Support KY Cinema

We're just a few days away from our event.

I'm lucky enough to live in a town with a great independent movie theater, Maiden Alley Cinema . Every year they feature films from near and abroad in their River's Edge Film Festival. This year from November 3rd-6th you can head down to the river and see what independent cinema is about. With such a diverse palate of films every year, River's Edge has something for anybody who likes movies. You need to check it out.

It's HERE!!

DER STEINFROSCH comes to Maiden Alley Cinema, Paducah KY Thursday October 27th at long last. It's taken the better part of two years to drag this thing out into the open where I could get a good clean shot at it.
This film took a little longer to make than I originally thought it would. Once I started to see how cool it was going to be it meant I had to really try to make it as kickass as I could. It's a simple little film that you could let your grandma watch but it's got some sharp edges.

I was blessed to have a handful of supportive individuals that helped me literally make something out of nothing. Musicians, artists and actors that I'm eager to work with again. Come to the October 27th show and meet and listen to them-have a beer, listen to some cool tunes and get to watch a wild little flick with a giant Nazi devil frog with a pitchfork try to kill a guy. What's not to love about that?

If you're a filmmaker, come out to see the show. I'd like to meet you and talk. We need to whip the W. KY film scene in the butt. We've got an awesome (see above)indie cinema that needs some films to show. And we've got enough locations in this state we could replicate pretty much anywhere on earth.
One last little bit of bragging...we did a test screening. I felt like Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters when the mothership pops over Devil's Tower. And the sound? Pretty intense. If you know what I'm talking about I made this movie for both of us!Thanks again for taking a look. And be on the lookout for DER STEINFROSCH!

What's up?

You didn't think you'd missed something, did you? Yes, DER STEINFROSCH is still coming to a backyard near you. Or theater. We recently entered a short snippet of the film in the CHILLER TV/Synthetic Films Monster Mash-Up. I don't really expect to win but thought it would be cool to enter. The entry was more or less a three minute snippet of the film...no real story stuff. Just some credits and a good catfight.

Check out the clip here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7y1Ekk5Wmk

I've gotten neck-deep in editing audio, music and dialogue for the film. It's going to sound good. Most of the foley and field recording I've done myself. Took a little longer but it's been worth it. I got to hear the mix on a surround system the other day and it POPS you in the chops. I can remember back in the day syncing up audio with reels and using a razor blade to make the edits. There's no way in the world I could be doing that now with the number of elements this short contains

I'm trying to squeeze so much into this film it'll hurl by when you watch it. I've shown some clips to a few people and I've gotten some positive feedback. I've just tried to make a film I enjoy watching. I hope you do, too.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned. I'll try to post more but I'd rather get this film to you. Have a bettter one!

Maiden Alley Cinema in Paducah KY will be the site of the DER STEINFROSCH sneak preview. This is significant to me because many of the most kickass films I've ever seen have been at Maiden Alley. They're in tune with the independent film scene and are going to allow us to do something special.

This will be a event besides the first reveal of the three foot Nazi divil frog in action. We're going to be featuring live music by musicians who contributed to the DER STEINFROSCH soundtrack and after the film we'll have a Q&A with the filmmakers and cast. You'll be able to tell us what you think before we kick STEINFROSCH out on the film festival road. Stay tuned for exact date and details.

Welcome Jay Chuppe.

Jay Chuppe is kind of a big deal in the world of art and design. I was lucky enough to con him into developing a new logo for the DER STEINFROSCH character. It's a winner and I'm proud to have another local artist contribute to the evil mayhem devil frogs bring.

Jay has been doing illustrations and seps for screenprinted
t-shirts for the last 15 years as a full time freelance illustrator. From his basement lair in Paducah, KY he... provides work for clients all over the country that sell in many national retail chains.

He's provided t-shirt designs/illustrations for WWE, NFL, NCAA, Disney, Universal, Warner Brothers, Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Hanna Barbara, King Features, Rainforest Cafe, NASCAR, Animal Planet, The History Channel,
Blues Traveler, & Yonder Mountain String Band...as well as created many other original characters & illustrations for various screenprint t-shirt companies.
In 2007 he also launched his own preprint t-shirt line called
Kenfunky Tees, which he also designed and hand printed
himself (www.myspace.com/kenfunkytees).

He has also provided work/cartoons for humor magazines
CRACKED, Jokester, and Thwack. He is currently
working on his creator owned comic book project,
the Western Kentucky based heroes "Red Mullet & CowBoy",
which was a top 50 finalist in the Platinum Studios
Comic Book Challenge in 2006, & the 4th Place finisher
in the 2008 Comic Book Challenge. He's also just begun
developmental work on his second creator owned idea, BobCat.

The German Frog advances.

A big thanks to my crew on the Nazi shoot. We needed a few shots of Adolph Hitler and some troopers for a WW2 flashback sequence. Steve Schwetman, who brings a background of working in film and live theater to the table suited up as Hitler. I had given Steve a documentary DVD to study and WHOA...he nailed the evil that Hitler was. Brad Lynn and Dustin Lynn took the roles of our troopers and just like Steve they really brought our Nazis to life.

Another talented pro on board was photographer Kim Comer Jackson. Kim's like the guy at the circus with the plates spinning on sticks. She's a blogger, a photographer and the marketing director of a heavy equipment company. I caught some of her work on Facebook and she was generous enought to join us in the heat early on a Saturday morning. Great production photography!

Just a few more of the talented folks who've helped bring the three foot devil frog to life. Next time you'll get to meet some more creatives and a find out about a sneak preview showing and YOU are invited! Stick around. It's going to get wild.

Things is happnin'.

DER STEINFROSCH production is still cooking. I'm working on FX shots when we're not wrapping up frog fights and Hitler reenactments.

Not long ago if you had told me I'd have gotten a permit to shoot a scene with Adolph Hitler, German soldiers and MP40 machine guns at our local riverfront I'd have questioned your ability to reason but it happened. A big thanks to the Paducah KY PD and the Dept. of Parks and Recreation. It helped we didn't have any firing weapons going off or needed any roads blocked. An out-of-the-way location didn't hurt. Neither did the EARLY start time.

I can understand the city's concerns as far as liability is concerned.
ANYTIME you're shooting and firearms are involved whether they nonfiring or otherwise communication with local law enforcement is ESSENTIAL.

Making the necessary arrangements in advance means we were able to not only get our shots in short order but because I had scouted the location ahead of time at the same time of day when we'd film on shooting day I was easily able to direct my nazi minions in effectively. When I was a kid my dad said he had learned the "Seven P Principle" in the Navy. I still use it...

1.Proper
2.Prior
3.Planning
4.Prevents
5.Piss
6.Poor
7.Performance

Another big thanks to my volunteer crew. Next post I'll give you the 411 on the folks that made my little sequence featuring the most hated man in history come to life. Thanks for stopping by.