Yesterday, my pass for the NYCC arrived in the mail. They don't have their complete schedule up just as of yet as I write this. Two things to do right at the top of my list though are going to be: trying to get an Ambush Bug sketch from Keith Giffen, and a Blue Beetle sketch from Kevin Maguire.

This has reminded me that I've totally dropped the ball and have neglected to put some drawings that I collected down in San Diego last year up here. Have to make sure to get my sketch book near to a scanner so I can do so.

I try to make it a habit of attaching pictures to my blog updates. Just to make the page more interesting, so it's not text from top to bottom. But no pictures this time. Why you ask? Because evidently it's a horrible world that we live in where people rip off ideas and concepts from other folks all the time. Which I guess is true...that's why you get movies like 'A Bug's Life' and 'Antz' coming out so close to one another...when up until that point, there had been zero animated feature films starring ants.

The news that I have to pass along is that I got to look at some artwork today for an upcoming project. The one that I'm working on with my friend Howard (see previous post). And, said artwork inspired me with geeky glee, and filled me with inspiration to get back to writing. I wanted to put some of the drawings up here, but Howard nixed that idea (with logical reasoning). So, they'll just have to wait to be posted until the project is a bit closer to actual realization. Keeps things all nice and mysterious I guess.

In unrelated news...all the comic books I bought today were $2.99 US/Canada. People smarter than I have tried to explain that the faltering of the US economy can have bad repercussions all over the place in various aspects of life. All I know is that my comics are like 66 cents cheaper. And that's all good by me.

This is a picture of my friends Howard and Rosario. Ok...fine...I don't know Rosario. Didn't even get to meet her dammit! That Howard bastard was just in the right place at the right time last year in San Diego. I was probably off donating blood or doing something else equally unimportant.

Anyhow, Howard and I are working on a project together that seems to be actually making a lil' bit of headway. Wheels are in motion towards it actually reaching a completed point. Just can't really talk about it quite yet. I know you want to steal all of my ideas...you can't trick me.

Made it into the comic store today for the first time in an age. Bought a giant stack of comics. What do I need to save money for? I'll just spend less money on food and bills and rent, put less money in the bank...everything will be fine. All very well thought out.

In another small geek accomplishment, I got a letter published in 'Angel: After the Fall' #4. Further proving that Joss Whedon is my best friend. Ok...fine...it doesn't prove anything...but it pleases me. Very easily kept happy I am. The interesting thing is though, is that they only printed half the letter. The half in which I praised the current run of 'Angel'. The editor chose to take out all the parts where I trashed the previous attempts at Angel comics that IDW released. Clearly not very good with criticism. Anyhow, current run (co-plotted by Joss) and the couple other mini-series by Brian Lynch and Franco Urru are very good stuff. Love this era of Joss in comics.

Forgot to mention that there'll be a couple of short films preceding tonight's screening of 'Dead of Winter'. Just like the good ole' days of big screen movie presentation, when they used to show serials and other such things in front of movies. Well...kind of like that. The two shorts are: 'Cassandra' (that I directed), and Anne-Marie Frigon's 'Scare Bear'.

Friday night (the 11th) marks the premiere of 'Dead of Winter'. A movie that I worked on some time ago that's finally all edited up and ready to be released upon the horror film enjoying public. The event happens at the National Archives (395 Wellington) at 7PM. You can check out a trailer over on the ole' YouTube.

My friend Logan and I hope y'all have an excellent holiday season. One filled with lots of presents and food and joy, and little in the way of adamantium clawed berzerker rage. Snikt!

Ottawa Actors is a new site / message-boards set up by Brett Kelly that should be of great use to local talent in film and stage. If you're interested in such happenings here in Ottawa, go check it out.

Went to see 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' today. Thanks to the Mayfair Theatre here in Ottawa having screenings of movies from the 30's to the 90's in celebration of their 75th anniversary. The repertory theatre (or revival house) is a dieing form of motion picture entertainment. Which is a sad thing. Seeing a movie like 'Raiders' up on the big screen just cannot be beat (even in this magical high-tech day of HDTV, big-screen TV's and home entertainment centre's with THX surround-sound). It's unfortunate that the majority of people are seemingly disinterested in leaving the house to enjoy movies. People had such a good time this afternoon that they even clapped when the movie came to an end...which is pretty much a non-existent happening in the average first-run movie theatre viewing experience. On the plus side, there was a very good sized crowd there...hope that the theatre pays attention to that and schedules more such screenings.

Check it out! Killer63 won an 'Honourable Mention' in the 'Best of Ottawa 07' year-end poll in the X-Press. We're listed third...so I think that's like a Bronze...2nd runner up...whatever. I didn't think that we actually had a shot at making the cut since we're just a wee little one day fest for horror enthusiasts. So very big thanks go out to everyone who took the time to vote for us. Wheels are already in motion for another K63 next year, to premiere sometime pre-Halloween 2008.

working the box office at the Mayfair for the K63

Another year of the Killer63 has come and gone. Meant to come and post an update over the weekend, but I'm fairly worn out and exhausted. Even getting up the ambition and will-power to do a lil' blog update is quite a feat for me at the moment. Anyhow, everything went really well. Been getting lots of ego boosting praise over the last couple days. Extra special thanks to all the filmmakers, cast and crew involved in making up the shorts that screened this year. And to the staff of the Mayfair, and to everyone who came out to our late late show premiere.

Despite wanting to take a bit of a break...wheels are already in motion for next year. Folks asking how to submit a film for consideration to be screened...talk of maybe expanding to more days...maybe include some features. Lots of ideas. There will be a part 3 for Killer63 for sure. Halloween 2008...so still a bit of time to get things organized again.

Oh...and for those who haven't heard yet, the Ottawa X-Press has nominated the K63 for the 'Best Film Festival' of 2007 in it's Best of Ottawa Reader's Poll. It only takes a couple minutes to vote online...so if you head over to their site and do so, I'll be your best friend. Thanks.

The Killer63 preview trailer is up on YouTube. Brett (pictured above, acting in my short for the fest) did a fine job at putting it together. Go check it out.

Did an interview yesterday for CHUO in regards to the Killer63 fest. The interviewer (John Sekerka from a program called 'Tornado Warning') e-mailed me this morning to let me know that he's going to hold of on playing the segment until next week. For a Halloween themed night. If you're outside of Ottawa you can give it a listen on CHUO.fm on Thursday the 25th, sometime between 10 - 11PM.

In related news, we finished shooting 'Cassandra' on the Saturday. Everything went well. After doing lots of dialog sitting around a table, got to do some fun action and fake blood and gun-play. I went in for some editing a couple days ago and will finish up on the weekend. Horribly behind schedule, but still in time for the screening. Putting together the master tape for the premiere on Monday (waiting for three more submissions...then we're all good).

This past Saturday we shot day 1 of my Killer63 project. And as per usual, the indie filmmaking gods were out to smite us. There was a message flashing on MSN, that was sent towards me at 5:20AM. It was from my assistant director, who is also the person getting us into the location (an office building that she used to work in that is now empty for a couple months). She was up all night due to her fiance (one of my actors) and his state of immense sickness. So at that point I pretty much figured the day was a write-off.

She was kind enough to still come out though. After the other actors and crew arrived on location, we discussed and decided to shoot everything we could do without our fallen to illness actor being present. Managed to get a good chunk of the dialog shot, and a couple other things. Including a cool lil' fx shot for our actress. I was very pleased with the performances, and all went well. We're returning on Saturday to finish up.

That puts me way past the deadline which I myself set for the fest. Sometimes these things happen though (and this Saturday is the only day where the trio of actors are all free). My editor did drop by today to pick up the stuff we got so far. Get a bit of a head start on that post-production work.

Y'know...it's when the lil' dreams that come true that you have to stop, take a moment, and appreciate them. For the second year in a row the Killer63 presents a batch of short horror films, all making their premiere at the Mayfair. I love the Mayfair theatre. In high school my friends and I practically lived there. Memorizing Monty Python, shooting cap guns at the screen for John Woo films, spending full days avoiding sunshine by instead watching Star Trek marathons. And now I get to go see something I directed and the work of a bunch of my friends up on that same screen. Friday October 26th, 11PM (on the same night as a Pixar movie...that is also geekily cool!), spread the word, bring your friends.

Spent the weekend on the crew of my friend (who is also my film editor and co-producer on various fledgling projects) Bonnie's K63 short 'Infinity'. This pictured scene involves a bedroom, some insomnia, some nightmares and some excellent horror movie calibre screaming. She's underway on editing it now, then I shoot my K63 entry next weekend. Followed by doing post-production with her after that. Everything should be done at the eleventh hour, just in time for the extended deadline.

Got all three actors officially cast in my Killer63 short as of this week. Jerome Bourgault and Brett Kelly will be playing a pair of cops interrogating a strange young woman played by Emily Shanley. I worked on the crew of a film that Jerome had a small part in, and Brett recommended him after checking out the script. Brett, I've worked with on a million things or so (only a slight exaggeration). I put Emily's picture up there, because upon seeing it on her Facebook page, I immediately sent her a message to tell her that that's pretty much exactly what I want her to look like for the part. We shoot on Saturday the 6th at an abandoned office.

In other Killer63 news, I crewed on two other productions this week. Did sound stuff for director Anne-Marie Frigon on 'Scare Bears', and director Bonnie Robinson on ' Infinity'.

Worst clapper board EVER! This poor thing is missing a good portion of it's numbers and letters, is all beat up, and doesn't even have the actual stick that makes the thing a 'clapper' board. So it's kindah' just a board I guess then. Luckily we don't actually need such fancy technology on set since we're shooting on a digital synch-sound format.

Anyhow, this brave lil' piece of equipment served it's purpose again this previous weekend for some more 'Leeches' shooting. Much more pleasant then the last batch of work. Moved indoors, shooting some hospital and office scenes. So much easier than dealing with swamps, bad weather, planes flying over and real actual swarming leeches.

Moments later, I was killed by the Blair Witch. Wait...no, that's not what happened at all. This is me standing around on location of the film 'Attack of the Giant Leeches' last weekend. Way out in the middle of nowhere, far away from the safety of the city, in the horrible great outdoors. I've either slipped into an exhaustion laced up-right coma here, or I'm playing stand-in for a moment so that the camera guy could see what the shot looked like with a person in there. I forget. It's all a blur.

Y'know...sometimes behind the scenes pictures just aren't all that action packed. Especially when it's outside during the day, and hence you don't have a whole bunch of lights and other such equipment mucking up the area. Here we are working on re-make of the 1959 Roger Corman produced classic, 'Attack of the Giant Leeches'. This photo was taken behind Ray Besharah (sound), Jodi Pittman (camera), Brett Kelly (directin') and myself (hiding in the background looking through the script, probably moments away from yelling for folks to be quiet on set).

The original was also watched by the crew of the Satellite of Love on MST3K back in '92:

Dr. Forrester:
Oh sorry, Frank, I left the leech on too long! Well, Frank... Frank?
[to the leech]
Well, now that you've sucked all the blood out of Frank, what are you gonna do now?