2012 Year-End Wrap-Up

Well, 2012 was not the best year, but it wasn't the worst, either.

I started off the year by sliding across an icy road and smashing my wife's car into the curb.

Yay.

I did order DVDs of the just-finished-up TWISTED FATES and TRULY DREADFUL TALES in January so that was cool.


In February the Mid-Valley Video Festival honored me as their ‘featured filmmaker’ so in addition to the bigfoot short SCENT OF THE SASQUATCH, they screened TWISTED FATES!

I was even interviewed by the local paper, which was fun!

Also in February, I got to see Michael Schenker Group and Anvil in Portland. It was awesome!

Several of my titles became available from the W.A.V.E. Video site: UNDERBELLY, DEADLY PREMONITIONS and TRULY DREADFUL TALES.

I was interviewed for "SOV: The True Independents," a pair of documentaries on the shot-on-video horror of the 80s and 90s.


Also in March, I was asked to make a movie for Warlock Home Video and set about getting a cheeseball, shot-on-VHS horror comedy written up. The result was BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD, which was shot in the spring and early summer.

At one of the BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD shoots, I also held a photoshoot to create a snazzy and suitably schlocky photo to go at the top of my drquid.net site. Chicks and monsters - what's not to like?
 

After remastering the werewolf short Dark Bite from an old 3/4" master the distributor had, the director found the original Hi-8 tapes after all! So I re-edited from scratch, worked in some additional footage and did all new sound effects and music.

It's the last piece of my anthology BENEATH A DEAD MOON. As soon as I can connect with one of the actors for a needed voiceover, I can get it all finished up, get some copies and plan a screening!


In April, Steve Sessions' horror anthology ABERRATIONS was released. I was a producer on this one.


Also in April, TWISTED FATES got reviewed on Ain't It Cool News! I got a great pull quote: "...Every scene and every minute of TWISTED FATES oozes a love for all things horror," which was pretty damn cool.
 

The director of the film festival for Crypticon Seattle contacted me and said they wanted to screen TWISTED FATES as a "friends of Crypticon" type of thing at this year's convention. Cool!

I started off the month of May attending Jell-O Wrestling fundraiser for local roller derby team. Needless to say, that was entertaining.

Memorial Day weekend rolled around and my buddies and I once again headed to the Crypticon Seattle horror convention. Great guests and panels and lots of fun times. On the down side, all of Sunday afternoon's events (including my screening) were left out of the printed program thanks to some lame volunteers - and boy were the organizers pissed! A bunch of free promotional posters I was promised by someone didn't materialize, either. However, I had some posters of my own and we had a swell screening. Did some Q&A afterward and even sold a few DVDs!


You can check out the whole Crypticon Seattle 2012 Trip Report here: http://skullfaceastronaut.com/drsquid/crypticon2012/


About three years after the initial shooting for BLOOD CREEK WOODSMAN, the project was unfortunately still waiting in line with the editor, who was busy with finishing up previous projects. Mike Hegg got a hold of us in June and said he would like to help out, so I began a series of trips up to Portland to work with him on cutting this bloody body count movie together. By the end of the year, we'd finished the rough cut and are currently working on all sorts of fine-tuning. So excited to see this come together in 2013!

Got to see some great local indie movies this year, including Henry Weintraub's Killing Me and Jason Freeman's The Weather Outside. I am bummed I never was able to make it to see his brother Todd Freeman's Cell Count (as everyone tells me I'd love it), but it's out on VOD now, so I'll have to check it out.

 I took my son to see Iron Maiden play in Auburn, Washington at the end of July - first time seeing them for both of us and they were fantastic!
 

Then, in August, we went to see Motley Crue and KISS in Ridgefield, Washington. Incredible show! We had great seats near the front and were enveloped with the confetti cloud at the end as the confetti cannons were just to the side of our seats.

Did a few freelance video projects for people this year, and some freelance drawing and graphic design as well. I designed not only BRLOB dvd sleeve for Warlock but also their Warlock Warrior certificate, Phantom of the Grindhouse and Paranormal web series logo AND the TeenApe: Balls Deep logo. Crazy stuff!

Online network BlackFlag.TV began airing some of my stuff this year - the short SUPERSTAR is played all the time (recently it played four times in one day!) and my features TWISTED FATES and TRULY DREADFUL TALES have played as well!

Finished the remastering work on three of my earliest efforts and will shortly be releasing a DIMENSION OF BLOOD / MONSTER IN THE GARAGE / CRIMSON HEATHER triple feature DVD.



Also this year, I won four DVDs in online contests, won free tickets to the roller derby and KISS came out with a new album! Not bad!

In October, we held a BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD premiere screening at the f/Stop Fitzgerald's in Salem, Oregon. I brought along the bug monster puppet and a swell time was had by all. Warlock Home Video released the movie on DVD in October as well.


Also in October, I started posting a series of sharable squares/memes and they were a big hit! By the time I was done I'd made and posted 50 of them! I need to do some more in 2013. In the meantime, you can check them all out here: https://picasaweb.google.com/fandcproductions/Squares 


I wrapped up 2012 by taking part in the "Holiday Horror Bazaar" as part of the Grindhouse Theater series in Tacoma, Washington. Sold some stuff, got to see a 35mm screening of Silent Night Deadly Night and even won a Fangoria magazine!

Just put the opening credits to BENEATH A DEAD MOON together the other day and getting them done was a great way to finish off the year!

Goodbye 2012.

Hello 2013.

Not much...

Not much going on right now - been swamped with the day job, family commitments and holiday social stuff. Running the DIMENSION OF BLOOD/MONSTER IN THE GARAGE/CRIMSON HEATHER pre-order promotion until Dec. 15.   Did a small video project for a friend Cleaned a few things off of the hard drive. Working on a couple of script ideas. End of the year always gets hectic for me. Hope to have some new on actual progress on current projects soon....

VHS and DVD Preorder Specials for Dimension of Blood / Monster in the Garage / Crimson Heather Triple Feature!!!

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Stuff Goin' On...

Have been working on fleshing out a couple of script ideas… Just about ready to announce a big promotion for a reissue of some of my very first horror projects…stay tuned…. Made a quantum leap this weekend, including a 9-hour-straight editing session, and am very happy that rough cut of BLOOD CREEK WOODSMAN is about 97% done! There is still a lot of work to do - audio work, tightening up the edit, etc. - but it's getting closer… And a bunch of other stuff….

Bloody Red Lips of Blood Now Available from Warlock Home Video

BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD, the crazy schlockfest I shot on VHS (no, I am not kidding) earlier this year is now for sale over at http://www.warlockhomevideo.com/flics.html

Two hot lesbian vampires are picking up victims at a local rock club and having a bloody good time. Meanwhile, Professor Bartel is mourning the mysterious death of his daughter bugging local detectives about the case. He may be angry about their lack of progress, but he's really a MAD scientist?? Check out this deliciously sleazy shot on video gem!! DVD features a Blooper Reel and Photo Gallery.

Check out the cheese-tastic trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fkpt0yzGuM

Bloody Red Lips of Blood - Review

First review...and they dig it!

 http://wildsidecinema.com/2012/10/31-days-of-halloween-bloody-red-lips-of-blood-19892012/

Still waiting for Warlock Home Video to get this up on their website for sale...

Bloody Red Lips of Blood Premiere Screening Photos!

Boy howdy what a swell time we all had at the BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD premiere screening at the f/Stop Fitzgerald's in Salem, Oregon. The screening room was packed and everyone seemed to get a kick out of this cheeseball horror comedy.
Sabrina and I with the bug monster

Natalie helps the bug monster snack on Floyd!
Riley and Alex in front of the big screen!

The bug monster prop gets around!

Rob, Dale and their friend...the bug monster!

Alex wore her silver disco pants...and her wonder woman underwear!

Alex and her co-star

Bob couldn't escape the bug monster!

Joe and Crystal got all gussied up for the premiere.

Floyd is the BUGMAN!

Kurt, Dale, Rob, Mike and Dave...and the bug monster.

Soon....

The BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD screening is tomorrow night (see previous blog post) and I managed to pull together a trailer for BENEATH A DEAD MOON to show beforehand. It's a "red band" trailer, which is fine since it'll be showing in a bar where you've got to be of age to be there anyway. But I'll have to figure out what to do for a youtube trailer - do I start over or take what I have put together and somehow run black bars over things or do I just cut out the r-rated stuff and see what I am left with?

In any case, I am hoping to get the trailer up sometime in the next month or so. Need to finish the cover art (front is done, need to do the back) and get the final dvd authoring done and copies made. Then, another screening! YAY!

 

BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD SCREENING, SATURDAY, OCT. 13

A cast and friends (and anyone else who wants to show up) screening of BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD will be held on Saturday, October 13 at 9 p.m. at the f/Stop Fitzgerald's Public House, 335 Grove St. in Salem Oregon.

A whole mess o' the cast will be there and the f/Stop serves beers, ales, wines and ciders from around the northwest.

Here is the Facebook event page for the screening - http://www.facebook.com/events/343383955751337/

I'll have copies of Twisted Fates, Truly Dreadful Tales, Underbelly, Deadly Premonitions, Inbred Redneck Vampires, Trailer Park Double Wide Trilogy of Terror, The Seekers, Housebound, The Evilmaker, Vampirisa's Velvet Vault of Horror and We Need Earth Women for sale if anyone is interested.

Bloody Red Lips of Blood Coming From Warlock Home Video in October!

BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD, a "new retro" slab of cheese shot on VHS will be available starting at the 2012 Cinema Wasteland convention in Cleveland, Ohio this October and then on the Warlock Home Video website. Check out the trailer and cover below!

Progress!!!

Finished up music for the re-edit of the "Dark Bite" segment for the BENEATH A DEAD MOON anthology. Burned a test dvd of it and will have to see if there are any other tweaks to be made, aside from a bit of narration, plus the opening and ending credits.

Finally took care of the last remaining shots for BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD, dropped them into the movie, finished the extras and burned a master DVD. Here is the theme song:



Next up - working on a dvd sleeve for the distributor.

Spent the weekend up at Mike's editing more on BLOOD CREEK WOODSMAN. Have reached what we think is the halfway point!

Working on a script for a short video for hire project.

Gotta keep on plowing ahead!

Almost Done

OK, long story short, the remaining last two scenes that Tom needed to shoot for BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD was postponed for the zillionth time last Friday when Tom called to tell me that one of his actors was in the hospital with a heart attack. I am coming up on deadline and after waiting since April I couldn't wait any longer!!! I had to take over to get this thing done. I managed to find someone who could jump in and play the role with no notice - Floyd! - and I was on the road to make the 90 minute drive to pick him up and bring him to town.

As it turns out the guy playing the other detective (whom I'd already shot scenes with the last time I took over for Tom's half of the shoot) was unreachable all day! So I rewrote the two characters into one and we shot the two remaining scenes and reshot the one I'd already done before. After a quick dinner of hot dogs, I drove Floyd back up to Salem, then drove back home. What a crazy whirlwind, but the bottom line was that all of Tom's scenes were DONE!

I worked the rest of the weekend uploading footage, editing and doing sound effects and music, some stuff I'd done previously as well as a few new bits including a funky theme song.

I made the logo below for some stuff seen on a TV screen in the movie. It is an homage to KPTV Channel 12 out of Portland, Oregon - I saw so much great stuff on good ol' channel 12 - Silent Running, Dark Star, Green Slime, The Alien Factor, Planet of the Apes, Phase IV, Fantastic Voyage. Good times.


Just finished burning a test DVD so I can check the sound levels and such on TV. One tiny shot left to get in the next couple of days. Once that is dropped in, the thing is FINISHED!

So much...

So much craziness happened with the BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD project over the weekend, I can't even bring myself to talk about it right now. Geez louise.

Good news is it is almost done.

Beneath A Blood Creek Tonjia Lips of Blood!!!

Postponed an editing session for BLOOD CREEK WOODSMAN due to work scheduling issues, but hope to get back at it towards the end of the month.

Finished shooting a freelance video project and am just about done editing - hope to deliver by this weekend. Made some good contacts, too.

Was able to borrow a digital8 camera (THANKS, WARREN!) and get Tonjia Atomic's footage for BLOOD RED LIPS OF BLOOD into the computer. Her scene is going to be a nice throwback exploitation movie snippet in this crazy cheese ball movie. Tom hopes to finish shooting his remaining two scenes this Saturday so keeping my fingers crossed for that.
Above: Tonjia goofing around in a behind-the-scenes shot

Have been going through my comic book collection to pick out some things to try and sell to raise a little cash for the next DVD-r duplication run.

Finished the sound work for the "Dark Bite" segment of BENEATH A DEAD MOON and have started on the music!

 Friends from out of town coming this weekend, so probably no movie work for a bit.

 Onward!!!

Mike, The Casual Coroner

Shot another one of the few remaining segments for BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD last night. My buddy Rob Merickel came over, put on a pair of my old glasses, a funky shirt and lab coat and handled a tape recorder, sandwich, phone and beef heart for the coroner's office scene.

Got the tapes of footage from Tonjia Atomic, but unfortunately they were shot on a Digital8 camera and I can't play the tapes on my Hi8 camera. Bravo to the internet as once I posted a plea on facebook for someone to help, I got several responses, so should be able to rectify the situation before too long.

Tom Shaffer dropped off a tape of the latest scene that he was able to shoot. Two more left for him and he'll be done.


I also put in a bunch of time working on audio for the "Dark Bite" segment of BENEATH A DEAD MOON. Finished doing work in iMovie then shared the file to GarageBand where I've been playing with audio levels and adding all manner of sound effects. I've been re-doing most of them, but was able to re-use the werewolf sounds from the first time I did the audio work. Much more to do, but feel good that things are moving ahead with it.

Had another good day of editing BLOOD CREEK WOODSMAN up at Mike's place yesterday. Started in on the Markum Inn scenes!

Heavy Metal Kitty in the Heavy Metal Dungeon!

I would watch this show every week if it were real!!!

This is just something that will be seen by a character watching TV in BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD!

Even More Progress!

I tell ya, I should go out of town more often. While I was away, not only did Kendra Redd and Tonjia Atomic get their scenes shot for BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD, but Tom Shaffer got half of one more of his scenes taken care of, leaving just 2 and a half scenes for him to finish. I still need one more shot with an actress and then some establishing shots and then I'll be wrapped on my footage as well.

Sweet.

METAL KITTY! RAWR!!!!

Check out red hot VJ "Metal Kitty!" Kendra Redd plays this sexy role in new footage shot for BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD! I should be getting the footage later this week and can't wait to cut it into the stuff I have together already. Thanks to Tim for getting it shot and making the great set!

Atomic Awesomeness!

Seattle's own TONJIA ATOMIC shot some scenes for BLOODY RED LIPS OF BLOOD tonight! Here is a sneak peek at the bloody goodness! So happy to be able to have her be a part of this crazy horror movie!

Check out Tonjia Atomic's website at www.tonjiaatomic.com and read about her various movies like Raw Meat, Plain Devil,  The Prosaic Life of Stasha and Ada, Companion, Shoes! The Musical and Awesome Ouija Board, plus her music, jewelry and general awesomeness.