-Film Blog-

Posted on: Wednesday, December 12th - 2007

The “little things” that can be forgotten when making a film:

I was sitting here drinking coffee, trying to get myself to continue writing when I began to think about the making of “Dawning.” I remembered being up at the cabin, the weather, the people, the colors, the drama, the closeness, the moments of pure excitement and absolute disaster.

There were great moments while shooting the film…many great moments. But what struck me most were the little things…the little decisions and contributions by the individual crew members which got us through the shoot. It’s easy to get caught up with the immediacy of the film as a director. Sometimes it’s hard to enjoy the moments after the day is over as you’re preparing for the next day…you’re covering your bases.

But once you’ve had some time to get away, some time to reflect, it’s really an amazing experience. For example: Matt Wilkins (the co-writer) coming in at the last minute to add some much needed focus and clarity to the script. He added a dimension which I was unable to see and it was invaluable; Danny Salmen (producer/actor) standing there listening to me rant and rave about not being able to get the film done due to the shooting schedule and him figuring out how to get those extra days so we could finish; Michael Howe (producer/production coordinator) getting a cake ready for Christine Kellogg-Darrin (actress) because it was her birthday and as I yelled cut (or maybe Brandon yelled cut) they burst into the cabin with the cake. It was a great moment; Sarah Storbakken (set mother, amazing PA, cook, etc…) and Steve Carlander (PA, P2 labeler and behind-the-scenes cameraman) showing up to the cabin with food after the power had went out and it looked like our whole night of shooting would be cancelled…as the rain poured down outside they came trudging in with warm chili and good cheer; Jim Morgan (sound recorder) telling stories and keeping the crew cheery during the power outage; TJ Schwingle (DP) having to power all the lights after both grip/gaffers had to leave…but this was no ordinary night of shooting for the power had to be run through puddles of water as the rain came in bursts. I would run around trying to pick up shots as TJ slopped together electricity…that’s the kind of crazy beauty a film set includes…and his bravery got us through another tough night of shooting.

Of course there are more stories but those are moments which I remember strongly because they end up being so important when it comes to the final film but they are never heard of…they are moments which disappear into the fog of a distant memory. I want to keep them alive.
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Posted on: Saturday, November 17th - 2007

The lead-up to “Dawning” being made:

Editing has officially begun on what can only be described as the most important film, for me, that I’ve made to date. Rating something’s importance can be tricky but this film has been in the production phase for a long time and I just feel like what everyone went through in order to finally get it all shot has been nothing short of incredible. Thanks to everyone’s hard work we finally finished…and the footage looks great…the performances were spectacular…and I can only hope to do this film justice as we move forward in post-production.

Back in the summer of 2003 my brother Tim and my sister Meagan and I sat down and discussed horror films (a genre we had always loved and admired). We couldn’t figure out if we just weren’t scared anymore (maybe our age) or if it was the films we were watching.

The fact of the matter is that films make a major impact on you at certain stages in your life and it’s easy as you grow older to look back fondly at those films and talk about how good they were compared to films today because you will never be affected by the films of today like you were affected at 8 and 14 and 19…like kicks your ass…maybe you lose that innocene and wonder…I don’t know…but it changes.

Thus we decided that the scariest idea for a horror movie was not being able so see what was coming after you. This idea affected me quite a bit and I wrote a script over the next few months which we shot in 2004 and called “Dawning.” The movie was extremely low budget ($800) and we shot it on weekends over the course of September and October. The script was not the best and we had no money for effects so we relied heavily on mood/atmosphere as well as performance. This proved to be a success in our eyes and the film received a good review upon it’s premiere in 2005.

After the “Dawning” premiere I went back to a script which I had been writing since 1999 and I finally found the pieces which would enable me to make that film. The budget was a giant increase from the original “Dawning” (from $800 to $3,000) but the film included 20 roles, 12 locations, etc…it was a major achievement for such little money and I’m extremely proud of what “(yielding to) a willing breath” accomplished for myself as a filmmaker.

After “(yielding)” premiered at the Solstice Film Festival we embarked on another film, “Unhinged.” This was an experiment as the idea was to shoot 2 films in 2 weeks with the same crew and a lot of the same cast. Overall it was a success and upon the completion of “Unhinged” we were accepted into a couple festivals.

During the shooting of “Unhinged” I found myself working closely with Danny Salmen (he was acting in “Unhinged”). We talked about film, the future and what we could offer to each other. After a few discussions it was clear each of us could bring something unique to the table and we decided to pursue funding for a re-make of “Dawning.”

The money was raised and we rushed into production in September, 2006 - after I had just gotten married. Needless to say, the production was not ready and the script had not been tightened so after shooting wrapped and the editing began I decided that I could not possibly put my name on the project…it didn’t feel right…wasn’t the right direction…it wasn’t really my movie (due to circumstances bigger than this blog can hold).

Anyway, I ditched the footage from the 2006 shoot and with my tail between my legs I ate a piece of humble pie and decided that we would need to shoot “Dawning” again. This was hard to tell people who had put so much time and energy into the 2006 version but as far as I’m concerned the only thing that matters is the film and whether it’s something to be proud of…and let me tell you, the version of “Dawning” we shot in the Fall of 2007 is something to be quite proud about.

So here’s to the editing of a film that just won’t die. And here’s to the people who believed in me enough to stick around!