Hello DVXusers. I have been gone for a while getting some rolling income coming in with some illusions I created, but now that I have, I am jumping headfirst into Stricken the Feature Film. I will be shooting on the HVX200 with Brevis Adapter.
http://pro.imdb.com/title/tt1375754/
Let me tell the story of how Stricken came to be for those of you that do not know. I am sure some of you will remember. Some of you will care about this, and some will not. If you don’t just jump ahead, because this is a long story.
Back in the twilight of my DVXuser beginnings, I entered hero-fest. I submitted a film (my first) called “Nine to Five Ninja”. I used the input I got from that to attempt my first serious film for Horror fest called “Stricken”. I shot it on the DVX with an M2 adapter and learned a ton through the process. The short can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aap-11vrYaM
The movie ended up being too long, so I entered it as exhibition and learned a ton and made a bunch of friends here in the process.
I then entered Stricken into the Action on Film Festival in Long beach and was nominated for Best horror film of the year and best sound design. it won for best sound design, and so I started writing a feature script. Over the next year, I finalized the script and attached actors to the project seeking a funding of at first 50,000, but later 5 million with Hyperactive Studios. Many funding deals seemed about to happen and then they would fall through. Very dissapointing times. In these times, I filmed my last short “PUSH” for Twilight Fest: http://www.vimeo.com/1275794
I submitted Stricken the Feature Script to Action on Film Festival which had now moved to Pasadena and it won Best Adapted Screenplay, encouraging me to keep trying.
I then traveled to Sacramento and pitched the project to Nehst (a producer) and was torn to shreds. I then curled up into a ball and stopped pursuing the film.
It has been almost 8 months since that time, and I have finally gotten fed up with the waiting, it is going on 3 years now since I have started trying to make Stricken the Feature. I feel like I could either wait all my life, or get off my butt and make it. I have chosen the latter. www.strickenthefeature.com
I believe in the project and trust in the skills I have acquired in my 3 years-ish time here at DVXuser. (My reel comes mostly from those projects) http://www.vimeo.com/1272507 I will be filming Stricken the feature out of pocket unless a funding soucre I am discussing with currently plays out. I have an open casting call Thursday the 19th, and already have David Fine http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0006718/
attached to the project. I begin shooting in April and will finish the majority of production by the end of May, with a couple scenes being spread out to June and potentially even July. I am excited to actually film my first feature and wanted to keep you guys in the loop. I have also been refining my directing skills by reading “Directing Actors” by Judith Weston. That is a MUST read book. It has changed the way I saw directing and I expect the direction and acting in Stricken to kick all kinds of proverbial buttocks.
-Matt Sconce