Ramblings of a Splatterpunk

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Firestorm 2007 - All Projects Delayed
2007-10-24 05:44:00
Well, another fire is sweeping across Southern California and coming dangerously close to my family and friends. I was hellbent on trying to start auditions for my new projects in a week, but it looks like Hell surfaced to alter my plans a little. One of our filming locations has been directly affected by the fire and the fire came dangerously close to our house today. The fire came so close we packed up the essentials and left for the night.It's kind of funny because the essentials are several hard drives of data, our pro camera and a change of underwear. We are keeping in touch with people by email and phone.Once these fires are over and life returns to its new normal, we'll take a look at scheduling projects again.
More About: Projects

Firestorm 2007 - All Projects Delayed
2007-10-24 05:44:00
Well, another fire is sweeping across Southern California and coming dangerously close to my family and friends. I was hellbent on trying to start auditions for my new projects in a week, but it looks like Hell surfaced to alter my plans a little. One of our filming locations has been directly affected by the fire and the fire came dangerously close to our house today. The fire came so close we packed up the essentials and left for the night. It’s kind of funny because the essentials are several hard drives of data, our pro camera and a change of underwear. We are keeping in touch with people by email and phone. Once these fires are over and life returns to its new normal, we’ll take a look at scheduling projects again.
More About: Projects

Redress - Casting Begins
2007-10-06 07:44:00
I posted a casting call on the site for Redress and copied it to MySpace, Craigslist and the usual places. The thing I hate about posting anything online is that there is huge amount of spam that always follows. I get DPs and Composers emailing, sending DVDs and calling all hours of the day. I realize they are just trying to drum up business, but I can’t stand it sometimes. When I need crew members, I will post ads for them. The worst thing about casting a posting call is when your email address gets listed on a page - because then the spambots grab it. Now, in addition to resumes and headshots you have to contend with ads for viagra and mysterious letters from rich-ass Ethiopian prince. In order to avoid most of this hassle, I posted “casting at steelwebstudios.com” assuming that most people know to type that into their email program with @ in place of the “at”. I see it on websites all the time. Do you know how many people send me messages saying tha...
More About: Casting

Redress - Casting Begins
2007-10-06 07:44:00
I posted a casting call on the site for Redress and copied it to MySpace, Craigslist and the usual places.The thing I hate about posting anything online is that there is huge amount of spam that always follows. I get DPs and Composers emailing, sending DVDs and calling all hours of the day. I realize they are just trying to drum up business, but I can't stand it sometimes. When I need crew members, I will post ads for them.The worst thing about casting a posting call is when your email address gets listed on a page - because then the spambots grab it. Now, in addition to resumes and headshots you have to contend with ads for viagra and mysterious letters from rich-ass Ethiopian prince. In order to avoid most of this hassle, I posted "casting at steelwebstudios.com" assuming that most people know to type that into their email program with @ in place of the "at". I see it on websites all the time. Do you know how many people send me messages saying that they can't send email to "ca...
More About: Casting

Redress - Casting Begins
2007-10-06 07:44:00
I posted a casting call on the site for Redress and copied it to MySpace, Craigslist and the usual places. The thing I hate about posting anything online is that there is huge amount of spam that always follows. I get DPs and Composers emailing, sending DVDs and calling all hours of the day. I realize they are just trying to drum up business, but I can’t stand it sometimes. When I need crew members, I will post ads for them. The worst thing about casting a posting call is when your email address gets listed on a page - because then the spambots grab it. Now, in addition to resumes and headshots you have to contend with ads for viagra and mysterious letters from rich-ass Ethiopian prince. In order to avoid most of this hassle, I posted “casting at steelwebstudios.com” assuming that most people know to type that into their email program with @ in place of the “at”. I see it on websites all the time. Do you know how many people send me messages saying tha...
More About: Casting

Redress - 1st Draft Completed
2007-10-04 23:00:00
I have finally found time to sit down and finish the first draft of the script for Redress . The problem with being an indie filmmaker is that your job and other responsibilities always take priority over your filmmaker duties. I’ve been talking with producers and musicians on numerous projects. We’re also getting ready for a huge vacation in one week so there has been a ton of planning for that. Now that I have some time to myself I was able to sit down again and write. The funny thing about this story was that I knew where it would start and I knew where it would end, but I did not know exactly how it would end. After hammering out the last few pages I sat back and thought, “Wow, how the hell am I going to pull this off?” While some people just let their imaginations run all over the place while they are writing, I always try to remain grounded and think about how I would have to pull off an effect or camera angle with every scene that I write. Sometimes thi...
More About: Draft

Redress - 1st Draft Completed
2007-10-04 23:00:00
I have finally found time to sit down and finish the first draft of the script for Redress . The problem with being an indie filmmaker is that your job and other responsibilities always take priority over your filmmaker duties. I've been talking with producers and musicians on numerous projects. We're also getting ready for a huge vacation in one week so there has been a ton of planning for that. Now that I have some time to myself I was able to sit down again and write.The funny thing about this story was that I knew where it would start and I knew where it would end, but I did not know exactly how it would end. After hammering out the last few pages I sat back and thought, "Wow, how the hell am I going to pull this off?" While some people just let their imaginations run all over the place while they are writing, I always try to remain grounded and think about how I would have to pull off an effect or camera angle with every scene that I write. Sometimes this limits me because I'...
More About: Draft

Redress - 1st Draft Completed
2007-10-04 23:00:00
I have finally found time to sit down and finish the first draft of the script for Redress . The problem with being an indie filmmaker is that your job and other responsibilities always take priority over your filmmaker duties. I’ve been talking with producers and musicians on numerous projects. We’re also getting ready for a huge vacation in one week so there has been a ton of planning for that. Now that I have some time to myself I was able to sit down again and write. The funny thing about this story was that I knew where it would start and I knew where it would end, but I did not know exactly how it would end. After hammering out the last few pages I sat back and thought, “Wow, how the hell am I going to pull this off?” While some people just let their imaginations run all over the place while they are writing, I always try to remain grounded and think about how I would have to pull off an effect or camera angle with every scene that I write. Sometimes thi...
More About: Draft

Ghost Lights - The Horror Begins
2007-09-28 02:08:00
I find myself winding down from two weeks of almost constant treatment writing - the problem is I'm never really winding down. The whole time I'm concentrating on a story and pounding it out on paper or the PC, somewhere in the back of my mind I keep wondering what's next.People ask me where I get my crazy ideas. I really don't know but I think I draw a lot of stuff from folklore and odd combinations of things I've seen or read in the past. Usually I start thinking about a few possibilities at once and something completely different will fly out of left filed and smack me between the eyes. It's usually this idea that takes precedent over everything else and haunts me in every waking and sleeping moment until it's completed. Sometimes it never stops there though; I start thinking about sequels and crossovers...So this rambling leads me to announce the pre-production of another short film, Ghost Lights . All I have in my head at this moment are these images of lights and people ...
More About: Horror

Ghost Lights - The Horror Begins
2007-09-28 02:08:00
I find myself winding down from two weeks of almost constant treatment writing - the problem is I’m never really winding down. The whole time I’m concentrating on a story and pounding it out on paper or the PC, somewhere in the back of my mind I keep wondering what’s next. People ask me where I get my crazy ideas. I really don’t know but I think I draw a lot of stuff from folklore and odd combinations of things I’ve seen or read in the past. Usually I start thinking about a few possibilities at once and something completely different will fly out of left filed and smack me between the eyes. It’s usually this idea that takes precedent over everything else and haunts me in every waking and sleeping moment until it’s completed. Sometimes it never stops there though; I start thinking about sequels and crossovers… So this rambling leads me to announce the pre-production of another short film, Ghost Lights . All I have in my head at this mom...
More About: Horror

Bedbugs from Hell - Update
2007-09-26 17:47:00
I am happy to announce that I finished the treatment for Bedbugs from Hell the other evening. I am letting it sit on the desk for a day before I pick it up and read it again. A few people have heard the story and they want to see more. Hopefully I can bring it to them soon.
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Am I Really A Winner?
2007-09-17 05:00:00
I spent most of the day on Saturday attending the El Cajon Video and Film Festival. There were a number of entertaining films to watch. I am not going to say one bad thing about any of the films at the festival. I will only say that there were some I enjoyed more than others.It was a strange day because we arrived early and were kind of rushed into the screening room. Later on we noticed people walking around with "Filmmaker" badges. I was little peeved I was never offered a name badge.The upset feeling growing in my gut was soon relieved by the fact that people started approaching me and complimenting my on my film "Mr. Buttons", which had screened earlier in the day at the festival. Despite the fact I didn't have a badge, people still knew it was my film. How the hell did that happen? Oh, maybe by the fact I brought the doll from the film with me :-)Throughout the day I also kept hearing buzz that my film was going to win an award. I blew the talk off as hype and tried not to get...
More About: Winner

Redress - Character Designs
2007-09-11 07:50:00
I spent some time sketching out my design for the lead female character. This is going to be a Tale from the Carnal after all, so she needs to be sexy and powerful. I don't want to post the design yet - and not just because it looks like a third grader drew it. I hate spoiling the good stuff so you'll just have to wait and see what this new girl looks like. I think she's going to give Andromeda a run for her money... Let's just say for now that she's partially clothed and constantly dripping with blood.
More About: Character , Designs , Redress

Cinco de Mayo Massacre - Update
2007-09-02 21:00:00
The script treatment for the film is finally completed! I have been been really busy and scattered lately, but some recent events have allowed me to get time to work on the story. It has always been there, rattling around inside my head. Now it is finally on paper and the script will follow soon.
More About: Update , Cinco de Mayo , Massacre

Redress - Script Update
2007-08-25 03:00:00
I am pleased to announce that the 1st draft of the script for Redress is about 2/3 complete. Most of the people I've clued in about the story say this will be the scariest thing I've done yet.
More About: Script , Update

Redress - Pre-production Begins!
2007-08-18 15:04:00
I've been wanting to make two types of films for a while now: (1) a ghost story, and (2) a very short film. Judging from my past reviews I know that I can scare people and I know I can gross them out and creep them out. Now I want to prove I can scare you...I am pleased to announce I have begun work on my new short film "Redress ":One night during the long ride home, a convicted felon is visited by the ghost of a murdered woman and becomes a pawn in a mission of spiritual vengeance.Redress will appear on Tales from the Carnal Morgue - Volume Two and hopefully at some film festivals near you. For those of you who are screatching your heads about what "Redress" means, I suggest you grab a dictionary or follow this link...More details soon... I promise...
More About: Production

Goals and Festivals
2007-08-07 01:50:00
I am extremely please that I was able to accomplish 3 my goals for 2007. I was so happy that I actually sat back and said to myself, "Take a short break, you deserve it."Goal Number One - I completed the Tales from the Carnal Morgue DVD in time for the Comic-Con. Due to some screw up at the replicator the DVDs arrived a day late, but hey, I did my part.Goal Number Two - My film Mr. Buttons was accepted at both the Horrorfind Weekend Film Festival and the El Cajon Video and Film Festivals . These were fests I specifically designed the film for, so it was great to see it actually get accepted there.Goal Number Three - I implemented a new shopping cart for the Steel Web Studios site. The new cart allows me extreme flexibilty in adding products, having specials and coupons and Wholesale Discounts for some of our business partners. I've been so busy doing other things that I didn't have time to dick around with the programming, so I took the week after Comic-Con off and focued solely on...
More About: Goals

Bedbugs from Hell - The Teatment Begins
2007-08-03 05:40:00
I have officially started on the first draft of the script for Bedbugs from Hell . I've been spending the last few weeks getting the Carnal Morgue DVD ready and then preparing for Comic-Con. It feels good just to sit down and write again. I have to admit I've been researching topics from the story for a while now and I have been methodically filling my notebook and index cards with plot points and character development. It's good just to let all of that information begin to purge itself into a storyline. I've told a few people about the plot of the film, and It's funny, but I love the look on people's faces when they say, "Oh, how are you going to work hardcore sex into that".I really enjoy making people guess what the hell I'm going to do next. I can definitely say that this next film will take splatter porn to a whole new level. As far as the hardcore stuff, you all need to stop worrying about it. In the end, I'm going to sit you down in a dark room and tell you a scary sto...

Comic-Con 2007
2007-07-30 19:30:00
I just wanted to thank everybody for coming down to see us at Comic -Con this year. The first year you have a booth at the Con, you always have to wonder, "Should I have spent all that fucking money on this?" After this year, our second year, when I was still wondering if I should have spent the money, it was incredibly rewarding to have people running up to us and asking where the new DVD was. That feeling was incredible.If it were not for my fans, these films would not go very far... but thanks to my fans these films have gone much farther than I ever thought they would have. All I can say is thank you, and if you want to see more films from me, please just keep being terrific fans. Tell your friends about the movies, show the movies to your friends, but most of all, please encourage them to buy their own copy. I'm a small indie film producer. Money I should be putting into my daughter's college fund and my 401K - but I make movies instead. I can't keep making movies you love if...
More About: Comic-Con

Mr. Buttons - Gag Reel
2007-07-22 19:44:00
Here's a gag reel for our film Mr. Buttons . We had a lot of fun making this film and I think it shows in this series of clips.
More About: Reel

Mail Order Bride - Gag Reel
2007-07-19 07:40:00
We originally showed these blooper clips at the premiere for Mail Order Bride . People were laughing their asses off. I get a lot of requests for the "Midget Dr. Phobia" routine... so here it is.
More About: Reel , Mail Order Bride

Sustenance - Gag Reel
2007-07-19 03:30:00
Here's the gag reel for Sustenance . We had a lot of fun making this film as well. A lot of time was spent concentrating on getting strong perfromances so we didn't end up with too many funny clips.
More About: Reel

Bed Bugs from Hell - Concept Art
2007-07-07 07:50:00
I thought I would put up some conceptual artwork for this film. I've always wanted to do a "creature feature" so this should be a good start. I'm thinking this story will be loaded with gore, blood, hardcore sex and the things people seem to be begging me for. The inspiration for Bed Bug's from Hell came about while we were thinking up crazy movie titles for a sequence in our film Mail Order Bride where the wacky TV Host Dr. Phobia is discussing the Fright Fest's lineup for the evening. I wanted to come up with a cheesy spin-off of for a nuclear mutant movie and the title just popped into my head like so many of the others did.We filmed a few campy scenes for the Bed Bugs in Mail Order Bride, but they were ultimately cut from the final film due to timing issues. There are extremely fast glimpses of the scenes in some of the Bride's flashbacks, but that's all we see of it, other than a glimpse of a campy poster while Dr. Phobia is rambling on. It was a shame I had to cut the sc...
More About: Concept Art , Concept

Sustenance - Photos Online!
2007-06-19 00:15:00
I've been extremely busy writing my next screenplay, prepping the new DVD and networking with a few potenial producers and investors, so I apologize for the delay. The behind the scenes photos and screen captures for Sustenance are finally online.
More About: Photos , Online

Sustenance - Rough Edit Completed
2007-06-02 02:20:00
I am pleased to announce that I have finally finished editing the film. It took a little longer than I wanted, but it's done. There are still some effects and audio to tinker with, but the timing and main shots are all locked in. My composer Peter Gorritz will be working on the music and we will have the whole thing ready for DVD in time for our fans at the San Diego Comic Con.I had a few dilemmas with this film, which is why it took a while to edit. I had written a short script and filmed a finite amount of footage, but I ended up with almost enough quality content to make this a feature film. Eventually I made the painful decision to cut characters and some scenes from the film. I would love to have every piece of footage in the film, but I think people will enjoy this one. It moves fast and keeps you guessing. Hopefully you guys will like it.
More About: Edit , Sustenance

Cinco de Mayo Massacre - Press Release
2007-05-05 09:05:00
Well, it's official. I am starting pre-production on Cinco de Mayo Massacre . Film treatment is almost complete, the website is up and I already have a few distributors and investors nibbling. This will be an entertaining and original film once it's completed... I'm not spilling the beans yet, but there will be a ton of sex and gore in this one if I have it my way :-)Here's the official Press Release for those of you that misses it: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Steel Web prepares Cinco de Mayo MassacreSan Diego, California (May 5, 2007) - Steel Web Studios is pleased to announce that pre-production has begun on " Cinco de Mayo Massacre ", our second feature film.The tale of " Cinco de Mayo Massacre " unfolds as a group of college students become lost in the New Mexican desert on their way to a party. They stumble across a secret Native American burial site and unwittingly disturb an ancient Aztec spirit. Hell bent on revenge due to injustices from the past, the spirit embarks on a blood...

Sustenance - Official Artwork
2007-04-26 01:44:00
I created the official poster art for the film today and posted it online. I wanted it to have a "pulp" feel to it, and a design which compliments the other posters for this round of Carnal Morgue shorts. Basically it's follow the same format as Mail Order Bride, but I switched the angles so that the poster works like a bookend for the series. I think it works.
More About: Artwork , Official , Sustenance

Sustenance - Filming Completed
2007-04-22 05:30:00
Principal Photography was wrapped today! We had a blast filming some of the gory scenes for the film. Unfortunately we had to take down the set and throw it away. Oh well, there will be many other sets to build in the future.
More About: Filming , Sustenance