Unbeknownst to me, when I checked in this morning as I always do, I saw that this little-blog-that-could had passed a major milestone. 50,000 followers! I feel like a celebration is due, as it’s been a long time coming. So we’re going to have a little contest. Message me with a one-sentence (or one word) message - it can be anything you want, or you can just reblog/ reply to this post if its easier. Whatever works for you. After the next twelve hours, I will randomly choose a winner from the messages/ reblogs, and the winner shall receive a signed DVD of the film AND an original, signed concept art drawing from the film drawn by yours truly. For real. This is some seriously cool shit, because I put a lot of effort into my concept art. Here’s an example of some concept art I did for my film The Killing Moon, a character called the ‘Mahisasura.’ Just a small way for me to show my appreciation for all your support. And I keep my promises. Good luck and thanks!!
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Unbeknownst to me, when I checked in this morning as I always do, I saw that this little-blog-that-could had passed a major milestone.

50,000 followers!

image

I feel like a celebration is due, as it’s been a long time coming. So we’re going to have a little contest. Message me with a one-sentence (or one word) message - it can be anything you want, or you can just reblog/ reply to this post if its easier. Whatever works for you. After the next twelve hours, I will randomly choose a winner from the messages/ reblogs, and the winner shall receive a signed DVD of the film AND an original, signed concept art drawing from the film drawn by yours truly.

For real. This is some seriously cool shit, because I put a lot of effort into my concept art. Here’s an example of some concept art I did for my film The Killing Moon, a character called the ‘Mahisasura.’

image

Just a small way for me to show my appreciation for all your support. And I keep my promises. Good luck and thanks!!

About to watch my copy of Lilith which arrived today, sent from the lovely director himself. Do yourself a favor and check him out at Lilith Film  Following this blog and asking me questions has its perks. You might just get something cool in the mail from me. :) You can get your copy of the DVD by clicking here. Thanks!
Zoom

About to watch my copy of Lilith which arrived today, sent from the lovely director himself. Do yourself a favor and check him out at Lilith Film 

Following this blog and asking me questions has its perks. You might just get something cool in the mail from me. :)

You can get your copy of the DVD by clicking here. Thanks!

Scenes from a Marriage, aka What It’s Like to Live With an Independent Filmmaker.

INT. REDDY HOUSEHOLD - EVENING

A brick condominium built in 1901, barely keeping out the frigid wind of a Chicago winter evening. The front door opens, letting in a blast of cold air that sends two cats darting for the warmest corner of the home.

ME: I’m home!

MY WIFE: Did you find anything interesting to watch tonight?

The husband excitedly pulls something out of his leather satchel.

ME: You won’t believe what I found.

MY WIFE: I shudder every time you say “you won’t believe what I found.”

The husband hands his wife a used DVD. She inspects it, her face going from curiosity to terror. She looks over the case to her husband, who looks like Ponce DeLeon upon finding the Fountain of Youth.

MY WIFE: What is this?

ME: It’s called ‘Trash Humpers.’

Silence. A cat meows in the distance.

MY WIFE: Uh, what’s it about?

ME: It’s a really cool movie directed by Harmony Korine. Remember Gummo and Kids? It’s that guy.

MY WIFE: You still haven’t said what it’s about.

The husband pauses, realizing there’s no way to put this any other way.

ME: It’s uh, it’s about people who, y’know…hump trash.

The wife thinks, and looks at the kitty rubbing up on her leg. She smiles.

MY WIFE: I think I’m gonna read a book. Like, over there. With the cats.

Machines

Soft Moon

Zeros

Played 606 times

Music for the Weekend: Machines by The Soft Moon.

Finally, it’s done. My short film - titled ‘7x6x2’ - was delivered a few days ago and was screened at a special event on the Sony lot in Culver City, CA. The screening went very well, the film was universally lauded, and we’re moving on to the release strategy. I initially thought it would be available to release today, but Sony’s got a new release plan and we’ll get it all out soon for everyone to see, and at that point I’ll be able to discuss it in far more detail. In the meantime, here’s a sneak-peek still of the film:

So after five weeks nonstop on the road, I’m officially out of gas. I’m taking the weekend off to recuperate, kicking back with a copy of Alexis De Tocqueville’s ‘Democracy in America’ and listening to the new record by friend-of-Lilith band extraordinaire, The Soft Moon. (Their track ‘When It’s Over’ is featured on the ‘Lilith’ trailer.)

In the meantime if you haven’t already, make sure to pick up the ‘Lilith’ DVD or download it for a fun weekend watch. We’ve been incredibly thrilled with the show of support so far, but we still need your diehard support to make this little indie film that could a success. Spread the word, pick up a copy for you and your friends, and be a part of a true-blue grassroots indie film movement. I can’t do it without you!

Order the Lilith DVD and Download by clicking here!

Have a great weekend!

‘Lilith’ DVD now available!

So we’ve officially upgraded from ‘pre-order’ status to ‘now available’ as the DVDs have been printed and are actively shipping. Thanks everyone for the unexpected number of pre-orders, we’ve had quite a rush!

The DVDs contain two commentary tracks which we’ve spent a lot of time putting together. The first commentary track is by me and focuses more on filmmaking, film studies and film theory. It contains tons of info that isn’t on this blog and really gets into the nuts and bolts of making a feature film. It’s my attempt to do a ‘film school on DVD’ segment, and I’m really thrilled with it. Total film geek stuff.


Eat your heart out, Slavoj Žižek. There’s a new film nerd in town.

The second commentary is by Julia Voth and myself, recorded at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. We had a really great time making the commentary, and it’s a wonderful record of what we went through to make the film a reality, as well as a ton of really great insight into Julia’s preparation for the role. We did the commentary off the cuff, and the results were pretty hilarious. She’s an absolute riot.


As funny and smart as she is beautiful.

I put a ton of effort to make the DVD the best it can be, and I hope you enjoy it. As of now you can order it from the distributor’s website by clicking on the link below. In the coming months it’ll also be available on Amazon and iTunes. In January we’ll be doing theatrical screenings of the film in select cities, starting with New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. We’ll also be doing a really cool, limited edition vinyl release of the soundtrack, more on that in the future.

So top off your Cyber Monday basket with a cool DVD of a really great little film that needs your support. Spread the word and some holiday cheer! Thanks!

You can buy the DVD by clicking the link below, as well as the direct download of the film (which doesn’t have the extras):

Buy the ‘Lilith’ DVD.

Going back to Cali.

Going back to California to shoot this short. It’s my first time going to Hollywood to actually direct and shoot something, and not just go for financing/ scriptwriting. It’s a big moment for me.

I’ve got a backlog of questions and messages to answer, so those who submitted to me I ask for your patience, as I’m averaging about 19-hour work days for this past week and for the foreseeable month. But my blog will soldier on - I’ll do my best to keep writing interesting stuff and progress updates.

In the meantime please remember to support Lilith on its facebook page. You can download the film right away and/or pre-order your copies of the super-cool DVD. Your support is appreciated!

Paradise Circus

Massive Attack

Heligoland

Played 254 times

Music for the Weekend: Paradise Circus by Massive Attack.

Circus is the right word. It’s a tenuous weekend as I’m waiting to hear back on a very exciting project. Script’s been approved, the financiers like it, and it just has to get the stamp of approval. So far so good, but nothing’s a guarantee in this business. Worked really hard on this one, I hope it comes through.

I’ve been going on about two hours of sleep a day for this past week, and I’m dreadfully exhausted. Between releasing Lilith on download and DVD pre-order, getting this new project off the ground, uploading the new trailers, further rewrites on my Paul Pope project, and doing my volunteer work for the Obama campaign, I’m absolutely bushed. But it’s a good kind of tuckered out.

A lot of times people forget that we have lives outside of our profession. Cars need servicing, pets need to go to the vet, homes need maintenance, food needs to be picked up and somewhere in there we try to squeeze in a social life. The fall makes for beautiful late afternoon walks. Leaves are turning, a slight chill in the air. Local shops have pumpkin pies. Kids with grass-stained knees playing football in the park for hours. Spirited political debates with friends and strangers while sipping hot drinking chocolate at the corner coffee shop. Reading comics (current titles: Saga and Punk Rock Jesus) on a park bench while my wife reads a cozy mystery novel. These are good times. Cherish them.

Have a great weekend!

‘Lilith’ now available for DVD presale and Direct Download!

The day has arrived! After years of waiting and faithful following, you may now watch ‘Lilith’ as a direct download, playable on iTunes, Quicktime or VLC.

OR you can pre-order the DVD, which has tons of goodies that the download doesn’t have, including two packed commentary tracks by yours truly and Miss Julia Voth. Here’s the cover of the DVD (Region 0, NTSC), which I designed myself:

OR you can order both, if that’s what your heart desires!

You can order directly from the distributor by clicking here, or by using the following link:

http://store.nehst.com/lilithdvd.html

There will be select theatrical screenings of the film across the country in the coming months (‘like’ our Facebook page to keep up with dates), where you’ll be able to watch the film on the big screen and take in the full cinematic experience which we’ve worked so hard to achieve. This is a full independent release, so I really need your help to make this film a success. Watch it and help spread the word by ‘liking’ and tweeting the distributor’s page. Please reblog this post and help a brother out. It’s been a long time coming for this, let’s make it count!

Thank you so much for all your support, we’re only getting started!

My Time

Roberto Cacciapaglia

The Ann Steel Album

Played 652 times

Music for the Weekend: My TIme by Ann Steel and Roberto Cacciapaglia.(1979)

I’m absolutely drained. This week, beyond rewriting my script and creating development documents, I’ve designed and assembled the Lilith DVD interfaces (animated menus!) and also designed the DVD box art. It’s been a hell of a lot of work, and the DVD has turned into a really beautiful product. It will be ready for presale soon, and I’ll keep you updated.

I’ve also got five drafts of articles for this blog that are in various states of completion. My screenwriting posts are really important and I want to make sure I’m doing them justice. I’ll likely be posting the next installment on Monday.

Lastly, I had a wonderful interview by the kind people at Blackmagic Design (the folks that bring you DaVinci color correcting software and hardware, and the upcoming Blackmagic Cinema Camera), and we got into talking about the creative inspirations behind Lilith and the sources for my creativity in all of my endeavors. The folks at Blackmagic have been constructing an online resource where they’ve created access for everyone to both up-and-coming and seasoned filmmakers alike. They want to get at the core of what filmmakers do, and focus on the creative aspects of filmmaking. Blackmagic and I talked for hours, and it reminded me how much I really do love cinema, art and expression. The people at BM were really impressed and told me that they have no doubts that I’ll be making memorable cinema for the rest of my life. It was so reassuring to hear that, especially at the end of such an arduous and testing week. We talked about the process with my actors, with the massive strides that Julia is making in her career (she’s the lead in a new television sitcom from the makers of 3rd Rock From the Sun, it’s gonna be huge and the world will see how sidesplittingly funny Julia is) and the cusp that Lili Reinhart is on - she’s very close to breaking it big at the ripe old age of sixteen (I’m jealous!). Everyone’s working super hard, focused, with determination and positive energy. In the end I know our work will have value, and our tireless efforts will never be wasted. Our time will come.

Have a great weekend!

I am worried that mechanical reproduction of art changes the reaction of the masses towards art. The reactionary attitude towards a Picasso painting changes into the progressive reaction towards a Chaplin movie….The conventional is uncritically enjoyed, and the truly new is criticized with aversion.

Marxist philosopher Walter Benjamin, expressing his concern for the loss of “aura” (the transcendent qualities of art) in an age of mechanical reproduction. (Taken from ‘The Long Tail’ by Chris Anderson)

This quote kept coming back to me as I was putting the finishing touches on the Lilith DVD. In the mass reproduction of art (such as a DVD) we gain so much - art is able to be shared in every corner of the planet, but it has now become one bit in the sea of electronic information. The “aura” is indeed dwindling, like being able to see a unique, personal film in a massive theater with the laughter, cries and yawns of an audience bound by a common interest. With every gain there is a loss, I suppose.

I guess that’s why I’ve put so much effort into creating the interface and packaging for the Lilith DVD, because I don’t want it to just be “another movie on DVD,” I want it to have some value. Not a monetary value, but a value that is rooted in memory, experience and meaning. The cover of a DVD and its interface / menus are the first experience many of you will have with my film, and I want that experience to have value, rather than it just be a ‘play’ button. I’ve had fun creating animated menus and links that take a little work with the DVD remote. The ‘Chapters’ segment of the menus requires one to look a little closer at the menu image, and there’s something to be found in the layers. Should be a fun DVD for everyone, I’m really proud of it. The master files have been sent off to the manufacturer, and I’m working on the DVD cover this week. Getting closer and closer to the end of the production journey, inch by inch.


Mapping out the ‘Lilith’ DVD. I’ll write more about this process later.