A Chestful of Blood - new HVX western - So Cal

geoff

geoff

Member
Howdy! Magic Factory is in pre-production of our newest short- a western complete with scoundrels, six shooters and shoot outs and starring Al White (JAG, CSI Miami, The District, Back to the Future II) and Denise Gossett (Zoey 101, New Adventures of Old Christine, Mind of Mencia).

We'll be shootin' (pun intended) in the southern California desert in late September / early October and WE NEED SOME CREW so if you'd like to be a part of our project hit us up on this site for more information.

We hope to make this project as successful as our last short, Zombie Hunter, which was produced by (WARNING - shameless name drop alert) the one and only Barry Green. It has played at festivals all over the world, won some awards and even garnered a little (and we mean very little) profit through DVD sales on our website.

We will be updating this thread with info, photo links, a website and more so keep checking! Our goal is to use this thread to share our experiences, successes, mistakes, etc with you in the hope that you can take that knowledge back to your own projects. We also want to work with as many of the talented folks on this site as we can!

So if you're in Southern California or plan on being here and want to be a part of this project let us know and we'll get in touch with you!

Until next time, keep shootin'.

-Geoff writer, director
-Chris producer, actor
-Jeremy producer

oh yeah, we'll have horses too, so yee-haw!
 
One thing that you forgot to mention was that Al White played one of the jive talkers in the Airplane movies.
A Western in So Cal is such a rarity that I can't wait to start filming. It is going to be a true treat to be on board this project.
 
Already getting some great local talent hitting us up to help out on this project! Sweet. Meeting with our core group this week and checking out weapons for our characters. Playing with guns is always fun. Can't wait!

And thanks for the well wishes Barry!
 
Pre-Production Update: Still need a DP! I was turned down because of money (basically he wanted some and I have none). Very disappointing because he was really good but we all have to eat, right? That's the most frustrating thing about shorts - not having money. Luckily there are plenty of talented people on here so we still manage to make great films. Back to the drawing board for a DP so if there are any out there please message me!!!

Started storyboards... whew, I'm a SLOW artist. But they are coming along nicely. For me storyboards are everything as I love strong compositions and camera movement and this will help clearly illustrate my vision to our DP and camera op/s. I'm looking for a gifted artist to do clean up on my crappy sketches so when that's done I'll upload some scans.

In the meantime check out the tentative poster art I put together. It's a mock-up and certainly not final but it's a start.
 

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Tonight was a good night. It was our first production meeting, we got to play with some guns and, most importantly - WE FOUND A DP!

Like all good westerns, our meeting started off with a shot of whiskey. I by no means condone drinking on set but hey- this is a meeting - that's different and it got us in the spirit of things. So our meeting was, like most first production meetings, chaotic, fun, relaxed and really didn't accomplish much other than planning another meeting. Haha! Actually we did manage to do some important things like get to know our DP - a graduate of the Pasadena Institute for Art & Design. He's talented, inspired and full of ideas. We can't wait to work with him. He's not even a member of this site so we're going to get him on board. We found him on mandy.com - a good resource by the way.

And now the really fun stuff - GUNS!
So the western re-enactor came by with some guns and boy did we geek out. For me, seeing props and costumes early on helps me get in the mood. It makes things palpable. This is the moment where things start to take shape, start to feel real and there's that glimmer of - man this is going to be a blast! It's the rush of movie-making I guess. And holding these in your hand really takes you back in time. Makes you feel kinda' bad ass. I posted some gun pics below so check them out.

Up next, location scouting and costumes...
 

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What crew positions are you looking for? I have a friend who is a former stuntman, he is also a rider and draw shooter. We both love Westerns so if the timing's right I'd love to help out.
 
We're looking for a sound recordist/sound designer. But anyone who wants to help out and do whatever is necessary is ALWAYS welcome - especially if they love westerns like us!
 
As of right now we are looking at Oct. 25 - 26, and Nov. 1 -2 in the high desert. We'll post information as it comes along. I'm getting geeked out just thinking about filming a Western.
 
You got it! Thanks for offering to help. We're happy to have any member from this kick-ass website on board.
 
Went location scouting today. Walked around in the desert in the 100 degree heat but it was worth it because we found ourselves a sweet spot to shoot. It's got the perfect desolate look for a western along with some nice character. We can't wait to get out there and make us a western! Check the pics-
 

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Thanks Ryan. We're getting more and more excited. Doing table reads this week and costume tests in the next couple of weeks. We'll be sure to upload more photos and info as pre-production continues. Gotta' get back to storyboarding now.... more to come.
 
SO, you don't have any $....... but you have horses and must have transportation for them.
You have a firearm prop-master that lets you consume alcohol while handling weapons.
How much insurance are you carrying for this film shoot?
 
Hi BRH! Not sure what to say to your comments except you seem to know a lot from simply reading a post on the web and looking at a couple of pictures. Maybe we should write a story about your powers of perception! Anyway, keep posting, it's good stuff!

p.s. got any hints on lotto numbers for us?
 
We had a great table read this past Sunday at Canter's Deli in Hollywood (the pastrami juice is still on my script), and I am even more excited than ever about this project. Listening to The Great Al White(I am going to make him change his name to that) is always a joy. The man has a voice that you just scream for more, also he loves westerns and is really thrilled about this project. Denise, Star and myself finish up the cast and I think that we have a great ensemble. Geoff and I were getting geeked out during the read which makes waiting to film excruciating. Meetings and rehearsals are coming up soon, we'll keep you all informed.
 
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