I Went to Bed Instead of Writing Yesterday's Blog.

Horrifyingly unacceptable, isn't it?

I was beat though. The Women's Studies cast, crew, and I shot all day yesterday and the day before. Due to the time constraints set by the location and actors' schedules, we had to work at a breakneck pace that kept me moving constantly. By the time I wound down with dinner and a couple of beers, exhaustion hit me like a freight train and I had to run some REM cycles.

I thought I'd make up for it for by posting a ton of pictures from the shoots, but "Ha!" The joke was on me. It turns out all the good pictures were taken on the camera owned by our Gaffer, Jim Housell. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get them from him. Therefore, you'll have to settle for the few pictures I managed to drum up from my personal camera.

I know, I know. Late Blog. Sub-par pictures. Somebody fire this guy.

Next week I'll post some of the good pictures. Plus I'll be able to report not only on this shoot, but the one we're doing tomorrow with Tara Garwood (Judith) and Cindy Marie Martin (Mary). It's a humdinger.

Until then . . .

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Mundy Spears (Sharon), Cindy Marie Martin (Mary), and Tara Garwood (Judith) out of costume at a friend's wedding. Yes, we have actual lives outside of this movie. Well, some of us do.




The camera department works with the steadicam. From L to R: Director of Photography Aaron Shirley, Camera Assistant Laurel Keller, Camera Operator Thomas Fant.




Tears for the dead.




"I went out the desert and I killed this guy." Stef Williams (Black Widow Burlesque Dancer) tells her tale.




Jack of all trades Joey Cabrera rummages through his make-up kit.




Fight Choreographer Shanna Beauchamp (Black Widow Waitress) exudes total hotness while a blurry Joey Cabrera throws gang signs in the background.




Josh Davidson (Revels) touches up a tattoo for Stef Williams (Black Widow Burlesque Dancer).




"All right, what have I told people about playing around with props? It's all fun and games until Josh takes a knife to the chest."

Backyard Movies

***SPOILER ALERT! MEGA, GIANT, HUGE, "OH MY GOD! HOW COULD THE BASTARDS GIVE THAT AWAY?" SPOILER ALERT****

(Seriously, a pretty big Women's Studies plot point is revealed in the pictures below, so if you're avoiding that sort of thing, don't read any further. I know. I know. the curiousity is killing you, and how could I put you in this position. You know something? Self-control. Try using some.)

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Back in the late seventies, many low-budget, indie horror films in the Women's Studies vein were referred to as "backyard movies." The definition is a film with no studio backing, made by a bunch of dedicated filmmakers with no promise of distribution, only a hope. The idea is that the films were "shot in somebody's backyard." (Stephen King credits mystery/film critic Chris Steinbrenner as coining the term, so I will too.)

Whether or not many of these films actually were shot in a backyard depends on the film. Rest assured, one shot of Women's Studies was indeed shot in my back yard. Well, side yard.

It's not entirely uncommon. Hell, even the big boys do it. Spielberg shot pick-ups for Jaws in a friend's backyard swimming pool.

Below are some pictures from what was an incredibly inventive and fun pick-up shoot featuring Kelley "Diane" Slagle.

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"What'd you put dirt in my hole for, boy?!?"




It's not a bomb. We swear. No really.




Get a piece of the rock.




You know what they say about girls who wear black bras, don't you? And have tattoos? And let happy Joeys paint blood all over them?




"Is she dead? Kick her! See if she's dead!"




Lick The Slagle. You'll totally trip balls.

Fall Preview

Oh god/dess, I'm going to have to start actually writing blogs again.

See, we've only got a few more shoots until principle photography on Women's Studies is wrapped. That means I can't be lazy and rely on having pictures be the meat of my blogs. I actually have to, you know, write and think and stuff.

So what will this fall season bring to the Women's Studies blog? In addition to regular production updates, I have a few things in the hopper, including:

--A character analysis on the character of Zack, Mary's boyfriend and the sole major male character of Women's Studies who was so wonderfully brought to life by James A. Radack.

--Interviews with the Women's Studies post-production team: editor Jim McGivney, music composer Ryan Sayward Whittier, and sound editor/mixer/deity Sean Russell.

--A retrospective chat with WS Art Director/Costumer Stephanie Petagno about the hell I put her through to create the visual look of the film.

--You'll also hear from the amazing Lady Killers and Interlopers of Ross-Prentiss about their experiences shooting the film and why they'll never work with me again.

All this and more. Stay tuned.

"Baby, You Can Drive My Car"

Another weekend, another Women's Studies shoot. We spent a lot of time in the car this past weekend . . . not driving, but filming.

Below are some pictures from those car shoots as well as a few from the weekend before where Ziggy, the babydoll from hell, came on set to creep everybody out.

Also, Fangoria Magazine released a short version of their Women's Studies set report. Look for the full article to appear in print in a future Fango issue.



Cindy Marie Martin (Mary) shows off her gaffer's tape "shoes."




Laura Bloechl (Iris) watches as Tiffany James (Melissa) shows us what a great mom she'd be.




Director Lonnie Martin and DP Aaron Shirley try to catch a quick catnap. The snuggle pictures will be used for blackmail later.




Lighting Assitant Joey Cabrera shows off his fantastic parenting skills.




The Lady Killers, from L to R: Laura Bloechl (Iris), Tara Garwood (Judith), Tiffany James (Melissa), Kelley Slagle (Diane)



Prepping the van for the car shoots.




Cindy Marie Martin (Mary) and Lighting Assistant Joey Cabrera work the light helicopter.




Taisha Cameron (Amy) smiles for the camera while Kevin Finkelstein (Keith) looks on.




Filming a car shot from Women's Studies.



"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille."

Lonnie & the Lady Killers

Since today's my birthday, I thought I'd post a picture that pretty much sums up my thirty-two years of existence on this earth.



Damn Lady Killers . . . always out to get me.

The Hump at Dead Ebb

We're at Dead Ebb . . . and The Hump is chasing me.

We've got another big Women's Studies shoot this weekend. Lately they've all felt like big shoots. For weeks, I've been telling the cast and crew (and myself) "This next shoot gets us over the hump. Once we're done here, it's smooth sailing."

Yet somehow, each subsequent shoot brings it's own difficulties. We're all exhausted. Nerves are frayed. The money is getting tapped. The Ningen Manga technical gremlins have returned for an encore. Dead Ebb, man; the darkest part of the night where the tide comes right up to the edge of the dunes.

All I really want to do is just sit back and watch old Twilight Zone episodes. And why not? We're into our third month of shooting, and will definitely have a fourth. I'd say at this point that we've got a little over two-thirds of the film in the can. The light at the end of the tunnel is visible, but there's still dark chasms to cross in order to get there.

No time for rest though. There's still lots of movie to make. The tide hasn't gone out yet, nor has the sun risen . . . and the hump is hungry.

Below are various shots form various shoots over the past few weeks. Some of these pics could easily be considered "spoilers" so consider yourself warned.

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Tara Garwood (Judith) and Kelley Slagle (Diane) share a tender moment.




Shooting a scene at Ross-Prentiss Women's Academy.




L to R: Tiffany James (Melissa), Art Director Stephanie Petagno, Cindy Marie Martin (Mary) in the green room during the "Initiation Scene."




The Ross-Prentiss Altar.




Kelley Slagle (Diane) does her best Michael Myers impression.




Extras look on in disbelief that Kelley Slagle (Diane) might actually have maternal instincts.




Tattoo You.




Tara Garwood (Judith) and extras prepare for an intense scene.




Cindy Marie Martin (Mary) touches up her hair before a shot.




The Lady Killers from L to R: Cindy Marie Martin (Mary), Tara Garwood (Judith), Kelley Slagle (Diane), Laura Bloechl (Iris), Tiffany James (Melissa)




Cindy Marie Martin (Mary), Santa Fe Writer's Project Director Andrew Gifford, and Tara Garwood (Judith) pose by the Ningen Manga Productions booth at Horrorfind Weekend 8.




Melisa Breiner-Sanders skips directly to the end of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."




Don't ask.




Again, just don't ask.




"Lady of the Moon, Lord of the Sun, protect me and mine now day is done. Allow me to live each day in the light, and give me the strength to do what is right."

Tease

You don't want to hear me babble do you? Not when you can watch the kickin' rad Women's Studies teaser trailer edited by Jim McGivney with Music by Rev 9.

Dramatis Personae

We're smack dab in the middle of a big shoot, so I only have time to offer one little goodie today: a full cast portrait of the main players of Women's Studies. (Click the picture for a larger verison.)

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Left to Right: Melisa Breiner Sanders (Beth), Tara Garwood (Judith), Cindy Marie Martin (Mary), James A.Radack (Zack), Judith O'Dea (Senator Hamlin), Kelley Slagle (Diane), Mundy Spears (Sharon), Tiffany James (Melissa), Laura Bloechl (Iris)

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You won't want to miss next week's blog, as you'll get first look at actual footage from the film when we feature our brand new teaser trailer which is making it's debut at this coming weekend's Horrorfind Weekend 8 in Baltimore MD.

Lastly, this blog celebrates one year of the Tuesday Women's Studies production blog. I was only late once. Not bad, eh?

Secrets & Lies

We got a lot of great pictures from this past week's shoot with Judith O'Dea (Senator Hamlin). However, I realized while going through them that I can't post most of them without giving away some major plot points of Women's Studies. Hopefully, you'll get some sense of how the three days with her went.

They were emotionally charged scenes, but Judith and Cindy Marie Martin (Mary) were up the the task. The crew fed off of the actors emotional intensity, and the actors seemed to draw energy from the crew's enthusiasm for the scene. Again, I can't really talk about it in detail, but trust me . . . it'll be something worth waiting for.

We're also officially halfway through principle photography at this point which is pretty awesome. Granted,we have a lot of film to shoot, but it's nice to look in my script and see as many pages marked out as not. We're on target to finish up sometime in September though I imagine we'll be shooting pick-ups through the autumn months. Still, the end of the tunnel, while not quite visible is there. I celebrated the milestone by sleeping at least eight hours a night for multiple nights.

The next blog could likely be short as Tuesday falls right in the middle of a major shoot. I'll try to have something though. Until Then . . .




Left to Right: Greg Pass, Director Lonnie Martin, Unit Production Manager Kurt Gustafson




Judith O'Dea (Senator Hamlin) poses for a publicity photo.



Lonnie Martin works through a scene.



L to R: Boom Operator Kevin Nowak, Lonnie Martin, Camera Operator Thomas Fant, Cindy Marie Martin (Mary), 1st AC Laurel Keller



Joey Cabrera applies make-up to James A. Radack (Zack).




Lonnie Martin rehearses a scene with Judith O'Dea and Cindy Marie Martin as the cast and crew look on.




Martha Huggins grabs a quick snack in betwen shots.




The green room just gets stranger and stranger.




Cindy Marie Martin and Judith O'Dea relax for a moment.




Art Director Stephanie Petagno and Assistant Joey Cabrera prepare a scene with Judith O'Dea.