My short horror film TOO MANY PREDATORS is complete.
Whew.
I had the pleasure of reviewing the movie with Chris Messineo today, the man behind the New Jersey Film School (http://www.njfilmschool.com/). Chris taught the Advanced Filmmaking Workshop from the school’s home in New Providence, New Jersey, and the students devoted their time and talents as crew. Thanks to his teaching prowess, kindness and passion for film, TOO MANY PREDATORS is ready for contests and film festivals.
From the countless hours of pre-production, casting, shooting, and thirty hours alone for editing (thanks to Chris’s diligence and expertise), the final cut is 3:45 seconds. Everyone on the film: actresses Ella West and Shannon Kelly, special effects make-up artist Paul J. Mason, composer Justin R. Durban, cinematographer Randy Lao, camera assistant Rolando David Jr., assistant director Kelly Allen, script supervisor Kisha King, sound Ganesh Padhy, behind-the-scenes videographer Mark Menditto, director Bill Shimp – and Chris Messineo, brought their time, skills and professionalism to make it all possible.
As the screenwriter, I think I may have had the easiest time of it, but to see my work go from page to screen is as humbling as it is thrilling. I am not only grateful and appreciative of everyone’s hard work and dedication, but I learned much during the process. And I will take this knowledge to my next script as I broaden my vision of what a movie should be to better suit the needs of cast and crew, and audiences, alike.
For now, TOO MANY PREDATORS is in this month’s Short Film Contest at MoviePoet (http://www.moviepoet.com/) and once the contest ends, a link will appear on this website.
I can’t imagine the hours that go into a full-fledged production, but I certainly hope to find out in the near future. In the meantime, I will work on the full-length script for TOO MANY PREDATORS in the hope we can create an even bigger and better miracle.
For now, I am happy, and I thank all of those involved from the bottom of my bloody heart. Special thanks go to Chris Messineo, a dear friend who found my script worthwhile enough to best represent what the students of the New Jersey Film School can do – and they can do wonders.
More to come…