It's almost time to party with the creatures of the night but we're not slowing down here. Jenna Green is putting the finishing touches on our miniature creatures for our second unit work, I've been working on a few pickup shots with actor Matt Blackwell, and our green screen space is just about ready to go four our final round of second unit photography.
Fun Video For Halloween
Ah, we love special effects. That perfect blend of practical monsters, camera tricks, clever editing and compositing. That's why I was thrilled when a couple of days ago Rocket Jump Film School released this totally rad (Yes, I said rad. We're trying to bring that back, here.) video highlighting some of the practical effects that made us fall in love with movies. Being as I also am a writer, I put together an articles that expands on some of the effects they talk about. You can read it by clicking HERE. Keep an eye out for friends of The Quantum Terror, Alec Gillis (talking Facehuggers) and Tom Woodruff, Jr. (among the Terminator puppet crew) They have a pretty cool You Tube Channel, too.
If you enjoyed that, I'd also like to point you to an earlier article from a few years back. Click HERE to read that one.
Gore Noir Magazine
I'm told there's still time to order your coffin shaped H.P. Lovecraft edition of Gore Noir Magazine, featuring exclusive photos from The Quantum Terror, but they will sell out soon. CLICK HERE to get your copy, if you haven't already. They should be showing up in the mail any day now, for those who are expecting them.
Photos
You've all been so wonderful, nothing but support and not a single complaint that the movie is taking to long. I'm very grateful for that and I promise it's all going to be worth the wait. However, you know me. I've got to give you something. Here are a few more photos from our post production that will give you just enough to make you wonder what you're in for.
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.
“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all its contents... some day the piecing
together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of
reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go
mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and
safety of a new Dark Age.”
~ H.P. Lovecraft
It has been mentioned before that The Quantum Terror's cash of creatures are more than just your run of the mill beasts that maim people for kicks, but rather metaphors that speak of the burdens that everyone living in or modern society must bear. For many people who have a cursory knowledge of H.P. Lovecraft, the name evokes images of slimy, tentacled monsters devouring hapless victims, while leaving the survivors to cackle with mad laughter, which in turn dissolves into hysterical tears from the encounter. It's a fair enough generalization, but in this day and age of Cthulhu plush toys and role playing games, I fear that the true implications of an alien terror so vast, so complex, contradictory, and foreign that it causes people to go insane, has been lost on most, especially since we have already encountered such a being. No really, we have. It didn't come from a fallen meteorite, beneath ancient ice, or the briny depths, but from that alternate dimension that is the collective human consciousness.
“I think the
point is to make us despair; to reject our own humanity, Damien: to see
ourselves as ultimately bestial; as ultimately vile and putrescent;
without dignity; ugly; unworthy.”
~William Peter Blatty,
The Exorcist
Human beings greatest strength is that even in the most cut throat of times, when this Trojan horse in our collective has cased so much destruction, good people can be found who inspire hope and rally others to strive for improvement. Historically, these people have risen above the clamor and shown their fellows the way, not through deception and despair, not through coercion and censorship as so many are want to do these days, but by example, so that we can right the wrongs, or at least rebuild with the intention of doing better next time.
However, each time this entity returns stronger and more determined then the last, a Hydra like insidious worm akin to that which gets into the brains of cows, causing them to turn in circles until they drop dead or rabies infecting a pack of wild dogs so that they turn on each other. It finds what matters to us most and digs in, driving us apart until we are so consumed with the weight of it all, that we eventually give up and let ourselves fall to ruin.
Amazingly, I've found that it is this Equestira Girls: Rainbow Rocks song, entitled "You Didn't Know That You Fell" that illustrates this point quite perfectly with its lyrics, but instead of a Siren's song dividing us, it is the cacophony of the dilapidated media and politics, that is perpetuated minute by minute courtesy of social media. We've all been assimilated into it. Indeed, it can't exist without us and the people who profit from it are working hard to make sure we never leave.
What? You were expecting a giant naked lizard man with an octopus head? While that image is definitely more fun for horror movies, it is those same movies that have ensured that if such a being were to really manifest in our world, our brains will have already been prepared for the image and recognizing the enemy. We'll be ready to fight.
However, this being is far too clever to do something like that. Instead it has attacked us in a way most people never have thought possible, and therefore we would not be able to protect ourselves against, so readily. Rather than overwhelming us with sheer alien incomprehensibility, it overwhelmed us with the incomprehensibility of our own inner world, taking our desire to be moral creatures and hitting it dead on. The younger generation of our current populous has suffered the worst from this attack, because they do not come from a time before everyone carried a device with them that constantly inundates everyone with information and misinformation, 24 hours a day. However, having that frame of reference is not a sure fire inoculation. We were all taken off guard.
Those of us who grew up before the iPhone and Androids never imagined that there would be a worse perpetrator of this deluge than the TV, which we could easily walk away from to continue on with our daily lives. Now we're always plugged in, wherever we go, and so are the mechanisms of our culture. It gives us information on tap and at the touch of a little screen, grants us the capacity to learn things and see places without traveling, but it mixes that great privilege, which no one wants to give up, with superficial things and tells us that no person should be without them. At breakneck speeds it shows us threats and atrocities both real and manufactured for manipulation, and gives us such conflicting information, rewritten history, edited events, propaganda, people arguing, condescending to each other, accusing everyone of racism, holding grudges for things that happened before any of us were born, telling them they're evil for eating meat, not having solar panels, thinking differently then them. It tells them that the environment is being destroyed, terrorists are killing everyone and it's our fault, the economy is crashing, our government is being controlled by corporations, you're greedy for opposing new taxes, the color of your skin invalidates you (or if you're black and you agree with a white person, you're a coon.) your typos invalidate you, your bills are overdue, and on and on and on, and this is coming at you all the time, and the big message is if you're not thinking about it, caring about it, trying with all your might to do the right thing, fix all the planet's problems, and not offend anyone, then YOU are what's wrong with this world. Dare to present another point of view and you will be blocked, ganged up on, ostracized, and labeled a troll. It's passive aggressiveness with all the aggressiveness of World War III. Pass it on. Of course, feel free to absolve yourself when you do. Everyone else does. It's enough to drive anyone to madness in a way that puts any cosmic horror to shame.
And so Cthulhu has risen. Or maybe it's more like the Orwellian bullet to the head (read 1984 to get that reference) wherein here comes the self appointed master to tell you that all of this free will is really what's ailing you. "What you need is to put us in charge." they tell us, "We know better than you. Never mind that we're the ones that built the pyre and fanned the flames." and when we're all beaten and crazy from it all, and agree to their devil's proposition, Cthulhu will have consumed us completely.
However, unlike the writings of Lovecraft, there is still hope. When enough people learn to question what they're shown, to know when to tune things out, to seek knowledge through the world that the information highway does not show them, but rather go back to experiencing what our five senses show us, we will once again be able to take our lives back from this horror. First we'll have to learn not to fear the cuts and bruises that both our egos and physical bodies will have to endure, to be happy this way. We'll have to learn to live with different points of view and accept when others don't always agree with ours, and also accept that this might not mean that they're bad people. We'll have to be aware that there will always be others willing and wanting to hurt us and be prepared to defend ourselves against them, but we will do it with courage and integrity, rather than crying to some imagined savior, who is really just a salesman or aspiring slave master, minus the tell tale tentacles that would otherwise raise a red flag.
All of this will be in The Quantum Terror. Don't worry, it will be subtle. We know you don't go to the movies to be preached to, like in this article. I'll leave that to James Cameron when he releases the next Avatar movie.
I've had a lot of comments since I started this campaign to bring The Quantum Terror to life. Two of them stand out in my mind, and I feel are important for me to address.
The firstone was from a Facebook commenter who said something like, "I was into the trailer until I saw the girls kissing." I don't think they were actively offended by it, but may have had some concerns that the movie was just going to be gratuitous in an exploitation kind of way. While I freely admit to wanting to make a movie that is as sexy as it is scary, it's also very important to me that there isn't anything in the film that doesn't need to be there. The Quantum Terror is a love story between two women that is interrupted by not only the horrors that come with alien creatures, but the perceptions of others on the outside looking in. These preconceived notions come from everywhere and at everyone who is trying to be true to themselves, their feelings, and sense of place in the world. After all, quantum physics is partly to do with the influence of observation. (...as explained in this video, if you want to know more on that.)
Indeed, whether we like it or not, our daily lives are greatly influenced by how others perceive and interact with us. Regardless of our skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or age, each and every person is experiencing life from their own individual point of view, yet we still have to contend with how others perpetuate the stereotypes that come with our commonalities. Celebrities and media will over inflate them, encouraging others to embrace these stereotypes as culture or life style, when they are neither. They are simply pigeonholes meant to keep people thinking of themselves and others as part of the masses, rather than taking ownership of ones own individual identity. The result is often segregation through the illusion of pride or heritage. Heritage and traditions can help us learn about where we came from and where we're going, but unfortunately are also often used to draw lines between us and our fellows. Before you know it, people are using them to justify bullying through bigotry. These stereotypes influence those who would rather generalize than address each person they meet as a unique human being, who may have their own thoughts and feelings, their own hopes, problems, fears, or loves outside of what any group which has been automatically designated to them by a roll of the cosmic dice. We seem to live in a world where daring to step outside of that has become socially unacceptable on any side of these lines. I feel that could be damaging to anyone's psyche, especially of today's young people, who don't seem to have any frame of reference to ground themselves in.*
My intention in creating a lesbian protagonist was to take the stereotype and strip it from the character, so you would see the human being underneath, which we all have in common. In doing so, I felt that I could be free to take an objective look at these characters as I wrote them and free them from the box others might want to put them in, even if I am a heterosexual male. Was I successful? I asked our leading actress Kristen Cochell (IMDB) what she thought, and this is the reply she sent me.
"I fell in love with my character in The Quantum Terror, Sam, shortly
after reading the script. Sam is unlike a lot of heroin/leading roles we
see in the cinema currently, which is what attracted me so much to her.
In this movie we have one of the first Lesbian heroines. A gay hero?
It's unheard of, which is one of the reasons I wanted to play her.
Another reason Sam's character spoke to me is because main female
characters have always been undermined by covering their emotions on
film. God forbid we show a main character in an emotional light, right?
Don't get me wrong Sam is very strong, sort of like Sigourney Weaver in
Aliens, but she's also very fragile at moments, which makes her human.
Sam's character has been a turning point for my career. The internal
struggle between fighting to find her sister, fighting back her feelings
for Lucy, fighting aliens and quantum physics, it's been a truly
challenging role that I could not be more grateful to tackle. The
Quantum Terror is not just about making a lesbian love story, but
raising and changing standards in the film industry."
Which brings me to...
The second comment I received was from another actress who auditioned for the lead. Her's was something to the effect of, "Even if you don't cast me, I just want to say thank you for creating a part like this in your film. It means so much to me and to other women, especially in Austin, that a filmmaker would chose to have a female lead like this one." I confess, I was much taken aback at being told this. I've always been a fan of science fiction and horror, and in my mind all the great films had a woman at the forefront. Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in Alien and Linda Hamilton's Sarah Conner in Terminator stand out the most, but movies like Hellraiser, Nightmare On Elm Street, Rosemary's Baby, and Halloween all centered around a well written heroine. It seemed only natural to me to do the same. That's not to say that the decision was entirely accidental. I had decided that I didn't want to center my theme around a person's race or spiritual beliefs, because not only could that become unintentionally polarizing, but I feared that not everyone would be able to automatically relate. On the other hand a homosexual person can come from any walk of life. It truly seemed to be the only way to go. I hate to say it, but in this day and age I realize that this is still going to be a hard sell. It would be an even harder one if the romance was between two men. I feel that two women may be a little easier for male moviegoers to handle.
I realize I still run the risk of garnering criticism and perhaps even malice from our potential audience, but it is my hope that people don't come at this movie thinking I'm going out of my way to make some sort of progressive statement. I'm really not. This movie is ultimately about tentacled horrors from another dimension whose very existence will bring people to the brink of metaphysical madness. All this other stuff about individuality, having the freedom to chose, and being true to yourself is just subtext to make the movie more engaging for everyone, including myself. Or, is it? When you see it, you can decide what to take away from it on your own.
Hey, by the way, we'd actually love to have you as part of the fun, so why not head on over to our Indiegogo page (click right here http://igg.me/at/quantumterror) watch the trailer, and pick up a pledge reward.
*Next up: How Lovecraftian cosmic horror and quantum physics apply as a metaphor for our media driven society!
First, watch the trailer and then I'll tell you about what we've been up to.
Here's the short link to the Indiegogo: http://igg.me/at/quantumterror
Did you like it? We're pretty pleased with it. There are issues what we're working to improve right now, such as improving our sound, but over all I think you'd be hard pressed to find anything else of this quality on our budget. I'd say that I'd bet my reputation that we'll probably finish with a better all around film than most bigger budget indies, but the fact is that anytime a director/producer makes a movie, that's exactly what they are doing. Fortunately, I've got a great cast and crew who are bringing a level of quality to this film that would otherwise be out of my reach. However, we still need your help. If you've already pledged, please share our campaign. Now what we've made our goal, Indiegogo is letting us keep raising money, so we can make this movie be the best it can be.
The Story
Samantha Carroll's twin sister Silvia has
gone missing, without a trace. The only clues that Sam has to go on are
notebooks filled with strange quantum physics
equations combined with scribblings about the occult, that have been left
behind. Silvia's ex-boyfriend and fellow college classmate claims he has
seen her going into the nearby drainage tunnels that run under the town
he lives in, however he himself is a suspect in her disappearance.
Accompanied
by Samantha's concerned ex-lover Lucy, who has brought a new boyfriend in tow, the now
group of four go down into the tunnels where strange alien creatures and
alterations of reality, will confront them with their deepest desires
and darkest inner truths. Now, the question isn't just whether they will
find Silvia or not, but if it's even possible for them to ever get out
again.
As I say in the video, story and characters count. Executive
producer James Hudnall is
known for his work as co-creator of the Ultraverse for Malibu Comics as
well as Harsh Realms for Chris Carter, and is a writing genius in my book. His revisions of the script are invaluable. We continue to talk on the phone about directors we love (David Lynch and Sergio Leone are names that kept coming up) and tweaks that should be made to the script as footage is shot. We're both very visual storytellers and we want to make sure that ours unfolds through mood, body language, the looks in people's eyes and actions, as much as through what is said.
Building Scary Worlds & Monsters
Let's talk about building underground tunnels and the creatures that inhabit them, on a micro
budget. My passion for a long time has been working with a hybrid style of miniatures, trick
photography, practical effects, puppets, and green screen composite work, both
for the screen and design. I've helped bring to life the visions of some
amazing creators, on projects like Passport To Explore, Live Forever: The Ray Bradbury Odyssey, and Harbinger Down, but I'm the director, so I had to bring in someone who I could trust to do even better at that stuff than the standards I hold myself to. That's why I made Jenna Green my head of special effects. You'll probably know her best for her time on SyFy Channel'sFace Off (season 4) but she also wowed audiences with work on Army of Frankensteins.
We're not having a go at the FX alone, though. Studio 1881 actually has no internet presence, so you'll just have to take my word for it when I say that the main creature that is being sculpted there is beyond amazing. The fact that Oscar winning FX company studioADI is contributing animatronic tentacles to our film is just mind blowing. Having the support of people with that level of achievement (the Aliens franchise, Tremors, Starship Troopers, Harbinger Down) makes us believe we must be doing something right.
The Look & Sound
Cinematographer
Anthony Gutierrez is one of our latest additions to the team. This has been an amazing development for us, because even though I had confidence in my own camera skills and artistic eye, there's nothing like having a specialist at the helm, that can look at everything that is going on in a production, and capture it in a way that transcends your average B-movie. Composer Derek Hunt is a relative newcomer to film scoring, but as you can tell from the trailer, he's come up with some haunting melodies that will put the fear, in atmosphere. (It works better when you say it out load.)
...and there's so much more we're doing right now, that we either can't talk about just yet, or would just make this post twice as long as it already is. (Shout out to David Paul, who is doing our titles & the band Frankenstein who have a track in the film.) I just want everyone to see that the stars are right. We've attracted more top notch talent than I could have ever dreamed. We've got a film with amazing visuals, themes like love, LGBT issues, freedom of choice, life, death, spirituality, science, and the passion to make it all happen. Come be a part of it.
Wow, so here it is. We made it. Sorry that I'm a little late in
updating, since our funding goal was met, but we were going full
throttle without a rest stop in sight. No sooner did we make our goal
then we were off to South By South West, in Austin, to show off some of
our practical effects puppets, like the one in this video, below.
Now it's time to get to work, but we'll keep posting updates and
continuing to get the word out, so we can reach our new stretch goal.
Thank you again, for all of your help. Now, we're going to make a great
film. THANK YOU everyone.
-Christopher Moonlight
PS
Want to know more about how that monster under my arm is working?
Here's an explanation to a puppeteering class, that my dear friend
Tarish Pimkins teaches.
Wow, it has been too long since our last update. I'm pulling triple duty on The Quantum Terror as we simultaneously work on our pre production, crowdfunding, and media. It's no small thing, but it's worth it, because this movie has taken on a life of its own and is becoming more amazing than I ever dreamed possible. Our biggest news this week, is our Quantum Terror Fundraiser Party at Joe's CrabShack in Townlake, which is in Austin TX. CLICK HERE for full details on the event. Be sure to tell your friends.
If you can't make it out, there are still 9 days left to get your pledge
in, to our IndieGoGo campaign, with plenty of great rewards. We're 46%
to our goal, which is only $2,500 so it's still completely possible to
make get there.
As many of you know, this isn't a movie we're going to make. This is a move we ARE making, right now. The script, storyboards, production art, and special effects are all already in progress, as well as casting. Just take a look for yourself.
Remember to follow us on all of our social media, and sign up for mailing updates, all of which you can find just to your right, on the side bar. Join us, in our quest to produce the very best in indie sci-fi horror, and in celebrating practical effects. Thank you.
A twin sister lost. An underground maze. A nameless insanity from outside of time and space awaits.
When I came to Austin, TX in 2012, I was fortunate enough to make some wonderful friends, including directorFrank Papa III, special effects artist Jenna Green, and film composer Lauren Morris, and before long I convinced them that they should work with me to produce a work of indie horror, the likes of which no one has ever seen, or dreamed possible on such a micro budget. We tried to run a Kickstarter in the month of December, which was really the wrong time...
...but it was a great way to A) learn that Kickstarter isn't the right platform for us, no matter how near or far from Christmas we try to raise our funds, and B) gain a tremendous amount of enthusiastic and supportive followers who want to see a movie like this made. And why wouldn't they?! We love movies full of strange alien shapes, tentacles, and mind blowing scientific ideas of interdenominational beings so incomprehensible to the human mind, that one would go crazy, just from seeing one. (takes deep breath) It's easy to see that other people love them, too. We also love seeing awesome practical effects, like the ones in John Carpenter's The Thing or James Cameron's Aliens, so when we started doing test videos for our own effects, we and everyone else could see that it could be awesome.
By the way, those creepy sounds were provided by the before mentioned Lauren Morris, who's passion and deep understanding of her craft make it obvious that she's going to be a huge asset in making this movie as spine chilling as it can be.
Of course, these are just some of my own humble effects tests. As a producer, my job is to bring in people who know better than I, and I think I've scored a pretty amazing talent in makeup and creature effects artist Jenna Green, who is responsible for the more impressive effects on the film Army Of Frankensteins. You may also remember her as a contestant on season 4 or the SyFy monster makeup competition show Face Off. Here she is talking about one of the higher end rewards we came up with for our crowdfunding.
We're also courting some amazing actors. I won't mention all of them here, because their availability is going to depend on when we raise enough funds to shoot, but they include the likes of Mike Gassaway (Magic Mike XXL, Dallis, Bad Kids Go To Hell) and Paula Marcenaro Solinger (Blood Sombrero, Salem, Flashes) who was also kind enough to record this video about why she wants to be a part of our movie.
So, what's this film about?
Our story follows a young woman in her early 20's named Sam, who is struggling with all the expectations that she believes she needs to fulfill within the chaos of modern society, and the confusion she feels after having an unexpected romantic relationship with another woman. Things continue to break down, when her twin sister goes missing, and the search for her leads Sam and her former lover into a dark underground labyrinth where a malevolent entity from beyond time and space, dwells.
Wow, right? I could go on, but I've got to get back to work on producing this film. As you can see, we're really passionate about creating something meaningful and unique. We believe that there's plenty of room in life for diversity, and really can't understand why people continue to chase after the same horror movie tropes until they evolve into meta, and the meta burns out. Let's take our love of creatures, practical effects, great acting, and solid storytelling, and show that the spirit of independent film making can bring new and original material to the screen.
We're coming to IndieGoGo, very soon. Lets do this thing! Follow us on:
Well, the response to
our Kickstarter has been enormous, and would be lying if we said that we
weren't thrilled and honored by all the messages, social media
comments, and of course, generous pledges that we've received so far.
I
know many of you have been wondering: "Just what kind of creatures can
be created on such a low budget, and will they look cool?" Well, to
answer that, I offer you this video, which highlights the creation of a
Cthulhu like creature for a past comic book project calledNegative.
Just to be clear, this particular creature will not be featured in
the film, but we have plans for at least three puppets that will top
him.
Special thanks go to MoviePilot.comfor posting the link to our article entitled"Zombies Are Out, Tentacles Are The New Meta" which has made some major waves in the comments of their horror Facebook page.
(In response to one question: No, this is NOT a tentacle porn. Sorry to
disappoint.) We're over the moon at how many views it's gotten.
Thank you to Darkest Jack of Darkest Radio
for dedicating a segment of his last podcast to The Quantum Terror. If
you missed it, you can still listen to the recording by clicking HERE.
In our next update, we will have a message from former contestant from SyFy's Face Off & makeup artist behind Army of Frankensteins, Jenna Green.
Jenna is our lead FX artist on The Quantum Terror and there will be
exclusive interview footage of her for our backers, as well.
We have 25 days left to go on our Kickstarter, and making progress in bringing you our Lovecraftian style story of tentacles and madness to film.
If I do say so myself, I wrote a great little article about why movies like this one are exciting, called Zombies Are Over, Tentacles Are The New Meta. Don't worry. I don't bash The Walking Dead. It was fun to write, and to pick out animated gif images and You Tube trailers, to go along with it. Click HERE to read it.
We were also glad to be the topic of conversation during THIS EPISODE OF DARKEST RADIO. www.darkestjack.com is a weekly goth/horror podcast that's actually a really good time, so we were honored.
We'll have more news on the way very soon, including cast announcements, and video with our makeup guru and former contestant from the SyFy series Face Off, Jenna Green.
