02-20-05
2004 was a heck of a year.
After two-and-a-half years of attempting to raise money for, “The Fallen Ones,” I managed to secure both financing and distribution in one fell swoop.
Along the way, there were detours. For several months, it looked like we were going to be partially funded by Hawaiian investors, which would have meant filming on Oahu. My Director of Photography and good friend, Matt Steinauer and I traveled to the island to scout and meet with the fine folks over there. Unfortunately, the process went too long and we needed to wrap up the film by the end of January ’05 for distribution reasons. The offer was on the table to do the film for a little smaller budget, but I could begin immediately, if I shot in Southern California.
And so, on August 14th, 2004, we began principal photography in the Trona Pinnacles, a striking desert landscape near the western edge of Death Valley. The spiky, tortured ground is no stranger to movie fans. Captain Kirk fought his final battle there in Star Trek: Generations. Tim Burton pitted ape against man in the climactic battle of his Planet of the Apes remake. Even television’s Robinson family crashed the Jupiter 2 there in the original Lost in Space series.
When it came to the cast, I couldn’t have been more fortunate. Many of the actors have become treasured friends. Casper Van Dien brought an enthusiasm and joy to his work that I will never forget. I’m biased, but I believe it’s his best performance yet. Veterans like Robert Wagner and Tom Bosley created their characters with such solidity that I can’t imagine what it would have been like to have anyone else play the roles I had written. I wrote a role for one of my favorite actors—Geoffrey Lewis-- and he instantly became that character. Younger actors like Kristen Miller, Scott Whyte and Navid Negahban turned in stellar performances. Kristen’s natural beauty and talent allows her to play the role of Angela with a natural ease. Scott’s ingrained sense of comedic timing serves the story and pace and is a riot to have around. And Navid…from the moment I met him in the casting office, I knew that this man had the charisma I needed for Ammon—the Fallen Angel that would drive the story. A difficult character to describe--part serpent in the garden, part lover, part Dracula, all of the elements were in place in one fine actor. Finally, my own son would play the Giant Mummy himself. Weathering body casting, lengthy application sessions and later motion capture sessions, Cameron VanHook brought the creature to life.
Composer Will Richter teamed up with his old friend Kevin Kaska to create an unforgettable score. In a move not common outside of a major motion picture, we had a 71 piece live Orchestra perform the score. The dynamic and wonderfully organic sound of a human musician performing marvelously composed music brings an all-new dimension to the film.
Forum Visual Effects provided nearly twenty minutes of FX wizardry from compositing live action scenes to digitally replicating the giant mummy using Cameron’s performance. Without the tireless work of Chadd Cole and his crew, I would never have been able to make the story live in such a rich world.
Multivision FX created some superb makeup effects, even decapitating the head of a certain Director in his cameo.
Matt Steinauer’s photography is how my vision leaps from mind to screen. Having worked together for nearly ten years, our communication is transparent. He knows my taste and steps aside to allow me to choreograph the camera movement, understanding that for me, how I present the story is an integral part of the directing process. Every shot is conceived, discussed and planned to maximize budgets, time and the all-important cool factor. Each of us push the other to top ourselves and the process is ongoing.
My other partner in crime is Karen Bailey. She is friend, co-conspirator and Producer. Karen put the elements in place to build my playground. From locations to equipment rental, schedules to catering, she handled it all with grace and strength.
Fred Kuehnert is also a Producer on the project. He has believed in me since we met, found the funding and distribution for me to finish my first film, “Frost: Portrait of a Vampire,” and stood by me on this one as well.
My family is never far behind in my work. My wife Carol is responsible for the many brilliant matte paintings in the film. My son Corwin lent an artistic eye to the sets and props while his brother Cameron was transformed into a 42 foot mummy and two human-sized mummies in battles with Robert Wagner and Casper Van Dien.
As we close distribution territories, I’ll keep you posted. For now it looks great on all fronts. There’s a possible TV deal, the DVD distribution is in place and we’re starting to sell the film abroad.
I begin shooting my next one in a few weeks. I’m excited, happy, terrified and confident to jump into another film so quickly.
Like I said, it’s been a heck of a year.
Kevin VanHook
09-25-04
The Fallen Ones is IN THE CAN!
On Saturday morning, September 11th, 2004 at a little after 5:00 AM, at the Sepulveda Dam in Los Angeles, the crew of The Fallen Ones called a wrap on the martini shot of what has been an incredible project.
After
02-16-04
Coatney and I scouted the Bronson Canyon/Cave area of Griffith Park. Used in films for years, it's a convenient spot hidden away in Hollywood. It has been overused at times, but I think we can utilize it well for Site 3.
02-08-04
Jeff Coatney and I took a run out to the Mojave to see what the desert terrain had to offer. Most of these pics are in the Randsburg, Trona area. The Pinnacles are really something to see. PICS
02-02-04
Just got back from Hawaii with Director of Director of Photography Matt Steinauer, scouting The Fallen Ones. Things are looking great there.
Here are some pics from the trip--
12-29-03
News on the Film-Making front--
PERSONAL DEMONS
The music is complete and everyone agrees that Composer Will Richter outdid himself. The slick hybrid of classicaly-influenced fugues and a cacophony of sound brings a heightened edge to an already disturbing short film. Here is an overview of the creative and technical process involved in creating a short film. Bonus: Shooting Script.
FROST: Portrait of a Vampire, my first feature came out from Artisan on DVD and VHS on June 17th, 2003. I wrote the script in '96, shot a trailer for it on 16mm to showcase the idea in '97 and began filming it in 1998. We were off and on through the summer of '99, shooting as I could afford to out of my own pocket. It wasn't until the summer of 2001 that we were fully funded to take the project to completion. We began filming on July 9th and shot 6 days a week until the 5th of August, competing the climax of the film in a cemetery in San Diego at 3:00 AM.
What a ride. Post-Production followed until December, delivering a 93 minute cut to SHOWCASE ENTERTAINENT
two days before Christmas. The film is being seen throughout the world.
My hearfelt thanks go out to the producers at Showcase, Ron Cutler, Bruce Lee, Fred Kuehnert and Scott Norby. Also to the core gang that helped me see the thing through from the beginning--including, but not limited to: Chadd Cole, Vince Di Meglio, Matt Steinauer, Mike Gilliland, Larry "Chaos" Engle, Harry Eisenstein, Bill Arance, John Van Vliet, Jeff Coatney and Brett "Perkins" Jenkins.
On the cast side, nobody could ask for a more willing pair than Jeff Manzanares and C.R.Lister.
And of course to my wife Carol VanHook for putting up with me and a project that consumed a good portion of our lives.
Lastly to my sons Corwin and Cameron VanHook, who appear in the film as 9-year old Afghannis and again as 12-year old kids on an airplane!
To check out the next project in the works--go to www.thefallenonesfilm.com