Cobwebs and Coffin Nails

[Cereval]

Hi, I don't plan on sticking around. Just thought I'd share ... for those that remember ... http://www.circling-the-drain.com Kris P.S. - Deadscapes III will happen. I s'pose there is a reason to keep this forum here, but I understand if it gets scrapped.

[krakenslayer]

Hi, I don't plan on sticking around. Just thought I'd share ... for those that remember ... http://www.circling-the-drain.com Kris P.S. - Deadscapes III will happen. I s'pose there is a reason to keep this forum here, but I understand if it gets scrapped. I remember CTD - I seem to recall back in 2002-2003 there was a bit of buzz about it around this site and All Things Zombie as a promising upcoming project. Enjoyed the trailers, shame it never panned out.

[Cereval]

I remember CTD - I seem to recall back in 2002-2003 there was a bit of buzz about it around this site and All Things Zombie as a promising upcoming project. Enjoyed the trailers, shame it never panned out. Yeah, it was quite a while ago. Thanks for watching.

[krakenslayer]

Yeah, it was quite a while ago. Thanks for watching. Just been watching some of the Deadscapes videos and stuff too. Looks pretty decent - this question has probably been answered elsewhere but are they available on DVD anywhere? Might consider buying them when I get paid.

[MinionZombie]

"Morning at the Lake" seems to be listed as a "private" video. Otherwise - it's a damn shame CTD never happened in the end, but it's cool to get to see these scenes. They're well shot, well edited, the acting is also pretty good too especially for an indie flick, and the lighting in "Rainy Arrival" kicks ass - aye, I dig it.

[Cereval]

Just been watching some of the Deadscapes videos and stuff too. Looks pretty decent - this question has probably been answered elsewhere but are they available on DVD anywhere? Might consider buying them when I get paid. They're actually on Amazon. As the sole proprietor I suppose I should have more enthusiasm in promoting them, but alas I think they're pretty poor. Check them out if you're interested in absolutely no-budget amateur stuff with a professional vision. I wouldn't blame you if you passed though. "Morning at the Lake" seems to be listed as a "private" video. Otherwise - it's a damn shame CTD never happened in the end, but it's cool to get to see these scenes. They're well shot, well edited, the acting is also pretty good too especially for an indie flick, and the lighting in "Rainy Arrival" kicks ass - aye, I dig it. I changed "private" to "public" - thanks, MZ. And thanks for the kind words.

[krakenslayer]

They're actually on Amazon. As the sole proprietor I suppose I should have more enthusiasm in promoting them, but alas I think they're pretty poor. Check them out if you're interested in absolutely no-budget amateur stuff with a professional vision. I wouldn't blame you if you passed though. I changed "private" to "public" - thanks, MZ. And thanks for the kind words. That's cool, I dabble a bit in film-making myself so I know how to see past the limitations of no budget films to the vision underpinning them, as well as just the armchair zombie fan pov. Just out of interest, how much footage exists for CTD. I know it will never be finished, but did you get most of it shot apart from a few key scenes? Or was it one of those shitstorms where actors come and go and you have to recast and rewrite, rendering old scenes unusable, etc?

[Cereval]

That's cool, I dabble a bit in film-making myself so I know how to see past the limitations of no budget films to the vision underpinning them, as well as just the armchair zombie fan pov. Just out of interest, how much footage exists for CTD. I know it will never be finished, but did you get most of it shot apart from a few key scenes? Or was it one of those shitstorms where actors come and go and you have to recast and rewrite, rendering old scenes unusable, etc? Going back to the tape archive is like breaking the yellow tape on a crime scene, so I can't give you a solid number without diving into the footage. I've got 30 or so tapes full of film and documentary footage. The half-hour's worth of scenes account for the most completed of that footage. What remains is a lot of miscellaneous footage and other scenes. The most interesting would probably be the documentary footage which could be brought together as almost a feature in itself. We had our share of reshoots and recasts. So if I had to choose between "mostly done" and "shitstorm" I'd gladly be standing under a brown and yellow umbrella the size of my house.

[MinionZombie]

Like I said before, it's a damn shame it never came together ... and it's been really interesting seeing the videos in this order and getting the background on how it came apart in the end. I can only imagine how tough it became in the end. But how are things with you now in general? I remember a while back you posted about a band you were involved in, and I remember seeing some rehearsal videos.

[krakenslayer]

Going back to the tape archive is like breaking the yellow tape on a crime scene, so I can't give you a solid number without diving into the footage. I've got 30 or so tapes full of film and documentary footage. The half-hour's worth of scenes account for the most completed of that footage. What remains is a lot of miscellaneous footage and other scenes. The most interesting would probably be the documentary footage which could be brought together as almost a feature in itself. You know, it would be a cool idea to put together the documentary footage, along with narration and some newly shot interview footage, into a film about the trials and tribulations of no budget film-making. Have you ever seen Lost in La Mancha? It's a documentary about the Terry Gilliam's failed attempts to shoot his Don Quixote movie, starring Johnny Depp, and how the production descended into a clusterfuck. You could do something similar about your struggles to complete CTD, I know I'd pay to see it and probably a lot of other people too. On the other hand, I guess from what you said, that a lot of this is still a pretty raw subject for you. But it something I think would be cool to see.

[Cereval]

Like I said before, it's a damn shame it never came together ... and it's been really interesting seeing the videos in this order and getting the background on how it came apart in the end. I can only imagine how tough it became in the end. But how are things with you now in general? I remember a while back you posted about a band you were involved in, and I remember seeing some rehearsal videos. I agree, there is a lot of shame involved ... the damn shame it was never finished and that lurking shame of heartbreak. The saddest part is that I barely touched on how personal it got in the end. It gets into soap opera / tabloid area. VH1 Behind The Movie type stuff ... but still, the annotations imply a lot. Nowadays I'm keeping busy. Since CTD, I've developed this addiction to projects. If I'm not working on one or more projects, I start to panic. I'm stilled involved with Echoes of Ruin, though the pace has slowed in recent months. You can watch some current stuff HERE. I'm part way through my first novel. And I shoot small projects whenever I can squeeze them in, from commercials to short films. All this while schwork (school + work) full time . I'm in the process of getting my 2nd BA, the first in Communications and this one in Film. The video below about sums me up lately. It's a self portrait project for one of my classes ... the desire to sleep, the need for music, and the addiction to movies ... You know, it would be a cool idea to put together the documentary footage, along with narration and some newly shot interview footage, into a film about the trials and tribulations of no budget film-making. Have you ever seen Lost in La Mancha? It's a documentary about the Terry Gilliam's failed attempts to shoot his Don Quixote movie, starring Johnny Depp, and how the production descended into a clusterfuck. You could do something similar about your struggles to complete CTD, I know I'd pay to see it and probably a lot of other people too. On the other hand, I guess from what you said, that a lot of this is still a pretty raw subject for you. But it something I think would be cool to see. Believe it or not, towards the end this is what I had started working on. I was going to put together as much of the film as I could but make a complete documentary about the train wreck. I was going to call it CTDoc. The thing of it is that I can't separate the personal from the otherwise in this matter. The filmmaker in me knows what needs to be shown and what needs to be told. There are very important elements of conflict and personal arches that need to be delved into, without restrictions, to tell the story. And yet I also have to be the subject of most of it, telling both an objective narrative while being subjective in my own issues with the story. It's a tough call. I wish I had a duplicate of me like in the above video. I'd give him all the technical and conceptual trials of the project. And then, I could tell the story of what happened ...

[MinionZombie]

Well it's good to hear you've still got your head into a bunch of projects, dude. Also - the idea of "CTDoc" certainly sounds very interesting. Maybe one day somewhere down the line it might be easier to fathom putting together? It would certainly be a great tool of learning for a whole host of indie filmmakers out there, it could even do quite well ... but by the sounds of it, perhaps it's still too raw emotionally and such to really consider it yet. I really like that "what's on your list" short film too - very nice.

[Cereval]

Well it's good to hear you've still got your head into a bunch of projects, dude. Also - the idea of "CTDoc" certainly sounds very interesting. Maybe one day somewhere down the line it might be easier to fathom putting together? It would certainly be a great tool of learning for a whole host of indie filmmakers out there, it could even do quite well ... but by the sounds of it, perhaps it's still too raw emotionally and such to really consider it yet. I really like that "what's on your list" short film too - very nice. Many thanks! I intend someday to put CTD down for good and give it a proper burial. For better or worse, it's something that never seems to die and keeps on pawing weakly at the door of my mind. One day though, I'll grant it entrance. I know where the bullet needs to go. "What's On Your list?" made the top 3 finalist in the film contest being held by my employer Walgreens. Employees from the 6000+ stores were asked to enter, so I took the opportunity to do so. Hopefully if I win, I can thumb my nose at the people in the Media Department of our corporate offices who interviewed me in Fall 2008 but never hired me.

[MinionZombie]

Many thanks! I intend someday to put CTD down for good and give it a proper burial. For better or worse, it's something that never seems to die and keeps on pawing weakly at the door of my mind. One day though, I'll grant it entrance. I know where the bullet needs to go. "What's On Your list?" made the top 3 finalist in the film contest being held by my employer Walgreens. Employees from the 6000+ stores were asked to enter, so I took the opportunity to do so. Hopefully if I win, I can thumb my nose at the people in the Media Department of our corporate offices who interviewed me in Fall 2008 but never hired me. Well I certainly hope you do win that company contest - because I really enjoyed that short. Keep up the good work, my good man.

[krakenslayer]

Also - the idea of "CTDoc" certainly sounds very interesting. Maybe one day somewhere down the line it might be easier to fathom putting together? It would certainly be a great tool of learning for a whole host of indie filmmakers out there, it could even do quite well ... but by the sounds of it, perhaps it's still too raw emotionally and such to really consider it yet. Seconded. Maybe in a few years, once the dust has settled and the scars have toughened up, it's something you could take on. Would be a good way to put it all to bed - at least that way something would come from all your trouble... Best of luck whatever you decide to do though. And keep us posted on your new projects.