every little detail, but the way things have come together thus far I have no reason to believe they would all of a sudden unravel. Besides, if things do unravel, I'm surrounded by a talented group of people who will help spool the thread back together.

I can't say I feel 100% prepared, but I'm awfully close. Close enough? I guess I'll find out soon enough. :)

~Justen

The House

2007-05-19T21:24:00.000-05:00

It oftentimes takes me a week or more to read the weekend's newspapers. The particular newspaper to which I subscribe tries and tries to get me to add days to my subscription, and no matter how many times I tell them I barely get through Saturday's and Sunday's papers, they continue to beg... nay... demand I get more days. I deny them... and I guess I digress here a bit, don't I?

Anyway, one Thursday a couple weeks back I was reading the previous Sunday's Arts section and I saw a picture of a house that looked like it would be just about perfect for our movie. I remember thinking to myself, "Man, if only we had a house like that for Horror House." Yes, sometimes I really do think in complete thoughts like that. On a whim, I called a number in the article and connected with a very sweet woman who suggested I come visit the house that Saturday. I told her if my very pregnant sister didn't have her baby before then, I'd be there.

No new niece, so I drove 70 minutes down to Hastings. The house was as close to what I pictured in the script as any other house I had seen up to this point.

Skeptical me knew there would be a snag and this house wouldn't work. Without boring you (yes, you, the one person other than me who is reading this) with the details, the house amazingly worked out. We will be shooting the bulk of our movie at the Historic LeDuc House in Hastings. What a blessing to find it and to have the pieces fit together! Now everything will be smooth sailing from here on out. Um, yeah.

By the way, my niece was born nearly 2 weeks after I first visited the house. I'm glad she waited.

All Hands on Deck

2007-04-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last night the entire cast and crew of Horror House (with the exception of just a couple people) got together for the first time. We laughed; we cried; we... wait, I don't think anybody cried. At least not until they left. We have a great group of people assembled for this movie. I'm more enthusiastic now than ever before.

Principal photography is coming up very soon. There is still a lot of work to do, but I know we'll be ready to roll June 3rd!

- Justen

Location, Location, Location

2007-04-17T13:17:00.000-05:00

Endearingly referred to in the script as "The House," the spooky, abandoned abode is a vital location for the movie. More than a location, it is actually a character. A month and a half away from principal photography we have yet to secure the site needed for nine shooting days. I admit I am nervous. But I am confident we'll find the perfect location or at least a good location we can make perfect. I just wish we already had it.

On a personal note, today is the 22nd birthday of my sister, Mackenzie. Unfortunately the last birthday I celebrated with her was her 18th. She joined our Savior in December of 2003, the victim of a drunk driver. I miss her so much. Nobody ever supported my ventures into moviemaking like she did. She was, and still is, my muse. My production company's namesake, Kenzie is sorely missed down here, but she's perfect and restored in her new eternal home.

Mackenzie, I love you. I miss you. And I look forward to seeing you again.

-Brother

Principle vs. Principal

2007-03-26T16:08:00.000-05:00

I ain't always the goodest grammarian, but I do my best to follow the rules I used to teach my fifth graders. I fear my skills are declining. I won a spelling bee in elementary school, but now I can't go more than a few sentences without referencing dictionary.com (one of my favorite websites).

The homophones of principal and principle have never given me trouble. I've always known to only use principal when referring to the head of a school, and to use principle for everything else. I've scoffed at the resumes of actors who claimed they played a principal role in a production, and I've applauded those who knew better and claimed to have played a principle role.

Then I looked up the words so I could give concrete evidence to support my superior grammatical intellect. I was the one who had it backwards. That sucks. Principal is indeed the correct word to use when referring to "something of chief importance." Now I know. At least in principle.

- Justen

Chicken vs. The Egg

2007-03-08T10:54:00.000-06:00

For most it is understood that you unwrap a candy bar before eating it. That is the appropriate sequence. First unwrap; then eat. Most things in life have either explicit or implied sequences. I have yet to learn the appropriate sequence of the preproduction phase of making a movie.

In the countless (okay, dozens) of books I've read on the subject, no book has offered an ordered list of preproduction tasks. I have a good idea of what needs to be done, but I'm juggling the sequence hoping the horse can find the cart no matter where I end up placing it.

One thing I wish I'd started sooner was fundraising. So much of the forthcoming decisions depend on our final shooting budget. How much can I afford for location rental? How much can I pay my crew? My actors? Myself? The latter, of course, is going to be the last to get paid, but that is just fine with me.

So, here in my eighth post, comes my first tactile piece of advice: Get financing in place early. In the end, I don't think our finished product is going to suffer due to the later-than-ideal securing of funds, but my nerves would be better off had I raised the money about six months earlier.

- Justen

Script Reading

2007-02-20T09:22:00.000-06:00

Last night the principle cast members got together for the first time. We talked some business and spent some time acquainting ourselves with each other before reading the script. The chemistry among the cast and filmmakers is already strong. Fact is, this is just a good group of people. A good group of talented people, nonetheless.

I was a little nervous to hear the script read aloud for the first time. I was pleased (and a bit surprised) at just how well the script played. Sure there were some awkward exchanges that will be fixed before the cameras roll, but for the most part, the script is ready to shoot. Not tomorrow, but we'll have it ready by June. What a relief to know no wholesale changes are imminent.

My one concern about last night is the lack of snack consumption by the cast. Either I failed miserably at choosing snacks (what's wrong with scones, chips, and candy bars?), or people just weren't hungry. Or, maybe they didn't want the sound of crunching chips to drown out the script reading. Thankfully Chad drank the 2-liter bottle of Mountain Dew so at least I didn't fail completely.

We're rolling now. The cast are excited. The producers are excited. This movie is going to be bigger than the Beatles. Well, maybe bigger than Ringo's solo career. Beep-beepin'-beep-beep-yeah.

Like molasses in...

2007-02-06T12:29:00.000-06:00

Another six weeks between posts. It's not that things aren't progressing with Horror House, but the things that are progressing aren't overly interesting or important to pass along. I'd like to keep this blog as streamlined as possible rather than exploring tangents about my excitement for Tony Dungy's Colts winning the Super Bowl, or the remarkable cold that has hit the upper midwest this past weekend, or my homemade baked beans in the oven right now.

In relevant Horror House news: We are approaching investors and hope to have our financing in place real soon. We have the first full cast meeting on February 19th. Crew interviews will be happening soon. The script will be finalized within the month. Principle photography is tentatively scheduled for the first half of June.

So that's all the news that is news. Check back in another six weeks. Actually, I'll blog after the upcoming meeting. Curb your enthusiasm. Really.

- Justen

All I want for Christmas is a budget...

2006-12-21T13:34:00.000-06:00

Principle cast is in place, and we've got a great group of talented actors. We've had to turn down many superb actors, but that's part of the game. I am excited about our cast and I think they will carry this movie a long way.

The cart may have been placed before the horse with the cast being named before any part of the budget is in place. I am confident we will have money soon which will lift a huge burden off my shoulders. I have been working with a talented attorney who raised the money for "A Prairie Home Companion," and his insight and guidance have been wonderful. This is a very low-budget movie by Hollywood standards, but we're still looking at more money than I've ever seen. Shooting a movie is not cheap, and in order to compete with the big boys, you have to have some money in place. And we will.

So, aside from casting, all my effort has been going into creating a fundraising plan. Did I just say "all my effort?" Ha! So much of that effort is actively going into distracting myself from working on the fundraising plan. The creative side of producing is great - assembling a talented team of cast and crew, working out story details, shooting the movie - but the business side, which makes up probably 95% of producing, sucks. For me anyway. But the more difficult the journey, the more rewarding the destination, right? Right.

At any rate, things are moving along. Slowly, but surely. Hence the time between blog entries. I will continue to update as often as it seems worthwhile. When the movie gets more momentum, I hope the blog gets more visitors. Ultimately, I hope the movie finds commercial success and that people are curious enough about the movie making process to take a look at these old entries. If that's the case, I hope people will learn something along the way. After all, I still have a heart for teaching, even if it's not in the classroom anymore.

For now, I plan to enjoy Christmas. God bless!

- Justen

Callbacks

2006-11-09T20:13:00.000-06:00

Monday night was callback night for us. Many very talented actors participated and we know we've got some strong candidates for the roles. Still, our casting search is not over. Another night of auditions is ahead of us within the month. We have no strict timeline for finalizing our cast. Frustrating as that may be for those auditioning, it is a tremendous luxury for the producers to ensure the perfect cast for this movie.

At this point, every actor who auditioned is still in the running for a role in Horror House. That said, we only have five principle roles to cast, and less than 10 day player roles. We are going to turn down some very talented actors; that's for sure.

- Justen

Auditions: Day 2

2006-10-25T13:24:00.000-05:00

Another 26 actors auditioned for us on the second day of auditions. If I could, I'd cast all 52 men and women who have auditioned thus far. What a pleasant surprise it's been to see so many talented Minnesota, Wisconsin, and LA actors. Of course, as an actor myself, it's a little intimidating.

Notification will be sent shortly to all actors selected for call-backs. I have a feeling we will have some difficult casting decisions to make, but that's a good thing. I can't wait to have everybody in place.

- Justen

Auditions: Day 1

2006-10-20T13:54:00.000-05:00

Twenty-six actors came in to audition for Horror House on Monday. I can truthfully say there weren't any untalented actors in the group. That amazes me, because, when calling people in based only on headshots and resumes, you're bound to get some stinkers. Not this night, though. Every actor brought something unique to the table and all proved capable of bringing to life conjured characters.

Does that mean all will be invited to callbacks? Unfortunately, no. Talent is only one piece of the puzzle in getting cast in a movie. There are many intangibles, many of which can't even be pinpointed. Sometimes it just boils down to a gut feeling shared by the majority of the casting directors. Whatever the case may be, those not called back should rest assured it was not because of lack of talent.

One more day of first-round auditions coming up, and then the difficult call-back decisions will be made.

- Justen

mindbloggling

2006-10-18T10:23:00.000-05:00

To whom it may concern...

Welcome to the Horror House production blog. Here is where the entire production process will be chronicled. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you learn something along the way.

- Justen