I saw a final cut of THE GATEWAY MEAT, filmed in Massachusetts. I appear in the film, I get brutally murdered and got to write my own death scene. Unfortunately my face is bound up with duct tape and we shot for 8 or 10 hours and I couldn't see and was covered in cold fake blood all day. The DVD will be out soon. The film is AMAZING- oh my god- so gory! I was only in a small part and did not see the script so knew nothing about the plot of the film or anything about it except my scenes.
Also out soon on DVD:
Countess Bathoria's Graveyard Picture Show, which debuted at the Fantasia Film Fest, and which I co-wrote.
I am writing for The Independent Magazine website and will be interviewing Jeremy Kasten, director of the upcoming remake of The Wizard of Gore.
I have an interview in the next Girls and Corpses magazine with Erik Ruhling, author of Infernal Device, an illustrated book of torture devices.
Although I put it aside months and months ago it looks like my script A Fistful of Anger may be optioned.
Dystopia (n.) a fictional, and often futuristic, society that lives under the control of an oppressive government.
Perhaps I'm wrong, but it seems to me that almost all dystopian-based films, no matter how good or bad, develop at least a cult following. There are plenty of horror films, sports films, and romantic comedies that fly under the radar, but when a dystopian-themed film is made, it almost immediately develops a legion of devoted fans.
Let's take The Matrix franchise and the Star Wars prequels. I'm glad these movies have come and gone simply so I don't have to hear someone tell me that they're the greatest movies ever made. This isn't to say that I have anything against dystopian films. As a matter of fact, I'm a big fan of them. The original Star Wars, Blade Runner, A Clockwork Orange, The Terminator, Metropolis, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: these movies are fantastic.
What is it, though, about dystopian films that causes fans to latch onto them with the same conviction that one might have for a religion? Is it as simple as the human desire to fight authority? Perhaps it has more to do with dystopian films echoing the themes of ancient myths and texts (the Israelites overcoming the Pharaoh or the Babylonians, for example). Many dystopian films are meant to comment on current political issues, but is this commentary reason enough for such extreme devotion to a film?
If anyone has thoughts on this subject, I'd love to hear them. As a matter of fact, I've been on quite a dystopian film kick recently, so if anyone has recommendations, please let me know.
When I view the credits at the end of your movies I'm impressed on the number of people working on the film. One thing I wonder about though is the sound crew. Are they really necessary? From the perpective of a rabid movie watcher it seems like they've been severely underutilized. I recently watched the Robin Williams, Toni Collete film Night Listener. A good movie by all accounts. I enjoyed watching it. I did not, however, enjoy listening to it.
Because I'm a bit of a multimedia geek, I have my tuner plugged into an amp powering a set of Cambridge Soundworks speakers and a pair of 80's Bose home theater speakers as well as using my built in tv speakers.
This set up means I can control my tv speakers with one remote and have another for my stereo system. During the Night Listener I found my self on the couch playing Wyatt Earp. I had a control in each hand. I had to increase the volume to hear dialogue and decrease it every time excitable music or a loud truck came on the screen.
This isn't the first instance of this I've run into. I could complain for days that network commercials and station IDs are considerably louder than their shows. I'm in marketing, I know why they do it. I also understand that networks can control volume levels in commercials and their own station IDs but not in the movies they broadcast. These films are in the hands of the producers just as DVDs and OnDemand features are.
Why then must I double fist all of the movies I watch? I know that directors and producers want to make an impact with loud noises to create a more dynamic movie. I get it. But does their need to be such a contrast between quiet moments and action sequences? In a Die Hard movie, it's all loud. I can make one adjustment and enjoy the movie. But try watching a drama with some dynamics... it goes from whisper to nuclear blast.
Not only am I in advertising but I'm also a motion graphics artist and animator as well as a long time musician. I understand audio dynamics. I understand dynamics in a story. I understand that using audio or music in particular to enhance scenes is important. What I don't understand is why it has to be SO dynamic.
I've been looking online for a compressor that will work with my setup to reduce the level jumps. I wish I didn't have to spend hundreds of additional dollars on top of my cable, pay-per-view and DVD costs to be able to enjoy a movie in my home. So, Hollywood, could you either stop editing sound like a bad stock chart or send me a compressor?
Thanks,
Avid Movie Watcher
p.s. If you want to hear it done right, try some movies from the 90s and previous.
