Exclusive Sneak Peek Clips of 'Seeing Red!"

Hey Horror fans, just wanted to drop in and post the exclusive clips from my upcoming film 'Seeing Red' that I also posted over on the official Dark Harvest Productions Facebook page. this is the first footage from the that has been released, as i mentioned in one of my last posts the film is set to premiere at the 2011 Reel Terror Film Festival put on by Creative Loafing. Until then, ENJOY!

My 'Cain Rose Up' Dollar Baby Adaptation Script Now Available

Hey there Horror fans, as you all may remember, back in 2008 I was granted the rights by famous horror author Stephen King to adapt his short story 'Cain Rose Up' from his short story collection Skeleton Crew. I tried unsuccessfully for a couple of years to raise a minuscule budget to make that short film a reality, unfortunately I was unable to raise enough funding and the project ended up never leaving the launch pad.

Since then, at least two other Directors around the world have also gotten rights from Mr. King to adapt the story, and both of those adaptation ended up getting produced. I kept my rough script secret all this time, showing it only to a handful of people, I have now decided it's time to share it with you all since it is the only glimpse that will ever exist into my adaptation of the story. Keep in mind the script was a rough draft, and actually is missing some really cool ideas that I had planned but weren't yet incorporated into the script, one good example is I wanted the film to end with the sounds of Kurt shooting, people screaming and police sirens in the distance as the camera panned over to Kurt's open bible which was open to a passage that read "Thou Shall Not Kill" which is splattered in blood and brain matter as Kurt commits suicide just before the screen fades to black and the credit rolls.

'Cain Rose Up' has always been one of my favorite King short stories, I guess because it is was ahead of it's time and essentially predicted the school shooting s across the country in the late 90's, the story was written 20 years or more before the Columbine shootings. I also like that it touches (as do several King stories) on the subject of religious extremism, and shows as history has, how ones warped interpretation of religious teachings can result in murderous and self destructive behavior. Both of these subjects are very timely with the Islamic religious extremism that threatens the Western world at the moment, and of course as I mentioned with the school shootings that have occurred across the country over the past decade. With my adaptation of King's story I wanted to stay as true to King's story as possible, sometimes I even used dialogue verbatim, but to bring a contemporary setting rather than doing a 1970's period piece as the original story.

Though this project never came to fruition, hopefully you all can gain a little insight into my version of the story in this rough draft for my adaptation. You can download the script HERE for a limited time. Enjoy!

Here is the old teaser trailer I had created for it during the campaign:

'Seeing Red' Update!

Hey folks, I know it's been several months since I updated the blog and updated you all on the progress of "Seeing Red". I honestly have been so wrapped up in work that I have been slow to work on the film. I recently started working a second job and between that and my gig at ABC News here in Tampa I am working 7 days a week, and haven't had a day off in over a month, I know, excuses.

I wanted you all to know that the edit has been locked, and right now the only things holding the film back are the sound design and final color correction. I have been working on it slowly but surely in my free moments, and the sound design is currently at about 75% completion, and honestly once that's done the color correction should be a breeze.

Right now my goal is to have it finished by September 16th, which is the deadline for this years "Reel Terror Film Festival" put on by Creative Loafing here in Tampa Bay. As you guys may remember my film "Knicker Knockers" was an official selection for last years inaugural festival. I am going to do everything in my power to have it done in time, if all goes well the film will premiere at the festival on October 22nd. I will keep you all up to date and plan a web premiere for my facebook followers on the same night as the festival premiere, if you'd like to be a part of it and aren't local to Tampa then be sure to "Like" our facebook page!

That's the news for now guys, I will check in again soon, stay scared!

For more details on the Reel Terror Film Festival, visit the site HERE

Seeing Red Teaser Poster is UP! Principal Photography Complete!

I am happy to report that last night we finished principal photography on my new short film "Seeing Red". Last nights shoot was very intense, we were shooting a scene involving the lead character's (A serial rapist) rape fantasy. I am sure this had to be a very challenging and uncomfortable scene for the actors involved but they did an amazing job and I was blow away by their performances.

In retrospect I can say in all honesty that while this was one my most complicated short film shoots ever, but despite that it was also the smoothest shoot I've ever had. I think this had to do mostly with two major factors, one, the fact that I actually had some really dedicated and reliable cast/crew on board this time. In the past I've had so many crew members bail out early in the production, this seems to be a problem that plaques every indie filmmaker who tries to make a film without a budget. It's just so hard to get people motivated when there's no money involved and they realize that filmmaking is a lot of hard work and not as glamorous as they initially think.

Secondly, after having three DP's leave the production during the pre-production phase I ultimately also had to pick up the camera and shoot the film myself. In the past I've always had a Director of Photography and never shot the film myself, and despite proving them with storyboards and other tools, I have never been truly happy with the results and spent far too much time trying to explain what I wanted. Shooting the film myself allowed me to get the shots I wanted and to move on, which ultimately made the shoot move fast and allow me to try out and pick up shots I have not even planned for.

I have begun the rough cut of the film and since this film has very little in the way of post effects compared to my past films I expect post-production to be relatively easy (other than recording ADR, I decided to do ALL of the audio in post from scratch like I did with "Jack in the Box", I'm a sucker for punishment) and hope to have the film finished an ready to screen late this summer. Keep an eye out here at the blog, and on facebook by joining our official facebook group HERE

In the mean time, be sure to check out the teaser poster I created for "Seeing Red" and keep an eye out for the film later this year!

Dark Harvest Productions Collection 1 DVD SALE!

Hey guys, first and foremost I want to thank all of you who ordered copies of the Dark Harvest Productions Collection 1 DVD, we had a great response and as a result are happy to announce that we are going to drop the price for $15 temporarily to celebrate.

These disks are part of a very limited run and feature FOUR of our past short films, including Graceland, Crotch Rot, Knicker Knockers and Jack in the Box! The films span from my very early film all the way up to more recent projects and I really think it showcases how I have continued to learn and grow as a filmmaker.

Anyhow, Thanks again for all of your support, if you had an interest in getting a copy of the DVD now is your chance! You can order yours by following the link below to the Dark Harvest Productions Store, all proceeds go towards future projects so thanks for supporting indie cinema!

Order HERE:
http://www.darkharveststore.blogspot.com/

Seeing Red Teaser Trailer is UP!

For a sneak peek at our new film, be sure to check out the new teaser trailer that went online last week. The trailer can be found at the link below and also via Facebook in a full HD version. I'm not sure why the youtube version doesn't look as high res but I'll include links to both!

Enjoy!

FULL HD Facebook Version:



Youtube:

Seeing Red Prinipal Photography Begins!

Hey guys, been super busy with the "Seeing Red" shoot and wanted to update the blog here real quick. Obviously that means that we have began production on the film, and so far things have gone very well. We started shooting Wednesday May 11th and Thursday May 12th at a liquor store location here in Tampa. The third and fourth shoots were held Saturday 21st and Sunday the 22nd. I apologize for being so late to update the blog, but I have mostly been utilizing the Dark Harvest Productions Facebook Groups to keep everyone in the loop during the shoot (Be sure to add us!).

With that said, despite the many set backs we have experienced over the past couple months I feel confident that this is my best film yet. I was very nervous about the shoot after our third Director of Photography left, so I ended up picking up the role of Director of Photography as well as makeup duties on top of everything else I was doing. All in all though, despite some moments in which I felt seriously overwhelmed, I think the film will overall benefit as it allowed me to have even more control over the production and the ability to see my creative vision through. I can honestly say that despite my having to quickly learn to shoot, I can't give all the credit to myself because I had an amazing an dedicated crew this time backing me up the whole way.

Right now awe have about 95% of the film in the can, with only a handful of shots left to grab in our last shoot this Wednesday night. This film has very little in the way of post effects unlike my past films, so I expect post-production to be a relatively easy experience. My goal is to have the film edited and screened in an online premiere by the middle of July. For the latest news keep your eyes peeled here at the Dark Harvest Blog, and on our facebook groups. Until then I leave you with a couple of exclusive behind the scenes images from the shoot, to see close to a hundred more behind the scenes photos, join us on facebook!

Dark Harvest Multimedia Services to become Kreh-ative Services!

Hey there horror fans, I just wanted to drop a quick line to make you all aware of some changes here at Dark Harvest Productions. As many of you know I have been offering my creative services through the Dark Harvest Productions Multimedia banner over the past year. Originally I did this to make things simple and not have to have multiple companies and hoped my horror film making would serve as a selling point to impress potential clients, but I quickly realized that though this may have been the case with some clients, I think more were potentially offended or turned away by this aspect of my company.

I decided that in order to reach a broader commercial client base with my creative services, I have decided effective immediately to separate my film-making work from my creative services division and create an entirely new business entity called "Kreh-ative Services", obviously a play on my last name. I have included the new logo above, as you'll see it's a huge departure from my horror oriented Dark Harvest logo, it features bright colors to present a more family friendly image.

At this time I have a business page up on Facebook, feel free to join that page for exclusive discounts on services in the future. Also a website is in the works and should be up in the coming weeks. So if you need any creative service, be sure to contact me! 813-695-6049, nationwide service!

New "Seeing Red" Lead Actress Revealed!

As many of you know, we had a bit of a disagreement over terms with our original actress and a couple weeks back began the search for a new lead actress to take over the role of VICKY for our upcoming short film "Seeing Red". We ended up having a very good response and over the past couple weeks have been reviewing audition videos, demo reels and resumes. It was a very hard choice but feel that we have finally made out decision on a replacement!

We are very pleased to announce that the lovely, talented Melody Colina will be joining the production! She comes to us with a background primarily in commercial TV and we feel she has the skills and determination to bring this character to life. Principal Photography on "Seeing Red' is scheduled for early May, the film will be released late Summer or Fall 2011.

Welcome aboard Melody! For the rest of you, stay tuned to the Dark Harvest Productions blog for the latest news on this project and exclusive behind the scenes material as we get into production on what is sure to be our next award wining film!