Hey everyone,
Wow, time has just been flying by. Things are moving so fast that I did an update video a couple of weeks ago and then forgot to post it, so here it is now.
That's right. We have picture lock. There will be no more chages to the edit. We are now working exclusivly on the audio tracks, color correction, and VFX. It's tedious work but I'm getting some help from a friend who is just finishing up some VFX work on the new Marry Poppins movie.
Anyway, if you're not affraid of some behind the scenes looks at The Quantum Terror before you see the movie, I've posted some live streams of my VFX work in progress, below.
If you want to see more as they come out or you missed any and want to catch up, you can find everything at my YouTube channel. If you want to keep up with everything I'm doing, please spend some time with me over at my Christopher Moonlight Productions blog or my temp website.
Thanks, everyone. We're going to have fun and accomplish some lifelong goals here. Now, let's get to work.
Here's my intorduction livestream for Twitch (via YouTube) where I give an overview of what kind of tutorials I will be teaching, includintg the post production for The Quantum Terror.
Hi Gang,
I'm sick as a dog and my computer is caput but you can't keep a good Lovecraftian horror down. Here's a quick video update so you can see what I mean.
Hey Everyone, sorry this update is overdue. I try to put one out at least once a month but the workload overtook me and I got behind on a few things. Here's the a video with me updating you, and I'll put some bullet points afterwards.
The irony is that not even a full hour after this video was recorded, my computer died on me again. Don't worry, we'll get it up and running for the home stretch. I'm going to name it Lazarus, it's come back from the dead so many times. Derek says my computer "has the voodoo."
Video Bullet Points:
The movie is edited and we're working on VFX and sound design right now.
There's a BTS for The Quantum Terror on the way for IndieGoGo supporters.
Shortly after that, there will be a new trailer.
By the way, I mentioned working for studioADI for one of my two day jobs. It's a dream come true and my bosses are amazing. They're celebrating their 30th anniversary as a special effects company in 2018 and are rolling out some amazing things. Their 20th Century Fox (now Disney I guess) approved Aliens art pieces are amazing. Click HERE if you want to buy one of them. I'll post some photos below. Also, be sure to sign up for their newsletter, here: http://eepurl.com/c1Vncr
Here's another video of Christopher Moonlight (me) rambling about the goings on of the last month, since the last update. There's some insight on my upcoming projects as well as my new job working for studioADI... but let's finish this movie, first.
Here's a couple of photos from studioADI. They've got a terrific new newsletter that you need to sign up for if you love creature effects. I can't say what yet but there are going to be some jaw dropping announcements coming from them, soon. Click HERE for that.
Okay everyone, sorry for all of these rough video updates but things will be back on track once I've finished this big move.
By the way, here is the Neville Page interview I was talking about. I'll also include my interview with Odd Studio, who did the effects for Alien: Covenant, below that. Enjoy.
I've been busy with moving the production from Texas to California, so I only really have time to give you an update in a video. Sorry in advance for the poor quality. Please, leave questions or comments below.
It's time for a very special honest and heartfelt update for The Quantum Terror movie.
First of all I want to thank everyone for being so patient with me. I
see a lot of indie film makers crank out a film within a year or even
several short films in that amount of time. I've actually see some of my actors and crew go shoot and release other projects entirely after working on this one,
but there's a reason that this one has taken so long. I won't go into
it too much, but I'll say that I knew I was taking on a lot when I
started and although I still have no doubt that I can achieve it, I
admit that I did not anticipate the physical and emotionally challenging
toll it would take with me as I drew closer to the finish line. Now, at
this point you're maybe thinking, "Oh no, does Christopher have some
bad news he's about to tell us?" No. The answer to that is defiantly no.
In fact, I'm hoping to have a picture lock by the end of the weekend.
(That's Christopher speak for middle of next week.) It's just that
because you guys have been there for me through this for so long and
given so much of yourself, I want to be strait with you about what this
movie is, at this point, right now.
The past couple of months
have been the most challenging and taxing. Partly because I'm moving
back to California in July and I want to have this movie done before
then. Between feeling that deadline, having to pack, take care of my
kids, and starting a Patreon page in the
hopes to supplement my income a little bit, I admit that the stress got
to me a bit and I lost focus. I did what I could, figuring out some VFX
problems and shooting stop motion, but I was a bit all over the place
and things were not going as smoothly as they could. I was getting tired
a little too easily and I was also dealing with some other external
problems that I won't go into. Then I found that some of my footage for
the second act was missing. Whether it got deleted or we forgot to shoot
it in all the madness, I don't know. Fortunately, they were not large
or crucial scenes and with a little time away to think on it, I figured
out how to work around them. The film was running long, as it was.
Anyway, I'll cut this short and just say that what I thought was going
to be just another project turned into one of the most humbling but
kickings I've ever had... but it didn't beat me and now we're very close
to having a film. There is still a lot of work to be done before July,
though. After edit is locked I have some serious VFX work to crank out
and our master of audio Derek will have his work cut out for him, too. My God, once this
move has some sound and score to it, it's going to be amazing. I really
believe that. And then of course I will be fulfilling the rest of my Indiegogo
obligations, figuring out the final details of self distribution, advertising,
and everything else that comes with it. I still plan to work with Paul
Dubiel on the "making of" documentary, and plan to release a black and
white version of the film, and a "raw" version showing the film as it is
with storyboards, shots without VFX, and commentary.
I could go on and on,
but I'll just say this one last thing. I think this movie is good. I
could be wrong but from where I'm sitting, everything I planned, all the
effects and editing tricks, all the sets and miniatures, it all works
how I intended. I look at what we've done and I feel excited. I held this project to a very high standard and I think we met it. I feel proud and I
can't wait for you all to sit down and watch this film, from beginning
to end. You are a part of that and I'm very grateful to you.
Thank you so much
Well, I hope everyone had a very nice Easter or if you're not of a mind for chocolate eggs, a nice month so far. I've made a new video update for you all, giving a rundown of what's been happening with our movie, as well as some other exciting news, but if you don't feel like watching then just check out the notes below.
Editing The Quantum Terror is coming along well, although it is probably the most labor intensive task for me, when it comes to making a film. That's probably because I don't have my cast and crew with me at this point in the process, backing me up and making me look good.
I do have a some great help, though. Composer Derek J. Hunt is not only creating amazing music for our film but is also managing sound design, bringing the quality of our production up to a whole new level.
In addition to that, I'm am very excited to announce that Make-Up Effects Group co-founder Paul Katte has joined in to bring his own brand of artistry to the VFX team. He and his partner Nick Nicolaou (pictured above on another project) are better known for their practical effects work, but true talent knows no bounds and I am truly overwhelmed that Paul has agreed to take part in this production. I mean, just check out their show reel!
The Matrix? The Hobbit? Childhood's End? Wolverine? How did I get the combined talent of both MEG, on top of studioADI on our little film? I honestly don't know, but I feel super lucky. I've also had the pleasure of interviewing them in the past on my practical effects podcast show The Practical People...
...which brings me to my next announcement. If you didn't know I have an entire first season of The Practical People under my belt, filled with interviews with some of the best PFX artists in the business, that you can listen to by clicking HERE on You Tube or HERE on Vid.me. After a long hiatus I will be "soft starting" season 2 in the coming weeks, and then slowly rolling out more through the summer, when the film is finished and I have more time. MEG will be our first guest and then I will bring you fresh interviews from both new and return guests.
Please, be sure to also find my show on Facebook by clicking HERE.
It is my intention after the release of The Quantum Terror to continue to produce content in the form of more interviews, tutorials, feature films, and other artistic content. If the demand keeps up I will finance this endeavor via Patrion or some other subscription service. I'm still researching the possibilities and trying to figure out if the demand will be there.
That's why I want to hear from you. Do you want this kind of content? If I do start a Patreon account, what kind of products would entice you to subscribe? Would you like to see more in depth video tutorials? How about one of a kind hand made miniature creatures? Are you interested in original artwork or limited addition prints? Maybe, there's something I'm not thinking of that you'd like to see me provide. Please, let me know through this blog or my other social media, provided in the links below. I'd love your input.
Last but not least, I want to address another Lovecraftian, Indiegogo funded, horror movie called The Void that just came out via VOD. It's a cool little low budget flick and bears a lot of similarities to our movie. Indeed if you watch it before The Quantum Terror you can see that we drew from very similar sources. I'm not worried about this. You can't do a Lovecraftian film and not hit Lovecraftian notes. I've been working on this movie for over two years now and can say with confidence that although some imagery will be strikingly similar, The Quantum Terror takes things in an entirely different direction. Besides, the movie has been in the can for a while now. There's no going back to change it. I think the two movies can exist side by side as a testament to how differently people can react to an individual idea or ideology.
We're deeeeeeeeeeep into editing The Quantum Terror right now, with 22 minuets and 55 seconds of the movie completed in it's rough form. That means no color grading, sound mix, or VFX yet, but there is a watchable movie, there. We're really excited about that. Things are shaping up rather well and while I'm keeping my nose to the grindstone, I wanted to come up for air and let you all know that I haven't forgotten about you.
While you wait, check out this great new interview from MorbidlyBeautiful.com with Quantum Terror star Paula Solinger, as part of their Deadly Beauty: Scream Queens & Rising Talents series. CLICK HERE to read it. We're very proud of her.
I also wanted to take you behind the scenes of another aspect of our film, which is production design. The Pipe Lion smoke shop, in Kyle, TX was a major contributor to our film, opting to go for our product placement pledge reward. We came to their store and shot a scene, but at the time they were without signage for their store, so we made them a new one.
I like to think that we go above and beyond for our contributors, whenever possible. Look for this sign in the movie.
Well, I hate to post and run, but it's time to finish up this film, so it's back to work for me.
Tis the season for family, friends, and the wrap up of another year. I've seen a lot of people complain that 2016 has not been their year, but mind couldn't have been more amazing. Why? Because of you. I've put together this video to personally update everyone with a year end progress report and to say thank you.
I also recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Robert Stark and Pilleater of Stark Truth Radio, an hour long podcast show that, if you're like me and you enjoy listening to people talk shop while you work or walk the dog, you can do so by CLICKING HERE. It's also available via the You Tube video below.
Well, I can't say it enough. Thank you for joining us on this journey. We're very near the finish line now and before you know it, there will be a movie.
It's been a bit too long since our last update but we're back with some big news. The Quantum Terror will be featured for the first time in Gore Noir's black and white H.P. Lovecraft special. The fact that it's coffin shaped is enough to make it a gem in their already collectable series of magazines, but we believe the fact that will feature never before seen exclusive photographs of our practical effects Lovecraftian nightmares will make it even more so. It's going to sell out quick so pre-order your copy by going to this link: http://gorenoirmagazine.bigcartel.com/product/lovecraft-cthulhu-coffin-shaped-b-w-magazine-issue right now.
We've been hard at work over the last month creating the last of our monsters for second unit filming. We don't want to give away too much, but here are a few photos to spark your curiosity.
Jenna Green painting... something.
When Shoggoth wants your beer.
Hang in there.
I also took a little time to do a video update about how we're using stop motion as part of our movie.
There's more news coming. I wish I could just say it all right now but we've got to make sure that everything's nailed down before we go blabbing. All I can say is that we're really excited about how well this movie is coming together, as well as all the possibilities for distribution that have come our way. It could be that this movie becomes bigger than I could have ever imagined. More on that, soon.
After over a year of on and off production, what a strange feeling it was to say those words. "That's a wrap." Kristin Cochell cheered and clapped. Everyone in our cast and crew and been so dedicated and passionate about being a part of The Quantum Terror. It truly has been a magical experience making this film. Here are a few photos from the final days.
As you can see from the last photo, we're wasting no time in tearing down the set. It's a painful thing to do, but space has to be made for our second unit work. For the next couple of months we'll be working with miniatures, puppets, and other insert effects to fill in the scenes what couldn't be done onset with our actors. We'll be doing this in tandem with our first stages of editing, to make sure that we're getting all the coverage we need. There's still a lot of work ahead, but I'm happy to say that it's coming along nicely.
In the near future, you will be seeing some serious revisions to our Indiegogo, including new videos, artwork, and information. We're going to really start pushing for press coverage and to widen our audience, so please keep spreading the word. Encourage your friends to follow our social media pages, and please be sure to like us on IMDB as well as Facebook.
This is a really exciting time in our evolution and I want to say thank you to each and every one of you who has helped us on our way. The list is long, but each name on it has played an important part.
As usual, we're running all engines at full, with more miniatures, practical effects, and filming. Yesterday, we wrapped Dimitrius Pulido who plays the role of Professor Rathbone. Dimitrius has acted for many years in the film industry, appearing in such films as Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, Machete, and the upcoming Harbinger. We shot both on location, in our green screen studio, and took the time to get some publicity still of him, against our set.
We also had a great time shooting more green screen work with Kristin Cochell, who will be wrapping her leading role as Samantha Carroll, in The Quantum Terror next weekend. We're both super excited, and sad that our days of working with her on this movie are coming to a close. She's turned in an amazing performance, and I can't wait for you all to see her character come to life on the screen.
Meanwhile, we've been putting together some new creatures, which you might have seen on my Instagram page. The cast has had a great time interacting with them, as nothing beats being attacked by a good practical effects monster, on set. Below are a couple of progress shots, but I'll be posting a new "making of" video, within the next day or two.
Speaking of posting videos, keep an eye out for the new trailer, in the coming weeks. Due to our hectic schedual on the film, I'm not sure exactly when it will be released, but it will be out in time for the San Diego Comic Con, which our executive producer James Hudnall will be attending. I wanted to have it out sooner, but I feel that it's more important to take my time putting it together, as I want it to reflect the level of excellence that our finished film will represent. Cast, crew, myself, all of us alike have worked really hard to make this movie special and I don't think it would be fair to any of them to release a trailer that didn't make us all feel proud.
That's all I'll be reporting for now, as we've got to get back to work. Next weekend will be our biggest and craziest film shoot, yet.
We're super excited to announce that this ThursdayMay, 26th 2016 we will be making our first television appearance on Zombie Life TV, at 9:30PM, (that's Texas time.) to talk about The Quantum Terror.
Well, we're nearing the end of the principle photography phase of things, anyway. Boy has it been a ride, so far, and we of course want to say thank you, once again, to all who have supported us. It's been since mid April since our last update, so I thought we were past due for another one.
So, what have we been doing during all of this time? Filming of course, and taking a weekend trip up to Dallas for the Texas Frightmare Weekend, horror convention. That was a blast. We got to meet a lot of great horror fans who were either delighted to receive one of our new postcards, letting them know that The Quantum Terror is coming, or (to our great surprise and our own delight) had already heard of our film, and told us how great they thought it looked. True story.
Quantum Terror star Jordan Micheal Brinkman chills out with friends at Texas Frightmare!
Another treat was going to see one of the stars of Aliens and Harbinger Down, Lance Henriksen, speak. What a fun guy.
Lance "Bishop" / "Captain Graff" Henriksen
But before all of that we were hard at work shooting the movie, in what had to be some of the most intense days of work, so far. Kristin Cochell, Paula Marcenaro Solinger, Matt Blackwell,
Jordan Michael Brinkman, and Val Mayerik have all been phenomenal in their performances, and we're very much looking forward to working with Dimitrius Pulido, who is waiting in the wings while the weather takes its time, getting back to the sunny days that we need for our shots to match.
A few notes:
1: Not long ago, I said there would be a new trailer for The Quantum Terror. It's still in the works, but we've had to push it back a little, because we felt that it needed some effects shots, including some of Heather Lowe's genius miniature work, to really drive home the quality of this film.
2: We'd like congratulate our supporting star Paula on the release of another movie which she stars in, Blood Sombrero. You can order it VOD or get the DVD at Walmart, right now.
3: If you're interested in my thoughts on writing a script, you may enjoy my breakdown of James Cameron's Aliens.
4: I've been working on a little side project with studioADI's own Alec Gillis and Harbinger Down star Camille Balsamo. It's a behind the scenes ebook called Harbinger Down: A Pictorial Journey Through The Production Of A Practical Effects Film... or maybe just "The Making of Harbinger Down" will do?
If you haven't seen Harbinger Down yet, I highly recommend that you do. It was made for under a million dollars, funded through both Kickstarter and privet investors, and was a major factor in making me decide to go forward with producing The Quantum Terror. I consider it a shining example of how wonderful practical effects and the spirit of low budget, independent film making, can be. It's available on DVD and Netflix streaming.
Here's the trailer...
...and a really cool behind the scenes video...
When the ebook is released for sale, my share of the proceeds will go to finishing funds for The Quantum Terror. I'll let you know when it becomes available for purchase on the studioADI Store.
And that's it! I'll be back with more news of our final shoots, upcoming interviews, and more thoughts on what creates a good movie. Have a question? Want to see a blog post address a related subject that interests you? Drop me a line at thequantumterror@gmail.com
