Bong Of The Dead on Video Ezy Australia!

The journey I began almost 4 years ago in pursuit of my dreams has been of the most incredible, insane, exhilarating, exhausting, mind blowing and mind altering experiences I have ever had in my whole life! The day I woke up and decided to make my first feature film is the day I had signed over my life to what would become the most unhealthy task I have ever endured. I say unhealthy because the amount of worrying, nervousness and constant stress that comes with such a venture as making a movie with limited to no resources can be quite taxing on ones body and mind. I have pushed my body without food and water or regular breaks in order to push through technical errors and daily glitches when dealing with so much data in the form of “new media” as its called. I have sacrificed more then i can say and I have learn so much in doing so. My mind has grown with this experience and the new skills I have adopted along the way are going to help catapult me to where I am hoping to go in the next few years. I can only wish the very best to all those who are also taking their first steps towards their dreams as well. If I can give you any words of encouragement I would have to say…listen to no one but your own heart. At the end of the day it is you who will be your own judge and you who will be your own worse enemy. True there are others out there who will want to cut you down because they are envious of what you are about to achieve. However for everyone of them out there who want to see you fail there are hundreds more who want to see you succeed!

As Tommy Chong once told me “The talent lies within and only you have that key. Trust your self. Stay on your own towel (yoga advice) and be patient. Everything takes more time than you feel it should….tc”
to succeed.

When my film first released across Germany it was welcomed with open arms and immediately began to take momentum. Now my film had just been released across Australia and already I’m receiving warm emails from fans who have seen it and have taken the time to email me with their appreciation. I would like to thank my German partners for doing such an awesome job on my films release with the art work to the Blue rays and posters etc! A huge thank you to the German people for accepting my movie and purchasing it in support.I would also like to take a moment and express the same gratitude towards my Australian partners at Video Ezy as well as the people of Australia and all other territories Ive released at. I’m so grateful that Ive found my audience across the globe and they are genuinely enjoying my movie.

I cant wait to make more movies for you!

Fingers crossed…holding breath!

October has finally arrived and I for one am super happy about it for multiple reasons. First of all fall is my favorite time of the year in Canada because its beautiful and creepy at the same time with the fog and dead leaves everywhere! I love that crisp air and sunshine combo. Also its like a month long celebration of everything horror! This October more than any other I am a bit more excited because my film finally releases all over the world from Germany to Australia and recently USA! I might as well point out at this time that my own country Canada has not yet signed any distribution deals with me. So sad that I cant get the attention of my own country yet I’m sure at the first sign of success Canada will expect to be credited because I shot my movie here.

Anyways enough of the whining bull shit…it’s just annoying is all. I’m happy that the rest of the world has not ignored my efforts. The film is also playing at world famous SITGES film festival from October 6th to 16th. I sure do hope that the rest of the world loves the film like so many critics from all over the world already have. I am still amazed at the amount of kindness Ive received from so many people whom Ive never even met. Thank goodness for the internet and its ability to allow us to reach so many people. Without it I would not exist. Im hoping that after my film makes its impact in October I will get some kind of opportunity to direct another film! One with a budget this time where I dont have to play a hundred roles and almost kill myself just to get it made! Im saying I want a studio deal with a budget and crew! Who doesn’t??

On one hand I’m so excited because the film can finally reach its fans who have been asking me for a copy for 3 years now. On the other hand Im so scared that my film will come and go and no one will give a shit. Although that is a scary negative thought I try not to think of it. The proof so far has been that everyone who has seen it and criticized it has loved it! I wish for that to continue and fall on the ears of some studio exec who has the means to grant budgets. then in a perfect world they pick up the phone or ask their people to call my people except I have no people so Ill answer the phone and they say “Kid we gotta a budget for ya”! Hopefully its that simple.

If that does not happen for me then I guess Ill have to continue doing crappy non creative survival jobs such as sledge hammering cement or hauling expensive furniture for rich people until it does happen. In the mean time I am writing my western horror script titled “DEADSVILLE”. This is the one I want to really bring to life because there are so many great opportunities for film making and visuals that I must make this film before I die! Please keep an eye out for BOTD as it hits the shelves this October!

Thanks!

4,3,2,1….Count down starts!

Well it seems as if I have been stuck in a world of constant stress ever since I wrapped on my film 2 years ago. Some of my stress has been due to not having the man power to do a whole film in post. Other parts of the stress have had to do with learning new software and doing things Ive never done before and acquiring new skills I never thought I would need. The biggest part of the stress has been attributed to the constant paranoia and fear of losing the entire film that Ive devoted my entire 2 years to. I guess that little nightmare came true on the 11th but I’m not gonna go there so read the previous 2 blogs if you already haven’t. The wounds are still too fresh. BUT…since that incident I have become more confident and have had to pick myself back up and go at it again for the sake of the movie!

I am now scoring the entire film and am doing it in only 2 days! This is all the time I have for now before my Cuban side kick kicks my ass because I have not met his deadline and expectations. I am pretty sure I can meet his request and have the entire film scored by using everything I have in my “loops” library as well as any music I get submitted and acquisitioned or purchased. Wow just writing all the things I need to do for music it seems like yet another insane undertaking which once again I have no choice but to bare. However I do know a thing or two about music so I think I may impress even myself! Fingers crossed. The bonus of me doing all my own music on the film is that the music credit will read, Music by: THOMAS NEWMAN. Of course everyone will assume its the famous Thomas Newman that does all the major films in Hollywood.

Once I meet Andres’s deadline and get him the music for the entire film, he and I will be setting up camp for another 4 days from the 26th-29th! This time will be used for us to mix and master the entire film! Andres has already performed miracles when he set up “ADR camp” at my studio and we banged out an entire film recording all actors dialogue again. He then did the amazing job of mixing all the tracks with the sound FX as well as folly. Once we complete “Sound Camp” the film should be complete 2 weeks into December!

The count down to the finale begins on the 26th!

The count down begins!

Well, I cant believe I’m about to write an actual date which Bong will be done by! It has been an incredibly exhausting trip from day one of pre production to filming and then especially post. I must say I have had more near death experiences while in post than I did during pre and actual filming of the film itself. I guess the majority of my stress has come from bizarre software related issues in post which caused my film to not be accessible at some point or another. The amount of technical glitches and mishaps were honestly enough to make me want to quit many times and find the nearest bridge! However having been through many sleepless nights which blurred into days then weeks, I can say that it has been worth it. I never expected to take a film which I shot for only 5 thousand dollars and then turn around and make it look like a couple million all in post. The truth is I have done my best with what I have had available and I believe Ive succeeded in proving that I can do it. Along the way I have made a few new close friends and lost a few but some how through it all I managed to end up exactly where Im supposed to. Im glad to have had the help and support of all my friends and family who contributed their efforts to help me pursue my passion and dream. The film will be finished at the end of this month and ready to hit the circuits. November 30 th is the official completion date of Bong Of The Dead. Since I am at the end almost I decided to celebrate by designing a final film release poster which I will post here. Its almost the same as the last one but has a lot more grit. Ill keep you posted!

Bong Of The Dead Film Release poster

Finaly 260 shots done!!!

So it has been one year and a bit since Ive been stuck in the dark confines of my theater slash Office where every second of my life has been dedicated to finishing my film entirely by myself now that in post! At the rate of 30 frames per second and shots varying from 1.5 seconds to 18 seconds long you can imagine the amount of work involved in trying to complete this movie when adding 260 shots which required compositing!

Through it all I have changed immensely not just as a Producer/Director but as an individual all together. Ive discovered who my true friends are and who are not. I feel a lot more knowledgeable of my craft now then ever since I had to submerge myself into editing and composting and learning software that is new to me in order to make it all possible. I can finally look back at all the hard work it took right from the start when I set out with to make a movie for only $5000. Had it not been for my loyal friends and family I would not have been bale to pull it off by spending so little and getting so much. Im now hoping to have the film done sometime in October as I push forward with Audio part of the project which deals with some rerecording of actors dialogues, sound FX and music.

I will hopefully have a new official trailer and some new mini documentary footage coming soon!

Thanks
Thomas

Another beautiful day and all is well!

I may have come across a bit negative in my last post so I want to make up for it in this one. As frustrating as the process of doing an entire film on your own is, it is still worth every second especially when the results speak for themselves. I’m plugging away on the last of the CGI shots this week and will move onto the final stages of color correction on the locked edit. Once I’ve completed those two main components it will be time to round up the actors for some ADR. For those that are not familiar with the term “ADR”, it is the process in which you have to redo some of the dialogue of your film in a studio environment because your sound guy was so stoned during the filming that he actually recorded static at times instead of audio. Thanks sound guy! Luckily I now have one of the best sound designers that the Vancouver industry has ever seen and we will be working together closely to make the ADR as best as we can. I’m trying to make a few festival deadlines so the pressure is on to have this beast done and released asap. Theres nothing more satisfying then having your film come together after all the countless hours of work that’s been put into it.
Thanks for staying in tune!

Pick ups for Bong finaly done!

Yesterday was the last chapter in capturing the final pick ups for Bong Of The Dead! Why did I want to shoot more one year later? Well I always had some really cool shots in my head and of course because of the tight schedule I had put together for the actual shoot, I had to let go of some shots. Well, now that the film is technically finished and I’m tweaking it I thought heck its a perfect time to get those inserts I always wanted for some added gore! I called Mike Fields and his lovely assistant Mandi, Gabriel Medina, Andres Santana who are the usual suspects in making these things happen. Once the micro crew showed up it was time for some really disgusting movie magic. I have a couple pictures here but nothing that truly shows what we were up to. Im sorry but you will have to wait for the movie to see that.

Try to keep your real hands in tact!

Looking good!

Thats using your head!

The Final chapter in zombie gore!!

Well its been a few days since Ive blogged because I have been very busy working on Bong and building a fence at the same time. I know the fence has nothing to do with Bong but it gave me a nice break from it. Anyways now that I have the edit locked and I know exactly where everything should be I am going to finally bang out a few pick up shots that I always wanted to get but did not have the time for. Im talking about some extra special added gore such as heads being crushed, guts being torn out, eyes being gouged…you know the usual good stuff. I have a micro crew of loyal friends coming by today a year and a half later to pick up where we left off with some really cool gags. Mike Fields is bringing the magic once more to help wrap up the final shots. I will post the pictures after Im done editing them into the sequences I have waiting!

The first wave of Composites start today!

Now that Ive finally finished the 3rd and final edit of the film, the fun begins! I started the first series of complicated composites for the whole film. Its very tedious work and extremely time consuming but well worth the efforts. Im able to enhance certain shots and add elements to others seamlessly. As soon as I plow through the Vis FX shots I will then start on getting sequences ready for my Sound FX wiz Andres who will then do the magical post sound engineering. I will post some of the progress before and after shots as they are completed.

Thank you You Tube!

After two grueling days of trying to get this video up on You Tube and its finally done! It was no easy task this time for some reason. Continue reading ‘Thank you You Tube!’