The Past Two Weeks

Sorry about the missed blog. There was so much going on last week, I completely forgot about writing one. It was Friday before anybody even reminded me that I’d missed a week. By that point, I figured I would just wait until Tuesday.

It’s been an eventful two weeks both personally and professionally.

First off, Cindy and I had a small house fire. Fear not. All is well. The house is still standing. In a nutshell, a surge protector failed to do what it was supposed to, though the fact it had gotten wedged under a couch probably didn’t help. Thankfully, I was home and had the presence of mind to zap it with a fire extinguisher. We were really lucky. It could have been far worse than it was.

The fire burned up a couch and some curtains, singed the floor and did a good amount of smoke damage. While there was more dirt and soot than actual fire damage, it was about a week of dealing with insurance, housecleaning, and getting all the soot out of cat fur. (The cats are fine.)

The lessons: Make sure you have smoke alarms on all levels of your house, test your fire extinguisher(s) regularly, and don’t skimp out and buy cheap surge protectors to save a few bucks.

Anybody who wants to make a joke about me burning down the house to finish paying for Women’s Studies should do so now.

I also spent the past two weekends working as an associate producer with Women’s Studies Director of Photography Aaron Shirley on his long gestating short film project which bears no relationship to the Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe film but is still tentatively titled American Gangsters. We were actually supposed to shoot American Gangsters in the spring as a test for a lot of the techniques and workflow we intended to use on Women’s Studies, but there were only twenty-four hours in each day and something had to give.

Aaron’s Untitled Gangster Short (There, better?) should be finished by mid-April. I’ll post info on where and how it can be seen as it becomes available.

What else? Oh yeah, Women’s Studies!

On Sunday, the chip cooling fan on my computer’s motherboard said “sayonara.” While neither the motherboard or hard drive were damaged, my machine had to go into the pooter shop which has pretty much left me without the means to do much but hope all the department heads are on task AND finally write a blog that’s more than just “Work! Chaos! More soon!”

So where are we?

The past couple weeks have really seen Women’s Studies start to blossom into the movie I’ve always hoped it could be. Make no mistake, there’s still a ton of work to do. However, Instead of worrying about big broad patches on the film that didn’t seem to be working right, Editor Jim McGivney and I have gotten to a point where the tweaks and fixes are only needed on very specific areas.

(Oh yeah, both Jim and I got hit with some Captain Trips level flu/cold over the past couple weeks.)

It used to be I’d watch a reel and see a bunch of footage trying to be something. Now, with each passing day I get a sense of a story, a glimpse of lives unfolding before me. I get wrapped in drama, comedy, conflict and horror. More and more, I feel like I’m watching the beautiful amazing thing we call a movie.

It’s pretty exciting actually.

Next week, I’ll spend some time talking about music, sound, and the first eight minutes of the movie (and the new trailer) we’ll be premiering during Horrorfind Weekend taking place at the end of the month.

Radio Interview - Thurs. - 2/28 - 7:00pm EST

The League of Extraordinary Paranormal Women, an internet radio show covering women in all areas on the paranormal, will be interviewing co-producer/actor Cindy Marie Martin and myself about Women's Studies this Thursday, February 28 at 7:00pm EST.

Click the link above to tune in. Be sure to tune in and tell your friends.

# # #

(Production is staying super busy. I'll update next week with all the latest.)

ADR & the Men Who Love It

I honestly have no time to write a blog. TRUST ME when I tell you that everyone is busy as hell on Women's Studies.

Below is a pic of Stef Williams (Black Widow Burlesque Dancer) recording her ADR.



I love doing ADR. It's like making the movie all over again except all I have to do is sit on a couch and tell actors how to say lines. If that makes me sound lazy then . . . Well, yeah, I guess I'm friggin' lazy.

Various Updates

Look it's a picture from my vacation!



Two friends and I biked a hundred miles from Key Largo down to Key West. Then I drank myself silly for three days before flying back home with an upper respiratory infection. Awesome times.

But you don't care about that, do you? It's all "Movie! Movie! Movie!" with you people. Bolsheviks, all of you.

What's new with Women's Studies?

--Our own Senator Hamlin, Judith O'Dea, was Pretty-Scary.net's Gal of the Day on Monday. She did this little fright flick back in the late sixties that they're fans of.

--I got the official word on Monday that there will be a Women's Studies panel at Horrorfind Weekend on Saturday, March 29. Time is still TBA, but I'll pass on that information as well as other details when they come in.

--After a multitude of delays, Sound Guru Sean Russell is hard at work sweetening up the first finished scenes of the movie. We'll be scheduling our first round of ADR (Automated Dialog Replacement) in the next couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to getting in the studio with him and seeing how long it takes us to kill each other.

--Editor Jim McGivney is working on the new trailer. I got a sneak peek earlier this week, and I'm pretty excited about where it's headed.

--Aaron Shirley spent last week perfecting an animation of the Women's Studies logo which will be featured in the final film.

--I've heard a good deal of Ryan Sayward's music over the past few weeks, and it's really something special. Maybe I'll give you a taste in an upcoming blog.

I've got about eight thousand things I need to be doing, so that's all you get.

Jimmy Buffet Was Right

I'm on island time . . . . dude.

Talk to you next week . . .

Staying Upright

Sorry there was no blog last week. There likely won't be one next week either. Criminal, I know.

Women's Studies has really become a full time job again over the past couple of weeks. I feel a little like I'm skiing ahead of an avalanche. No thoughts of fancy tricks or reaching the end of the slope. All energy is focused on simply staying upright.

There's not a whole lot I really feel like talking about. It's all minutia, technical hiccups, and trying to stay on deadlines that seem to be constantly shifting. Things I thought were figured out aren't. Things I though were set in stone turn fluid in an instant.

A movie is a fickle thing. You think you have it and then you step away and all of sudden, it's not right. Then you think you get it right again and send out for someone else to work on, and that someone else goes, "Are you sure?" Then you remind yourself, "Doubt is the enemy." But so is over-confidence. It's a high wire act on a very thin line.

I feel a little too close to the movie these days, but I don't really feel like I have the time or luxury to step away. Of course, next week I'm being forced to step away. I'm leaving to bike a hundred miles down Key West come Saturday. Plans for the trip were made months ago, but I feel like the timing is just awful. My baby needs me, and I'm basically going on vacation.

Right now, I'm trying to get everything to a point where I can leave and the project won't implode, or worse, stop.

No fancy tricks. Don't even think about the end. Just stay upright.

A Turning Point

I've been working on this movie all day today. I'm talking the whole friggin' day. I got up at 7:30am, took a bike ride, ran a couple errands, and by 11:00am was sitting in my office doing all I can to get Women's Studies to the people.

It was a good day. I got a lot done. In fact, once I get through this blog, I'll have hit everything on my "to-do" list for today. That's good too, because I have a feeling the next couple weeks are going to bring A LOT of new items for that list.

See, production reached a turning point today. Our first "picture-lock" scene was released to sound, music, and color about an hour before I wrote this. It's a nice little milestone. I took a moment to sit back and enjoy the accomplishment.

Only a moment, mind you.

Up until now, post has been almost exclusively editor Jim McGivney and I. Ours were the only schedules I needed to be concerned with, and the only needs I had to be aware of. Oh, sure I was fielding music from Ryan Sayward, talking process with Sound Guru Sean Russell, and discussing color balance/correction with DP Aaron Shirley. However, as of today they're down in the trenches with Jim and I.

It's taken a lot of willpower to make this movie happen and it'll take more before all is said and done. The journey to finishing this film is VERY far from over. I'm sure parts of it won't be pretty either.

But hey, at least Jim and I aren't alone anymore.

Chaos Precedes Transformation

The blog is late because of Melisa Breiner-Sanders. It is 100% her fault that I didn't get it done on time. I encourage you to go to www.melisabs.com, watch her demo reel, and then flood her email with complaints about how her behavior is jeopardizing the production of Women's Studies.

Jim McGivney on the other hand is a rock star. Right now, he's chest deep in the scary world of frame rate conversion, Panasonic's proprietary 24p bullshit, and hard drive space finagling. To boot, He's flying solo on all of this. We unfortunately don't have the resources to get him a proper assistant to help with not only the crazy HD workflow, but also handle all the administrative paperwork as well as the dozens of tiny little things I keep asking of him. Jim's a pro though, so all is good.

I've made it a point not to bother him this week unless absolutely necessary. Oh sure, we BS-ed about Joe Gibbs retiring from the Redskins and the primaries. That aside, I've tried to leave him to work through it in his own way. I've been there, in that place where no one can do anything but offer encouragement. His time of chaos will be a bit shorter than mine was, but I imagine it's just as intense if not more. Jim's frustrations with the the process mirror my own during production. There were times while shooting when I was so caught up in the minutia and technical details of the process, I lost sight of what I was working towards.

Looking back on it, I realize that moment of confusion is a necessary part of the creative process. It's kind of a cliché, but "chaos precedes transformation." I believe you have to lose yourself in the journey to the point where you can't see the path. And once you're lost, you have to dig deep into yourself and find what it takes within you to make it through.

Jim, if you're reading this, I'm very positive about the work you've done so far. Hang in there, buddy. You're almost to the good part.

Out With the Old, In With The New

Happy New Year!

While I'd rather look forward to the year ahead than the one that was, I've thought a lot recently about 2007. It's been a life-altering year. This time last year, I was wondering if Women's Studies was even going to be able to happen. A year later, the film is in the can being edited. It's crazy. Deacades from now, when I look back on 2007, it will ALWAYS be the year I made "that crazy horror movie." And I'll look back on it with fondness, laughter, and a great sense of accomplishment.

I have a lot of good memories of the production, the people, and the even the problems. In recent weeks, I've found myself laughing at situations and events that at the time they were occurring, I never dreamed I would EVER find funny. "Distance lends perspective," the prolific but mysterious "they" say. It gives you the ability to see the whys and wherefores of the chaos.

While 2007 was the year cast and crew shot Women's Studies, 2008 is the year we'll finish and release the movie. I'm very excited about the opportunity to show people what we've done. There's still a great amount of work to be completed in order to get there, but this will be the year it happens. There's a real joy to that thought, that after what will be almost two years of work, we'll finally be able to show people what we've done.

2008 is here! The year of Women's Studies! May it bring happiness, success, and growth to everyone.

Horrorfind Weekend 9 - Save the Date

Merry X-Mas! Or Solstice, or Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah, or maybe you just sacrifice a goat to Chuthlu this time of year. Happy whatever it is you're celebrating.

Since I'm in my pajamas and have no intention of getting out of them until tomorrow morning, I'm just going to make a quick appearance announcement then go back to my cats and wine.

Cast and crew of Women's Studies will be appearing at Horrorfind Weekend 9 in Adelphi, Maryland (outside Baltimore) on March 28 - 30, 2008. It looks to be an amazing weekend with an awesome guest list. There will be events/panels commemorating both the 40th Anniversary of Night of the Living Dead (Our own "Senator Hamlin," Judith O'Dea, will be in attendence.) and the 30th Anniversary of Dawn of the Dead.

More information can be found at www.horrorfindweekend.com.

Exactly how Women's Studies will be represented at the con is unknown as we're still working out the details with organizers. However, at this point we do know we'll be premiering the final trailer for WS at the convention. (It'll be posted online Monday, March 31.)

As more information becomes available, I'll release it here.

Brown Spots

(Can you hear that in the wind? It's the echo of a sad voice crying, "The blog is late! The blog is late!")

We're in the middle of a "break" from Women's Studies until after X-Mas. Break is a relative term as Jim McGivney and I are both down in the trenches doing file maintenance and organization in preparation for the big "footage replacement" phase of editing.

I've lost count as to how many times I've watched the various "rough cuts:" at this point around a dozen. (We're on the second iteration, which reminds me that I need to come up with a good naming system for all the different cuts we'll have.) Sometimes I take notes, but mostly I just watch, trying to forget I know every single nuance of the film. The trick is to get sucked in and carried away. That way the things which are a bit wonky or off jump out at me. I'm still focused on the big picture rather than minute details. (I've heard I'll find both God and the Devil hidden in those.)

Is it good? Well, I think it rocks but I made it so you can't really trust me. See, being the director of a movie is like being a parent. The movie is like my kid and because it's mine, I think it's smart, talented, and beautiful. The truth is that a lot of kids aren't any of those things. Most of them are self-centered, clumsy, and smell like urine. I have to look at the film not as a parent who loves it, but just as any old person on the street. I have to be able to see it for the awkward, piss-smelling brat it is so I can knock some sense into it, show it some manners, and teach it not to piss itself. (Can you see why Cindy and I should never have children?)

And I can. Self-criticism is one thing I've always prided myself on. If something isn't working, I'll let it go. That's really where I'm at in the process now. Taking all the stuff that doesn't matter, isn't necessary, or just any good and getting it out of there. I wrote before about looking at whole scenes to cut, but that's kind of like throwing out an apple because of one brown spot. You just cut the brown spot out is all. The rest of the apple is a tasty treat. Even so, I'm sure there will be a few apples that just can't be saved.

In Women's Studies, most of those "brown spots" are pieces of dialogue that are either unnecessary, redundant, or just plain don't work. It's five seconds here and ten seconds there. It's looking at a scene that's three minutes long and saying, "This really could be cut in half." It's catching the places where the movie seems to gear down just a little too much. Women's Studies is something of a throwback to classic, slower paced horror movies. (I showed a close friend the rough cut and he said that if it was 1970s and I lived in Italy I'd make millions.) That said, there's a fine line between "slow build" and "slow and boring."

I call the process "trimming the fat." What I want is the leanest, meanest movie I can get. Once I have that, then Jim and I can go in and dress it up.

Cutter

For the past couple of months, the blog has been filled with offhand comments like “Jim this,” and “The editor that.” However, I realized recently that I haven’t yet taken the time to properly introduce you to our erstwhile cutter in residence, Jim McGivney, or as he’s known in certain circles, “The Irish Whiskey.” (Okay, I just made that up, but it would be a cool codename.)

Though he had been editing “rush cuts” of the film since the summer, Jim came into the post-production process relatively fresh. That’s to say that he had months to work at a leisurely pace without any deadlines or supervision and now, having lost that luxury, has me up his ass fortnightly.

In all seriousness, Jim was something of a lifeline during those hazy weeks towards the end when I started to lose myself in the process. He was close enough to the project to understand and sympathize, but distant enough to offer perspective. Jim talked me off a couple metaphoric ledges, helped remind me why I’m making Women’s Studies, and just gave me an outlet to bitch.

Not only that, but he gets my love of once great but now mediocre football teams (He’s a fan of both a Washington Redskins and Notre Dame. Tragic, I know.) as well as my appreciation of cheap beer and cheaper bar food.

If I have to spend the next few months figuring this movie out, I couldn’t have better company.

# # #

Lonnie Martin:
All right, man. Give me Jim McGivney: The E! Hollywood Story.

Jim McGivney:
“My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' in Mississippi...”

Let's see...I was born August 12, 1977 in Indianapolis, IN, after 24 hours of labor and the deft use of a pair of forecepts. The oldest of three, I've been more into television and music than most people for as long as I remember, though I didn't start to create until high school. I still remember the conversation that set me on my way to becoming a filmmaker: my Dad had read about a new film made by some first-time director that was getting rave reviews and that I could do as good a job, if not better, than that guy (the film was Reservoir Dogs, "that guy," Quentin Tarantino). Then I saw a great little movie called Clerks, made for next to nothing by a guy with even less experience than that Tarantino fella. Making movies suddenly seemed accessible and from then on I took a more active interest in my high school TV class and the movies I watched daily at my job as a video store clerk. After graduating from James Madison University, I got a job as a corporate video producer and first laid my hands on an Avid non-linear editing system. I also directed my first film; a short comedy called, cyber sex?, which marked the first collaboration between myself and a younger but equally hirsute Lonnie Martin. I've since worked with him on First Session and the award-winning 48 Hour Film Project entry, Under the Bed, and have spent every day praying that our wives don't find out about our thinly-veiled homosexual affair (though I suspect they know but just don't care).

LM:
Hirsute? You're not exactly folicly challenged these days yourself. What's that all about?

JMc:
Oh, this old thing? *Strokes chin* Well, after visiting the set in October I realized that I cannot call myself a Women's Studies crew member if didn't have wild hair sprouting from every pore north of my neckline. No, I'm actually growing this for a charity called Beards BeCAUSE, which benefits the Battered Women's Shelter of Charlotte. We grow our beards unhindered for two months, looking like hobos for our holiday photos and, in return, people pledge money which goes to benefit the Shelter. The idea is to take something commonly thought of as "manly" and associate it with helping those women who've been victims of a cowardly act. We're only halfway through the "growing season" but the response has been amazing.

LM:
Wow. So you're like the only crew member of Women's Studies who's actually walking the women's rights walk, not just talking the talk.

JMc:
Only from a facial-hair-growth standpoint - those other furry fellas are strictly recreational - besides, my beloved director and producer did throw a donation my way.

LM:
So, they say that and editor and a director develop a "special, one of a kind bond" during Post. Are you feeling it yet?

JMc:
If by that you mean, "Do you hate the sight, smell or thought of Lonnie Martin?" then, "No. Not yet."

No, I know the bond you're referring to, but I don't think we're there yet. The start and stop nature of our WS work together so far hasn't really allowed for it, nor has it been necessary. That'll start to develop after a couple rounds of rough cuts and notes are exchanged. Besides, this is our third project as director/editor so I'm sure it'll be quick to return - the relationship equivalent of the "shampoo effect" after a good bender, I'd say.

LM:
It's fitting that you use a hangover metaphor to describe our relationship. Okay then. Influences, both cinematic and non.

JMc:
God I hate these...they're too hard for me to narrow down, but it's your dime so...

Cinematic (aside from the aforementioned Miramax alum): Michael Mann, Tim Burton, David Fincher, Simon Pegg, John Carpenter. Non-cinematic: my wife, my family, Bill Hicks, Maynard James Keenan/TOOL, music of all varieties, a Catholic-upbringing, a lonely, tormented adolescence, comic books, Eliza Dushku.

LM:
Jim, we're one cut in. How's it feel?

JMc:
Oddly freeing. What's been made apparent by this first cut is that there is in fact a movie here; that, at the most basic level, we now know that those chunks of audio and video that you, the cast and the crew have spent the last few months collecting will tell the story we want to tell when strung together. It's still a long way from being watchable, but it is definitely in there.

Also, it's freeing for me because all the pieces of the puzzle are now at our disposal, whereas before there was always something missing. Be it a shot, a line of dialog or an entire scene, some part of Women's Studies simply did not exist and even if I didn't need it, it was unsettling. Now I literally have 10 hard drives full of puzzle pieces to choose from and, though it might take some digging, I know I'm going to be able to find the size and shape piece that I need at any given moment and that's a credit to the talent and hard work of everyone involved in production.

LM:
You seem to be enjoying yourself.

JMc:
So far I am... though we should do a follow up in February, when I hate the sight, smell or thought of you.

LM:
You mean when I ask you to burn all the footage, so we can become paper pushers?

JMc:
I'm already prepping the Strayer application, my man.

LM:
All this joking around and people are going to think we don't take this seriously. Filmmaking however (editing in particular) is supposed to be fun. How do you find the right balance?

JMc:
Jokes are the only thing that drown out the anguished cries of my soul, Lonnie.

Actually, that whole idea that "filmmaking is fun" is a misnomer; a god-damned filthy lie, if you will. It's a passion, true, and one that I enjoy, but it's not "fun." Does agonizing over whether or not your artistic vision will drive you to greatness or financial ruin sound like fun? Sitting alone in a dark room listening to the same three lines of dialogue loop for ten hours sound like a real hoot? Is spending thirty-six sleepless hours with a cast of beautiful, blood-soaked actresses your idea of a good weekend? Well then, let...wait, where was I going with this?

LM:
See? It is fun! I get what you're saying though. It's worthwhile, but it isn't exactly easy.

JMc:
Exactly. It certainly can be fun, but more often it is exhausting, frustrating WORK. What makes it worth enduring is the end result, watching that final product with friends, family, colleagues and complete strangers; seeing their reactions, hearing that first scream/laugh/gasp (the intentional ones), feeling the validation of time and effort spent. For all it's glitz and glamour, film makers do what they do for the same reason anyone produces anything: passion.

That and those beautiful, blood-soaked actresses.

The Running (Time) Man

As the director of Women's Studies, my dilemma during post-production is this: I have to be both the film's worst critic and biggest fan. Trust me. I'm going to be as harsh on the film, if not more so, than any audience member who sees it. At the same time, I'm going to love it more than anyone else ever could.

The key to making Women's Studies a good film is finding the very fine line between unwarranted discrimination and blind devotion. I have to see all the faults of the film in order for them to be fixed. (If indeed they can be fixed.) Yet I can't be so focused on what's wrong, that I forget about what's good about it.

So how do I approach the editing process and not goof myself up? Easy. I work from the big picture down to the little details.

Right now, that entails simply making sure all the elements are there so the story being told makes sense. That doesn't necessarily mean it's being told in the quickest or most efficient way. In fact, right now Women's Studies is a really long story. The first cut clocks in at over two hours.

"What's wrong with that?" I hear you ask. "Lots of movies are over two hours. Lots of good movies. Jaws? 125 minutes. Citizen Kane? 119 minutes. Friggin' Star Wars? 121 minutes. Hell, those Lord of the Rings movies are three hours long. Each!"

Oh yeah? You want to play that game? Try this: Psycho, 105 minutes. Night of the Living Dead, 96 minutes. Carpenter's Halloween, 91 minutes. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), 80 minutes.

What? You don't like old horror films? Fine. Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake, 100 minutes. The Ring, 105 minutes. Hostel, 95 minutes. Saw, 102 minutes.

You see a trend here? When it comes to horror films, right around the hundred minute mark is where these pictures tend to max out. Sure, 28 Days Later (113 minutes) and Alien (117 minutes) walk pretty close to the two hour mark and Romero's Dawn of the Dead (125 minutes) as well as The Exorcist (122 minutes) go over it, but those are exceptions made by brilliant directors that prove the rule. For us mere mortals, short and sweet really seems the better bet.

Why? Well first off, horror movies require a bit of suspension of disbelief in order to to their job. Some poor souls can't even heft up enough of it to allow themselves to watch a horror film. While the rest of us can, we can only hold it up so high for so long. If a fright flick draws out too long we start to see through the plot holes, and try to figure out how all the magic tricks are done.

Secondly, it's a horror movie! The whole point of the film is to scare and/or disturb the audience. I don't care if you're the Marquis de Sade. After about ninety minutes of watching people in nightmare situations, you're ready to come back to the real world. Not only that, but fear is an emotion we're hardwired to conquer. Too much distress for too long and the brain starts to shut it out. The audience numbs to the situation, and stops caring. They just want it to end.

Finally, as a filmmaker, isn't the whole point to leave the audience wanting more? Especially in this age of DVD extras, deleted scenes and director's cuts (and sequels) are there for the people who truly do wish the movie was over two hours long.

And hey, I'm one of those people. What I'm likely to do is pretty up a Director's cut first. Then from that I'll decide which scenes are a lean beef that must be served, and which ones are gravy that while tasty, isn't to everybody's taste. If enough folks want to see the "Extended Director's Cut," I'll happily get that version out there.

In writing (and editing), the motto is "Kill your darlings." Invariably, it'll be the scenes I like best that will end up on the cutting room floor. A sad truth in storytelling. There's only so much time to follow the lives of these characters. And while I'd like to think that Women's Studies is one of those brilliant movies in a class with Alien, Dawn of the Dead, and The Exorcist, ultimately it's not for me to decide.

That's your job.

"Smokin' Hot"

Since the blog is late for no good reason this week, I'm going to try and make up for it by posting a bunch of pictures of "smokin' hot," half-dressed women.

The pictures below are all from the "Strip Club scenes." You might find it ironic that a film dealing with feminism has scenes that take place in a strip club. My defense is that it's not stripping but burlesque dancing these ladies are doing. Closed-minded people might scoff at that but believe me my friends, there is a difference. In fact, I'm about as proud of these scenes as I am of any in the movie.

Besides, a little over a year ago, Arrow in the Head did a short piece on Women's Studies in which the author referred to our cast as "smokin' hot." During the shoot, the Lady Killers wore that label like a badge of honor. We even put the quote in our press kit it became such a motif. Now, I don't want to sound superficial, but he had a point. If Women's Studies offers nothing else, it easily has one of the most attractive casts of any independent film out there.

My co-producer, Cindy Marie Martin, doesn't like it when I boil the concept of Women's Studies down to "hot chicks with knives," but I don't mean it in any sexist way. This film is about sex and death, and both are presented in ways that are thoughtful and intelligent if that's what you're after. However, if you just want to look at pretty girls do ultra-violent things to dudes (and other ladies) with sharp objects, this movie will work for you too.

I guess that sounds kind of base, but in many ways isn't that the whole point of a horror film? To appeal to the baser instincts? Throughout a lot of this production, various people involved (myself included) have done a lot to try and convince themselves they're working on some socially important critique on extremism and modern society. On one level it is. It has to be, because I'm not sure it's in me to make somethng that doesn't work on multiple levels. That said, let's be honest: Many people probably aren't going to want to see this film on a purely intellectual level. So lets call it what on another level it is: Exploitation.

"There, I said it! I said the dreaded "E" word! Fuck art! Fuck meaning! Hot chicks with knives! What's Women's Studies about? It's a comic book movie about hot chicks with knives."

And you know what? There's nothing wrong with that. I've spent a great deal of time feeling ashamed of myself for making this movie. I've listened to people tell me about how I need to "be careful what I put out into the world." "You've got to be careful of offending this group or that group or this other group." Because I've heard these things, I've worked very hard to try and make sure people understand the film isn't anti-feminist, anti-woman, or anti-pagan. (Another irony, if the film is anything? It's anti-violence. Sure, it's from the Natural Born Killers school of anti-violence film, but that shouldn't matter. Should it?)

In the end though, it doesn't matter what I tell people because they're going to draw their own conclusions anyway.

You want to know the truth? The secret truth folks? If when this film is done, somebody comes up to me and says, "You're the dude who made that movie about the smokin' hot chicks with knives." As long as they're not pissed off with me, I'm just fine with that. Even if they are pissed off at me, there's probably not a whole lot I can do about it, so I guess I'm fine with that too.

# # #


Fight Choreographer Shanna Beauchamp (Black Widow Waitress) and Stef Williams (Black Widow Burlesque Dancer) take a rest between shots.




Stef Williams (Black Widow Burlesque Dancer) strikes an "Oh! how did this happen?" pose.




Amber Connors (Black Widow Bartender/Dancer) looks on as Tara Garwood (Judith) works out her dance with Stef Williams (Black Widow Burlesque Dancer).




Director Lonnie Martin talks over an intimate scene with Taisha Cameron (Amy) and Kevin Finklestein (Keith).




"Lonnie, do these scratches make my box look fat?"




This picture pretty much sums up the Women's Studies experience for Co-Producers Cindy Marie Martin (Mary) and Lonnie Martin.




Ryan Mulkay (Cop #1) really doesn't seem as concerned as he should about Amber Connors (Black Widow Bartender/Dancer) and the knife she's holding.




Shanna Beauchamp (Black Widow Waitress) is ready to @#$% you up!




"It's okay. You can trust me."




Ryan Mulkay (Cop #1) in a scene from Women's Studies.




Cindy Marie Martin (Mary) and Tara Garwood (Judith) in a scene from Women's Studies.


And finally, four "smokin' hot" portraits or four "smokin' hot" ladies:


Stef Williams as the Black Widow Burlesque Dancer.




Amber Connors as the Black Widow Bartender/Dancer.




Cindy Marie Martin as Mary.




Tara Garwood as Judith.

Stasis

I always thought when I got to this stage of the Women's Studies game that I would just have tons to blog about. However, that doesn't really seem to be the case. There's very little to report or pontificate on, though there's a lot of important (yet dreadfully boring) work being done. In a weird way, it's like it was back in the earliest days of pre-production: all paper work, phone calls, and planning for things to come.

Part of the strange stasis is the holidays, I think. Don't get me wrong. I actually like the holidays, but it seems there's an awful lot of impending travel, parties, and events to attend. My calendar is filed with places I have to be, but it seems very few of them have to do with the movie. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it makes it hard to get motivated sometimes. I do my best when I get my work engine cranked up for a long stretch. When every few days I have to stall and hitch and switch gears to something else, I feel like I have to get warmed up all over again. Right now, I'm simply trying to get as much of my life on auto-pilot as possible, simply so I can leave it behind for a few days.

Also, there's a lot of "catch-up" to do as far as the "business" side of show business is concerned. My co-producer, Cindy Marie Martin, has spent a goodly portion of the past few weeks paying invoices and trying to balance the books. (I want to help. Really I do. However, I've realized that the best way to help is to simply stay out of her way unless she asks otherwise.) That need to catch-up also reaches into our personal lives. Things like my environment, my pets, and my personal relationships have suffered a bit during the past few months of struggling to get everything shot. Taking the time to give those aspects attention has been important.

Another larger part of it is waiting for the first rough cut which is scheduled to be delivered in my hot little hands five days from the time of this writing. There's not much I can do until I can see the footage all slammed together as something that resembles a movie. It's going to be extremely exciting to see it for the first time, and I'm sure next week's blog with be filled with all my positive energy over what the movie can be. But right now, it's kind of like a long Christmas Eve. In the back of my head is the constant mantra of "Going to see the rough cut. Going to see the rough cut." It makes it kind of hard to focus on anything else.

And let's face it, part of it is pure simple "burn out." That's not to say I'm sick of Women's Studies, but after the past six months of near constant work, worry, and will, it's nice to have nothing immediate to worry about. Frankly, I need to recharge my batteries a little bit. Cindy and I will get a very long overdue vacation here in a few weeks where I plan to do just that.

Stasis is a nice change though. There's a feeling of accomplishment that's been nice to ride out. Hard roads are ahead, make no mistake, but that's for the future. For this brief moment, everything is as it should be.

P-A-R-T . . .Y? Because We're Done!

This past Saturday the cast and crew shot our sole reshoot for Women's Studies. Afterwards, we got a bunch of food and booze and proceeded to consume, imbibe, and release.

As of this writing, it's Tuesday and my hangover is just today gone. I don't know if that's telling as to how hard I threw down, or as to how much my body can't take the revelry it once took fine in my early twenties. If you know the answer, please don't tell me.

It was quite a shindig. Joey Cabrera made his famous "donkey punch" which I was smart enough to turn down. I had a Dominican cigar, which I smoked with aplomb though no one else seemed inclined to join me. We had a bonfire which burned through the night. Food was everywhere. At certain points, we watched rush edits, raw footage, and even some of the cast's original auditions. It was a fantastic party.

And hey, we earned it.

It was a fine group of people who came together to shoot Women's Studies. I'll miss them all terribly. Sure, we'll see each other again, and rather soon I imagine. However, as a lot of the cast noted on Saturday, it'll never be in this way, to do what we did. But oh, the memories we'll have. I have a feeling we'll all be hard pressed to forget the adventure of the past five months.

So, raise a glass. Here's to the past, present, and future of Women's Studies, to fair acquaintances who became good friends, to all we've done together, and to everything we still may yet do.

(Pictures from the party are below. I'm honestly frightened and confused by what's going on in most of them.)

# # #


Joey Cabrera doesn't trust Tara Garwood's wild, "donkey punch" laden eyes.




Oh Iris! What would your dad think?




Forget partying. After five months of shooting, James A. Radack just wants to take a nap.




Director of Photography Aaron "Don't Call Me" Shirley and Composer Ryan Sayward Whittier share a "special" moment.




Dear God/dess, keep Tara away from the donkey punch!!!!




9:30? Tiffany James doesn't care what time it is. (Though note she drinks no donkey punch.)




I really have no idea what's going on in this picture.




Sound Guru Sean Russell and Mundy Spears are not as sober as they look.




Joey Cabrera achieves his lifelong dream: to be surrounded by hot women with his head in my crotch.




See? Cindy and Tara actually really like each other!




Nothing like a rousing game of "Vagina Ball" to clear out a party. (Laura Bloechl will show everyone at work this one.)



The Cast's Last Hurrah.

The Little Things

I gave Fangoria.com exclusive pics for their piece about wrapping Women's Studies because I'm a shameless brownnoser. Go see Tara Garwood's Judith get all gory and Kelley Slagle as Naughty Nazi Nurse Diane. Also featured are is a pic of Mundy Spears (Sharon) as well as a shot of Cindy Marie Martin (Mary) and James A. Radack (Zack).

# # #

Things have been all over the place with Women's Studies this week. In fact, I've had a hard time focusing because instead of having a few big issues to think about I have a whole lot of little ones. Little is a relative term that doesn't mean unimportant. In fact, one could argue that all the items on the current Women's Studies agenda are vital in setting the tone for the next few months.

A sampler:

--Editor Jim McGivney and I met this weekend and drank a lot a beer. While doing so we hashed out a two month plan for sculpting the Women's Studies footage into something that resembles a movie. Jim's first order of business is just getting the footage slapped together in approximately the right order. I've seen various scenes and while they look great, it's difficult to gauge how everything fits together as a story. Once that's done, Jim and I will attack the whole film for issues of pacing and rhythm, which I'll argue is one of the most important aspects of this film. Too fast and folks get confused. Too slow and they go to sleep. From there, the real work starts with us getting into specific scenes and sequences. I'll also be able to set dates for sound, music,and color to be able to work with the footage.

--We have a reshoot this weekend for a scene that had a few issues the first time around. "What? Reshoot?!? Disaster!" No, not really. Reshoots are a part of the process. Even the big boys do it once they start to see the big picture. Frankly, I'm delighted that there's only one scene that needs to be redone.

--Cindy and I are also trying to wrap up a lot of the unfinished paperwork from production. That means paying our bills and getting our books in order both financial and production-wise.

--Part of wrangling post-production is setting deadlines. Most of our deadlines will revolve around festival entry deadlines. I've spent some time looking at festivals and trying to find ones that would be a good fit for Women's Studies.

--I've also rested which has been well earned. This past week especially, I made a conscious effort to eat well, take timeout for myself,and get in bed early. I've also rediscovered the nap who was a wonderful friend I don't want to lose touch with again.

--Finally, I've tried to get reorganized on the blog again. I've got some some cool stuff planned, and I'm once again going to have the time to give it the love I want to. Stay tuned. While the next few months aren't going to be the breakneck, wild times we had during production, there's lots of excitement regarding Women's Studies. You don't want to miss it.

Wrapped!

Short & Late

I must be giving everyone the impression that the Zack blog is some sort of Magnum Opus the way it keeps getting delayed. The simple truth is that I haven't had the time this week to give it the care I feel it deserves. It'll be here eventually . . . just not this week.

Last night was Women's Studies Shoot Day #48. Despite some unforeseen set dressing delays, it was quite an enjoyable evening. We have two more days of shooting scheduled. Plus there's one reshoot, so I guess that's three days. So close to the end . . .

It's funny. I've always wanted to be a filmmaker. I've dreamed for years about making a movie. Now that I'm almost done shooting one, I just want to be a regular dude for a little while. I've spent the past couple weeks dreaming about nothing more than sitting by some water for a spell. No computer, no cell phone, no TV, maybe a book that I pick up in between naps.

I love my Lady Killers, make no mistake. They're funny, sexy, and always entertaining. However, they're also very high maintenance ladies. Distance lends perspective, they say. A little time off from each other is going to do us wonders when I finally get a break.

And after? Oh, the things we'll do together.

Almost to Post

There's no real Women's Studies blog this week. It's been a bit of a struggle for me to really enjoy the project recently. In fact, I actually wrote a very long, vitriolic, and venomous blog which I smartly deleted. It was, as they say in the military, "counter-productive."

Don't get me wrong. I'm still in it to win it. It's just that we started shooting this thing on May 29th. As of this writing, it's October 16. Last night was shoot day number 47. That's one more day than it took Hitchcock to shoot Psycho. Many members of the cast and crew feel a bit frustrated. Compared to Cindy and I, however, they really don't know the meaning of the word. I'm trying to stay positive. I'm sure the worst is now over.

We have three more days of shooting. Principle photography will be complete by Halloween though we do have one reshoot we need to schedule for early November.

About half of the film is edited as "rushes:" Quickly edited, very rough scenes that give me an idea of what footage we have and possible ways to throw it all together. Women's Studies is one of those films that really functions best as whole, so it's tough to get a sense of tone and rhythm from individual scenes but many of them look quite nice. Very soon I'll introduce you to our editor, Jim McGivney, who has been a bright spot and an anchor over the past couple of difficult weeks.

Look how sexy he is when he tells me he's basing his editing choices off old episodes of Barney & Friends:



Next week, I'll get into James A. Radack's Zack, who has the difficult role of being of the only male character in Women's Studies. After that, we'll start digging into the film's post process, which I'm really excited about.

Since I've been pretty cranky lately, I'll apologize to anybody who was on the receiving end of my bullshit. Cindy says all is fine, and if she's not worried, I'm not worried.