It's Summer Time... Is Living Getting Easy?

So, with this recession business, clawing at the ankles of the city's economy, I woke up this morning to see Bloomberg trying to explain to a disgruntled and scoffing local coverage the state had cut a lot of the city's funding and it looks like the first of the six thousand job cut will be teachers.

"6,400 teachers and 300 classroom aides...
and to close 50 senior centers, 16 day care centers and perhaps 10 libraries."
-New York Times

I have to say I'm awfully upset. It's these types of organizations that keep communities together, to a degree that most people either don't care or even bother to acknowledge sometimes. Regardless of who Bloomberg is pining the blame on at the moment, I think this is a crucially important time for anyone who has the opportunity of being inspired by their elders, their teachers, or their libraries, to visit those places. Hel1! The weather's getting nicer.

I also would like to draw attention to my most recent documentary, which so coincidentally has to do with a local Chelsea community center, called the Hudson Guild. I, along with help from my friend Caleb Foss, captured two dress rehearsals by the center's community theater company. For months the company has been assembling a production of the classic Wagner opera, "The Ring" (Der Rings Des Nibelungen). If you're not familiar, "The Ring" is a four day opera (you might have heard the song "Ride of the Valkyries" in Apocalypse Now).

I was commissioned by Jim Furlong and the Hudson Guild to produce a small promotional documentary about the production, for potential investors. It was an amazing opportunity for a couple reasons. I'd worked for Jim as an assistant in high school and was familiar with his theater productions. First, being a production assistant and then later acting in a production of "Alice In Wonderland". Also, because Jim's company had put a tremendous production. It does very well to break the mold of community theater as something bold and ambitious.

Very shortly I'll be posting the final cut here and on youtube. It'll be called, "Among Giants" and runs about 7 min.

IN THE VERY MEANTIME...
I just recently had a birthday, and my girlfriend recently discovered a white hair in my mane (thanks Sophomore Year). It was a little shocking having felt her truly pluck it out of my head. It was a part of me. My first WHITE hair. I didn't really think I'd react the way I did, but there it was. It was coarse and tired. Silver, almost. It caught the light, and strongly. A strand of my brown hair could easily get lost in the cracks, but this thing could only be lost on a windy day. Which is why Jenny and I wedged it shut into her pocket mirror.

Also, my Sophomore Year closed very well. The Sophomore Screening went over splendidly with an awesome night of killer flicks by a talented class. Looking forward to the Junior screening.

Oh, and as my birthday just passed, I ended up getting myself a couple treasures. I bought Killer's Kiss and Paths of Glory for cheap off of Oldies.com. And at Barnes and Nobles, I got Bicycle Thieves by Vittorio De Sica... and yes I got the tricked out Criterion version with the essays (c'mon! i'm like a total dork!)

And as an educational expense, I ended up getting Looney Tunes Gold Collection Vol 2. It was an educational expense because I needed to nab the segment "What's Opera, Doc?" for my Hudson Guild documentary... (you'll have to wait and see).

Well... I guess I'll leave you with a solid 'goodbye'. I just caught Con Air on TV for a couple of seconds and came right to that part where the prisoners were trying to take off with the plane in that weird scrap yard, while Nicholas (don't belong in action movies) Cage is searching for insulin. Eventually he runs into some Columbian cartel with a private jet and Nick Cage beats the hell out of a few of them, but a few of them are still in the plane when he leaves. So, the cartels end up taking off with the plane, and fail when John Cussak screws up their take-off by dropping a crane on the tail of the plane. When the plane crashes into a gasoline pump, the last living guy crawls out of the wreckage and John Malkovich (as Cyrus "The Virus") walks over to him and says something like "...nice try."

"Cyrus, Please!" he says.

Malkovich takes the cigarette from Swamp Thing's mouth.

"Cy--"
"--onara," he says as he flicks the cigarette into the lake of gas.

Adios,
John Morgan

P.S.
Keep on the lookout. I'll be posting a few new videos once I get back home from school. Just a few fine cuts here and there and I'll get em online as soon as possible.

I the meantime, if you haven't checked out my more recent doc, be sure to check "MORGAN AVE" which I featured at the Sophomore screening, along with "Killer's Kiss"

Sunday Funnies, Bushwick & Zombies in New York

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As of late, I've been doing a fair share of narrative work, but have shifted focus to the genre of documentary filmmaking. Surely, my focus will always be narrative, I really really started to enjoy documentary thanks to my Intro to Documentary course at SUNY Purchase's Film Conservatory.

This Sophomore year has been an eye-opening experience. I've had great opportunities to work with really inspirational individuals on very exciting projects. Sometimes I've acted, some times I've done mic booming, and most exciting of all has been my experiences as cinematographer for writer/director, Caleb Foss.

In the meantime, I've been putting some final touches on documentaries from last semester. The first is an eye-witness documentary on the NYC Zombie Crawl. The doc follows the volunteers who offer free make-up, zombie fanatics and the overwhelming 300-person zombie invasion of Time Square in September of 2009. The documentary is now available to watch in two parts on YouTube, Doug Sakmann's Blog, & the official NYC Zombie Crawl website! (BE SURE TO WATCH PART 2!)

The second is a 2 minute place film documentary called "Morgan Ave" on life in my neighborhood in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NYC, over the song "Sunny Afternoon" by The Kinks. The film was shot entirely on Super8 Black & White! It's also available to watch on YouTube.

A screen cap from Newt Jersey.

And last, but not least is my most recent documentary about writer and cartoonist, Bryan Korn entitled "Newt Jersey", where I interviewed Bryan about his short comic strip of the same name. The film consists entirely of still-animation and featured comics from his website. Also available to watch on YouTube. And if you're interested in reading Bryan's comic strip, be sure to visit his blog!

 In the meantime, I'm finishing the cuts in a recent adaptation of an unproduced script by Ben Ripley called "Source Code". The film is currently being directed by Duncan Jones, who's recent indie debut "Moon" scored him big with audiences and critics. The film follows a US soldier in Iraq (Colter Stevens) who suddenly wakes up on a New York commuter train without explanation. Soon enough, he discovers a bomb on the train. The train explodes and he re-awakens in a strange military isolation chamber, where he learns that aboard the train, he was actually inhabiting the body of another commuter aboard the train, the time of the explosion. So, without any choice, Colter is forced to be sent back in time again, and again, until he finds the terrorist responsible for the bombing. I was given the script in class to adapt for my directing workshop course and really enjoyed it. It was a choice between either this, "The Social Network" which is about Facebook, and which I'd rather see flushed down a toilet, and "Everything Must Go", which was a very interesting indie dark comedy script, which I believe Will Ferrel is currently attached to.

Anyway, in the meantime, keep an eye out for my adaptation of "Source Code" and another original interview doc that's still in the works entitled, "Impracticle.", where I interview a fellow colleague about the hardships and lightnesses of moving.

OOOH! Couple more things!:

1) The YouTube Channel has totally been re-organized. Now you can very easily find work in categories. "Short Narratives", "Short Documentaries", "2009 Reel", "Evil Film", "Early Works" and "Colleagues' Videos". (BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE & COMMENT!!!)

2) Dancing Zombie Productions is now on Twitter.

3) My good friend Darius Weeden has recently featured my 2009 Reel on his channel as a special "Public Service Announcement". Be sure to check it out.

If you haven't already seen my 2009 Reel, here's the video:


ENJOY!

Raw Power,
John Morgan

Seeling It With A Kiss...

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Hey Folks,

I know it's been a while, but who's complaining? (By looks of my followers list... I am.)

Frank Silvera in "Killer's Kiss"

Anywho, you might be wondering what I've been up to. I finished my adaptation of a scene from Kubrick's "Killer's Kiss" with good marks from my professor and peers alike. Woohoo! As of now, I'm starting a new semester which means new opportunities. You'll be seeing at least three more scene adaptations before the year is out, plus some Documentary work and who knows what else.

I'm really proud with what came out of the two day shoot for "Killer's Kiss". It was my goal, more or less, to emulate the energy, over the style of the original film, without duplicating it. Sure my version shares a lot with the Kubrick version, but there are some differences that I think put it into a more contemporary context.

Brought to you by Canada Goose.

The cast was great! I have to give a hats-off to them. My Gaffer and Key Grip Luke Francy as well. Everyone was so committed and gave 110% through the toughest conditions. In fact, the opening sequence was filmed in 23 degree weather. Lucky for Dozzia and Fil, I decided to make the scene take place in the car... Unlucky for me, I planned to film it from outside... But no matter, I had my Canada Goose jacket to keep me warm. That thing is a wonder.

 It was so cold that day, but it didn't matter. The energy was so high, and I think that might have been because my father had rented a Cadillac for us to shoot with... I said to get something mildly luxurious, but I was sprung with surprise when he came to pick up me and the crew in this sleek monster. The following location was in Brooklyn; my building, actually. I'd always wanted to use it in something. It has a very dreary sort of warehouse look to it... mainly because it used to be a factory at one point.

Setting up for the exterior shot in Bushwick.

We shot in the loading dock, as you'll see, which actually doesn't lead to some isolated loft area like in my scene, but to many apartments in the building... The rest of the warehouse scene was actually shot in the school's soundstage with a small set, which doesn't look half bad, but seeing how it's just a warehouse, it really didn't need all that work in the first place.

Me & Luke Francy working the 8x10 set.

It was a pretty confined space, but several elements help make it seem a little more spacious. For one, when I needed to shoot the other side of the room, I just shuffled over the table and shot the same brick wall I'd mounted my set against. Also, with most of the focus usually on one side of the room, it sort of gives your imagination the opportunity to fill in space and make the room seem larger than it really is.

Something I decided late on , and not until we got to the action sequences, was to induct the swinging light when Dozzia chokes Filipp. I'd seen Stuart Gordon do it in "Re-Animator" in the scene where Herbert West is chasing around the re-animated cat in the basement. I thought the swinging light was brilliant and created such a chaotic environment. The night before the shoot, I told Filipp to bring a clamp light I knew he had when he came to the set. I think it definitely supplies a lot more suspense to the sequence.

Anyway, here's the scene, and if you're at all interested, just below is Kubrick's version.

I hope you enjoy. And please, leave comments. I really appreciate feedback.

Raw Power,

John Morgan

'Back From The Dark'

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 Hey Folks,

As of late, I've been extremely busy. Obviously I haven't been keeping this as updated I should, but regardless, here's the scoop.

My most recent project "From The Dark" (Redux) is now available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube

Please, feel free to leave your comments.

Recently, in trying to get an interview with punk-rock icon Richard Hell, he corresponded by saying that he wasn't available for interview but that he "...enjoyed the kung-fu security guard." You heard it here first.

In the meantime, I've been trying to fine-cut my "NYC Zombie Crawl" documentary, "More Dead Than Alive". At the moment, it's a challenge to file down all the moaning and groaning, but I have a feeling it's on a good track. I'll more than likely post a work in progress for feedback.

Lately, I've been swept with adapting a scene from Stanley Kubrick's classic early work, "Killer's Kiss". It's been an interesting casting process, and I'm just on my way to do some location scouting through Brooklyn. No telling where in Brooklyn I'll be shooting for a small car prowl sequence, but I know for sure I'll be using my loft's freight elevator for some interesting sequences.

OH! Before I forget, 'Evil Film' was just given an IMDb page! Check it out, and if you have an IMDb account, be sure to rate!

Well, take care.

Raw Power,

John Morgan

Zombies and... More Zombies

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So, as usual I'm having trouble avoiding zombies. It's a knack, I suppose.

I just recently completed my first assignment for my Directing Workshop, which was to shoot an entire scene in one shot. It was tough to coordinate, especially since I'm an awfully big  fan of using a lot of shots. I do wish that I could exploit the benefits of deep focus photography, but at the moment, I'm too keen to cutting things up like a madman.

For my one shot, I decided to shoot a scene from H.P. Lovecraft's short story, "Herbert West: Reanimator" which I really enjoyed over the summer. I thought about adapting something from the movie at first, but when I moved to the short story instead, it gave me far more flexibility, and I really enjoyed writing the dialogue. Lovecraft doesn't have any dialogue in his shorts actually, so it made the screenplay particularly challenging.

Soon I'll be shooting the same scene over again with minor tweaks to the dialogue, action, and overall flow of the piece, especially since it will be broken into several shots, rather than this long take.

In the meantime, I'm preparing to shoot my event documentary on the Zombie Crawl through Manhattan tomorrow. If you're not familiar with the zombie crawl phenomenon, it's basically a day where people dress up in fake scars and blood to walk through the streets wildly, haunting anyone in their path. Afterward, there will also be a free screening of "Zombieland", which seems interesting, but I have my doubts.

For now, enjoy "From The Dark"

Sincerely,

John Morgan