After A Brief Hiatus: Alone Together and What's Next

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Why no posts for the month of February? Time to get personal.

There's no light way to explain what's happened to me over the past three months. Firstly, principal photography ended on schedule. It was time to prep for the second unit in February, but only a week after shooting, I discovered that my cameraman didn't properly store our first two days of shooting and that a huge bulk of our work was lost entirely. I was (an am) devastated. Soon to follow, personal issues came into conflict, and before I knew it, school was starting up again. As things began to pile up I became seriously overwhelmed--so much so my own well-being was at risk. I had to address the situation and do what was best for me.

Though I've attempted to plan re-shoots for "Alone Together" I finally concluded that there isn't the time, the money, or the people to get the job done in time to turn in the project as my Junior thesis. I'm currently in the throes of constructing some sort of coherent narrative from the footage I have along with additional cut-aways that should hopefully piece some things together. There's no real telling what the faculty will think of what I have, but I'm planning on expecting the worst--that I'll be put on academic probation. If such is the case, I'll be producing a film over the summer, which I've been planning here and there, just in case.

I still owe everyone who contributed to my film a tremendous thanks, and so all backers will be receiving a graphic novelization of "Alone Together" by the end of the summer and a complete collection of all of my films on DVD. It's the very least I can do. I can honestly say though, working on the film was a truly great experience. Though many things went wrong, I handled every task to the best of my abilities and worked swiftly and efficiently. I just wish I had more to show for it.

So... What's next?

Well, currently I'm working on producing a short film that will be opening a multi-media arts collaboration entitled MADArt. The show is the brainchild of a talented visionary, artist, musician, and friend Santino Lo. He and I have been discussing the project for months and it's time now to start moving into production. If you're interested in learning more about MADArt, visit the kickstarter page! We're currently raising funds and we're very close to our goal. 33 days left. Don't miss out! As little as a dollar is appreciated.

Aside from MADArt, I'm also producing a short 4 minute experimental video to be projected during a dance performance choreographed by my good friend Yael Baifus. The dance and the visual elements will be mingling with The Flaming Lips' song "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate". I'm very excited to be working on something so abstract. I'll post frames from the footage as it surfaces.

And now for something to be celebrated...

I received word over winter break back in January from La Cinematheque Francais in Paris that they wanted to include my short adaptation of "Killer's Kiss" in their online exhibition "Kubrick & le web". The online exhibit is in conjunction with their Kubrick Exhibition which will be touring through Europe over the next couple months. I was also asked to submit the film to their competition in partnership with dailymotion. It's a really tremendous honor and I'm more than grateful to be given such a splendid opportunity.

Voting polls open in May, and I will keep you all updated as per the status of the competition. If I win, there are a number of prizes to be had. Some include an expansive 19 DVD set of all of Kubrick's films, The Stanley Kurbick Archives from Taschen Books, rolls of Ektachrome 100 T Super 8 film and a 4 day trip to New York. The trip to New York sounds redundant, but I hope I win it, if in case the tickets can be reversed so that I can take a trip to Paris. That would be particularly exciting, especially since I haven't left the country yet. So far, I'm the only American who's been permitted to participate in the contest, since my film is already included in the online exhibition.

In the meantime, I'll have my fingers crossed till June. And if you haven't seen "Killer's Kiss" yet, I've posted my adaptation and the original Kubrick version of the scene for your enjoyment.

Thanks again to everyone for all of your support. Though I've experienced some serious hardships, I'm picking myself back up and moving forward the best way I know how... just keep making movies. I'll be back with more to share next month.

Raw Power,
John Morgan

93% Earned on Kickstarter, 16 Days Left; Mike Hart's Triumphant Return; Hudson Guild Promo Now Online!

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So much has happened since my last post, and as I step into December, I won't be able to post an update until February. By then I'll be starting up on post and will be able to keep you all excited with brief glimpses of the production as I move into Spring. Meanwhile, backers will receive exclusive updates and have access to my online photo gallery which will document a lot of the shoot.

Speaking of backers, my Kickstarter fund has been doing splendidly, and with much thanks to the people who attended the Kick Out The Jams!! Benefit Concert on November 20th! We managed to raise $88.51. That, combined with various cash donations received prior, the accumulated amount has now boosted my project to 93%, hinging on only $98!!!

Swear And Shake

Kevin Henthorn ft. John Cummings

If in case, you didn't read on Kickstarter, I arranged the Kick Out The Jams!! Benefit Concert at SUNY Purchase College, and showcased five awesome bands that drew quite a crowd. Here are some photos, just to give you an idea.

Leila

Second Nature

Tymon Brown

Swear And Shake

Second Nature... getting low

Also related to Alone Together, just recently Mike Hart (Composer for Evil Film, Herbert West: Reanimator and Source Code [adaptation]) acquired a copy of the script and had this to say on his new blog Composing While Colorblind:

"Alone Together" tells the story of a hitman tasked to eliminate his next target, an ex-spy, with whom he falls in love. While the script is not completely finalized yet, it's equal parts touching, tragic, suspenseful and euphoric, as well as one hell of an entertaining read. Even without actors, the dialogue speaks for itself in an entirely human way. In terms of scoring, there's a couple of ideas kicking about in my head already. Certainly the film noir genre style of writing may come into effect, but a much more modern, tragic score may be called for as well. We'll see once I start getting footage."

Mike and I are extremely excited to be working together again, and especially on such an eventful project. I know he'll cook up something brilliant.

Aside from fund raising and Alone Together, the long awaited Hudson Guild Teen Outreach Promo is now online! The video features coverage on the Hudson Guild Theatre Company's Production of Hula Heart and Hudson Guild's Teen Service's Production of The Great Escape. Both pieces are reeled together in one video, but both run at about five minutes long. It was quite the adventure seeing this project through and I'm so glad to finally see it online. Enjoy!



Until next time, I leave you with these treasures, and a reminder to check out my Kickstarter pitch if you haven't already. I'm SO CLOSE to my goal, it hurts. As little as a dollar will get you a copy of the film. BUT if you give more, expect more in return... and by more, I mean really awesome gifts along with the film.

Thanks again to everyone who's shown their support and wish me luck for these next couple of months. It's time to make this movie happen.

Raw Power,
John Morgan

Kickstarter Breaks $1000, 43 Days Left; Casting Continues

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A brief update is necessary to celebrate that in only a week, my kickstarter project broke $1000, and now stands 23 backers strong.

Help out and see good karma at work!



Also, I just recently backed three film projects on Kickstarter! Here are links to those projects:

Narcissism (A short film by Dan Onoda)
Thunderstruck (A short film by Ryan Guiterman)
Armed Robbery (A short film by Dan McCartney)

Still $400 away!! Help out if you can!

Eighth Draft of "Alone Together" Completed, 26% Raised on Kickstarter!

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Just to give a quick update...

So far, I've raised 26% of my $1400 goal on Kickstarter. Thanks to all those who've contributed! I can't wait to give out copies once the film's completed. If you're interested in the project, or would like to help out--here's the pitch, which should also link you to the project page, if you'd like to learn how to contribute!



Currently, the latest draft seems the second-to-last. Significantly tighter. This next draft will be for fine tuning, and finding ways to conserve money, by being more selective with locations. Also, Tuesday last week marked the beginning of casting sessions with wonderful results. A lot of potential talent came and read, with call-backs soon to follow.

At the moment, I'm looking to solidify a final shooting schedule and secure locations for January. I've also been in talks with my Costume Designer, Kassia Dombroski and just assigned my Production Designer, Zoe Miller. The three of us will be working very closely with them in the next couple months to decide on the look and feel of the film. I'm especially excited to be working with Zoe Miller for the first time, especially since she works for a prop house and says we're likely to get discounts... and access to some pretty awesome props, of course.

Aside from my work on "Alone Together", Hudson Guild just reviewed my promos for their Teen & Youth Outreach Program, and I'll be sending them a re-cut by next week. Hopefully you'll be seeing it online soon, especially since there aren't very many changes to be made.

Jordan's still plugging away at "Duck, Duck, Goose" and is aiming to have all of the animation finished by December at the very latest.

Kickstarting "Alone Together": Shooting in Early January

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Hey Folks,

Been hard at work on pre-production for "Alone Together" and now's the time to raise funds in time for production. There isn't a whole lot of time, so why don't I just get right to the point: [LINK!]



This widget here will be relocated to the right margin of the page, and represents my new effort to raise money for "Alone Together". The link leads to my Kickstarter page. If you're not familiar with Kickstarter, it's an online community in which artists, inventors, etc. pitch their next project with hopes to raise the funds they need in order to make their projects into realities. If you've been following the blog, you must have a pretty good idea of the kind of work I've been doing in making "Alone Together" into my next heavy hitter.

UPDATE! (10.15.10):

Just got my first backer! As a special thanks to Peter Foy, he'll be receiving a Special Thanks credit in the film for helping me get my start. If you haven't followed the link already, here's the pitch video!



I'm glad to report the script is currently well into its eighth draft and steadily making progress. I serious feel this might be the second-to-last draft and I'm so extremely excited to get it finished. Casting starts next week. I just recently assigned a production designer, and am currently looking for a Director of Photography.

In other news, Jordan's still animating "Duck, Duck, Goose" and the Hudson Guild promo is being evaluated this week by the administration there. We'll be seeing these two projects fairly soon. Just recently I mentioned I was Director of Photography for a couple sophomore one-shot adaptations at SUNY Purchase. Soon enough I'll be getting a hold of those links and handing them off to you.

Well, I have to keep moving. Lots to do. Thanks for your support, and be sure to spread the word!

Raw Power,
John Morgan