MARGARETBIRD | FORTYFPS BLOG |

Zeppo Album Artwork & Electroconvulsion Tracks

2011-12-02T00:30:00.000-08:00

These tracks listed below are not yet set in any particular order but in lieu of that information, we are still pleased to offer a free download of Twisted Up and, if we promise you that there will be a few fast ones on there too, you can roll the dice and pre-order the album Electroconvulsion for 8 dollars.

Download Zeppo's Twisted Up On Bandcamp

2011-11-30T22:16:00.001-08:00

After 3 days in The Hollow Studios with Jim Goldsworthy, our aforementioned 5 track EP has evolved into a 8 track LP. We are happy to offer you an early version of one of the tracks from the album. Click here to download it.

The Smokers Club - Dallas - Day 25

2011-11-17T11:46:00.001-08:00

The Smokers Club - Las Vegas - Day 23

2011-11-16T11:08:00.001-08:00

The Smokers Club - Los Angeles - Day 22

2011-11-11T14:21:00.001-08:00

The Smokers Club - Arizona - Day 21

2011-11-09T13:27:00.000-08:00

The Smokers Club - San Diego - Day 20

2011-11-08T15:38:00.001-08:00

The Smokers Club - San Francisco - Day 19

2011-11-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

The Smokers Club - Sacramento - Day 18

2011-11-06T10:21:00.001-08:00

The Smokers Club - Denver - Day 17

2011-11-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Smokers Club - Jet Lifers

2011-11-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

The Smokers Club - Trademark Vs Young Roddy

2011-11-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

The Smokers Club - Omaha - Day 16

2011-10-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

"That's what I thought...Big Dog in this muh fukka" @smokadza

The Smokers Club - Minneapolis - Day 15

2011-10-30T10:33:00.000-07:00

The Smokers Club - Chicago - Day 14

2011-10-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

The Smokers Club - Toronto - Day 09

2011-10-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

The Smokers Club - Montreal - Day 08

2011-10-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

US Airways Contributes To Smokers Club Documentary

2011-10-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

Editing Montreal through our newly re-designed computer. Our bag was packed like it had those fragile green gas orbs from 24 inside so I can only imagine the bag on top was Scrooge McDuck's & filled with gold bars.

The Smokers Club - Clifton Park - Day 07

2011-10-28T05:54:00.001-07:00

The Smokers Club - Vermont - Day 06

2011-10-25T23:42:00.000-07:00

The Smokers Club - Rhode Island - Day 05

2011-10-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Smokers Club - New Jersey - Day 04

2011-10-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

The Smokers Club - Editing & ER Stations

2011-10-17T23:02:00.000-07:00

The Smokers Club - New York - Day 03

2011-10-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

The Smokers Club - Fiend & Cornerboy P - Day 03

2011-10-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

The Smokers Club - #naplife

2011-10-15T23:52:00.001-07:00

The Smokers Club - Philadelphia - Day 02

2011-10-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Smokers Club Feature Film Documentary & Tour

2011-10-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

2 days ago, an impossible opportunity was presented to us so, of course, it had to come with impossible consequences. After several extremely candid, difficult discussions/meltdowns with those closest to me (and the production we're already involved in) the support was overwhelming and the answer was universally: "Go, Dummy."

So, for the next 5 weeks, we will be exclusively touring, living and documenting The Smoker's Club, which is a:

"...35-city run with acts including Iron Lunged legend Method Man, Big K.R.I.T., Curren$y Spitta, Fiend, Smoke DZA and The Pricks. With double the venue sizes, The Smoker's Club has become a steady growing family of music enthusiasts that love to get lifted just like us. Bring ya' lungs with ya'! GoodTalk."

We suspect our inclusion has more to do with our recent Curren$y/Trust Fall documentary and 8 hours in a van outside a San Bernardino hospital with his manager.

The first tour stop in Hartford will be missed due to flight availability, but we meet up with the tour in Philadelphia and will board the tour bus and continue all around the country making a feature length documentary and uploading brief city specific documentaries to YouTube a day or two after each show/stop. And maybe some music videos.

From The Editor: Meeting People Is Easy is on my essentials list and the opportunity to do a similar project with artists of this calibre is existence altering and a long-time dream project and could not have happened for a second without the support & back-up of Sylvia & Jen, Evan, my immediate family/s and the American Marys. Means the world that you'd alter yours for mine.

Indie ShortCuts Reviews Editing, Circumference

2011-10-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

Indie ShortCuts founder/host Anthony Aguiar alerted us via Twitter that he had reviewed our Crazy8s short film Circumference in an episode that featured editing techniques. Anthony assures you that Indie Shortcuts will "showcase online indie short/ feature films that I feel are important and entertaining as well as spotlighting the talented filmmakers who made them."

Zeppo Enters Batcave Leaves With Review, $2.50!

2011-09-26T23:14:00.000-07:00

Mister Bones, a.k.a. Mitch Reaves, wrote many articles and kind reviews of Dead Hooker In A Trunk on his blog Tales From The Batcave. Recently, it was discovered via Twitter that we shared a masochistic love of the, now awesome, Buffalo Bills.

Mitch is also heavily into music listing preferences towards bands like Insane Clown Posse, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Mudvayne. Polar opposite to those is spontaneous YouTube upload/original song titled Your Last Few Hells which earned us a very nice write up on his site. In part:

You're probably tired of me going on and on about this song...[but] I'm pimping it one more time...Your Last Few Hells is an absolutely beautiful song from Zeppo, or CJ Wallis whom you may remember as the hilarious Goody Two-Shoes in Dead Hooker in a Trunk. He also did the music for that movie along with playing one of the lead roles. Clearly this is one extremely talented individual.

While we appreciate the kind words, your pre-order purchase of our album has already cleared through Paypal so should you ever decide to re-consider, we do not offer refunds. That $2.50 is ours, all ours ~~minus the Canadian conversation and individual Paypal and Bandcamp service fees~~.

You can check out the entire article and song by clicking here. And, Mister Bones, after the 5-7 days it takes Paypal to get that over to me, I'm crushing that big-sized sour soother in your honor. Click here to pre-order the debut 5-track Zeppo release Electroconvulsion on Bandcamp for just 50 cents a song!

Zeppo Debut EP Album Artwork, Title Released

2011-09-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to release the artwork for our forthcoming debut Zeppo album which is titled Electroconvulsion. The original image was taken by Alex Dram who is responsible for the basis of our Elective artwork as well. The details regarding the EP:

ELECTROCONVULSION - 5 TRACK EP
Click here to pre-order the album for $2.50

Music Performed & Arranged By Zeppo
Mixed By Jim Goldsworthy, Fierce Little Records

TRACKLISTING
01. Explode
02. Ready To Fight
03. Kicking In
04. Frozen
05. Ultraviolet Light

Release Date: Winter 2011.

Here is another Live From The Hallway performance of one of the tracks called Ready To Fight - which, for better or worse, doesn't really sound like this on the album.

You can download a high quality version of the track from Bandcamp using the pay-what-you-wish system here:

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fortyfps.bandcamp.com/track/ready-to-fight"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Ready To Fight by Zeppo&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Zeppo Performs New Song 'Live From The Hallway'

2011-09-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

You can download a high quality version of Your Last Few Hells from Zeppo's Bandcamp page using the Pay-What-You-Wish-System here:

<p>&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fortyfps.bandcamp.com/track/your-last-few-hells-2"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Your Last Few Hells by Zeppo&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

American Mary Scalpel Themed Investor Booklet

2011-09-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

During the investment stages of American Mary's development, we designed and produced a scalpel-themed, hard cover 10 page booklet which featured concept art, storyboarded sequences, cast members and other secret things. A few of the pages have been uploaded and can be seen by clicking any of the thumbnails below.

IFC Releases Dead Hooker In A Trunk Trailer

2011-09-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

Here is the first official trailer released by IFC Films for Dead Hooker In A Trunk. It is the first bit of marketing that has not been produced by us, which is a very strange thing to see after spending a lifetime with this film. Let us know your thoughts on our Facebook and Twitter pages with the hashtag #deadhookerinatrunk.

Amazon & IFC Films Rent Dead Hookers For $3.99

2011-09-07T10:54:00.000-07:00

Amazon and IFC Films have recently begun offering HD rentals of Dead Hooker In A Trunk for $3.99. The film is available to you streaming, for download or in a letterboxed format on your TivoBox. Their rules:

This is a 48-hour rental. You will have 30 days to complete watching this rental online or to download it. If you choose to watch this rental online, you can watch on a PC, Mac or compatible device. If you choose to download this rental, you can download it to one TiVo or one Windows PC and you will have 30 days from the date of purchase to begin watching your rental. Once you start to watch online or begin a download you cannot change your viewing choice. Rentals can't be transferred to a portable device or downloaded to a Mac.

There you have it. So, for about 2% of the film's total budget, you can watch the finished product. Let us know your thoughts on our Facebook or Twitter pages with the hashtag #deadhookerinatrunk. Perhaps you will end up on a future one of these from the Twisted Twins.

Goody Scolded On Dead Hooker DVD For Language

2011-09-06T17:13:00.000-07:00

Twitter-er @vee_eff posted these two photos on her account of the Region 2 DVD release of Dead Hooker In A Trunk. Apparently the UK ratings board is cool with an exposed, forked penis and suggested sex but took exception to Goody's monologue in the middle of the film. This is a delight. Click the images to see larger versions.

Scarlet Ending Kickstarter DVD Artwork Uploaded

2011-09-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

All 8 menus from last year's exclusive Scarlet Ending Kickstarter donation DVD we designed have made their way up onto our Flickr account. Click any of the thumbnails below to view the full sized images.

Nokia 'Direct & Project' Gala Screening Photos

2011-09-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

Last year, Nokia found us to create a 1 minute short film using their brand-new HD cel-phone which eventually became Runaway featuring Connor Stanhope and Sierra Pitkin. A decent chunk of photos from the gala screening, at the Vancouver Art Gallery, have made their way onto our Flickr account. Click the photo above or right here to view them all.

We Get High, Editing Fiend Music Video

2011-08-31T19:14:00.001-07:00

In two days time, our Curren$y documentary Trust Fall is rapidly becoming our most popular viral video to date, and has earned us another task from The Jets. We Get High is the next music video from rapper Fiend, featuring Cornerboy P, and the raw footage is being jet-sent our way to edit and deliver. Some context:

Richard Jones, better known as Fiend is an American rapper and producer best known for his time spent with Master P's No Limit Records. Fiend was also briefly a member of DMX's label Ruff Ryders Entertainment. According to recent rumors, Fiend signed with Jay-Z's RocNation label. Fiend himself told the online Hip Hop News that he and Jay-Z have not confirmed anything as of yet...

...but having career-talk with Jay-Z, regardless of the outcome, is probably the direction you'd want your career heading. Roll summin up and listen to the track here:

Trust Fall - Curren$y 'Rock The Bells' Documentary

2011-08-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

A little over a week ago, we were standing on the 'Paid Dues' stage in San Bernandino, California to shoot with Curren$y at the Rock The Bells festival. The itinerary was to capture all official Jet business and various things to come in the following days.

The couple day video shoot became a one-day documentary after Curren$y broke his left foot trying to jump over the guard rail to greet fans after his hour long set. We were along for the ride from stage to hospital and footage from the day has re-shaped itself into an exclusive documentary called Trust Fall. And here's what our subjects had to say about it:

Thanks to Mousa for everything.

Curren$y Breaks His Foot At Rock The Bells

2011-08-24T14:09:00.001-07:00

So things got a bit strange during our time in California and our first day of filming ended up being the last. The accident happened a foot and a half away from us (a circumstantial pun based on literal distance) and has morphed the direction of everything. Our exclusive clip spanning from pre-festival to post-hospital will surface here shortly after The Pilots clear it to fly.

Music Video Shoot With Curren$y Spitta, #JetLife

2011-08-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

It is a big day in the office today as we have landed a video shoot with New Orleans rapper Curren$y. On top of dropping albums seemingly every other month, including the desert-island-worthy album Pilot Talk, Curren$y is also dedicated to his Twitter with close to 400,000 followers branded by the hashtags #JetLife & #JetsGo; also the name of his recent single.

The song selection is under wraps at the moment, but we do know we'll be travelling towards California during his two tour stops later this month. Now, normally, we'd post a showcasing song or video on our way out the door but when two powerhouses join forces, it has to take priority. Please enjoy one of the most entertaining interviews ever: Nardwuar The Human Serviette -Vs- Curren$y Part 2: Return Of The Nard!.

'Please Subscribe' YouTube Film To Be Released Soon

2011-08-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

Fresh off of the recent announcement that Dead Hooker In A Trunk had been sold to IFC, we can also announce that our YouTube documentary Please Subscribe, another co-production with the Twisted Twins, is nearly through it's final polish and now has distribution deals in place upon delivery of the film and, of course, after our 4 friends finally get to watch it. Here are a few stills in advance:

Please Subscribe follows four of the original four Youtube celebrities (David Choi, Daxflame, Tay Zonday & Happyslip) whose home made, lo-fi videos went viral and made them household names on the same level as any Hollywood star. The film explores “Celebrity 2.0” and the perks and darkness surrounding the effects of net success on their lives and the entertainment industry overall.

The film features music by Sean Hayes, The Belle Game, Tay Zonday, David Choi and the film's signature track called 'Half As Much' written and performed by Kaleena Goldsworthy of The Scarlet Ending.

Elliott Smith's Birthday Today, Photos From 2008

2011-08-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

Today is the former birthday of Elliott Smith whose discography is only shortly behind food and water on a list of what my body requires to function. As some of you may know, quoted from DailySwarm:

Shortly after Elliott Smith’s suicide was announced in 2003, the singer’s Los Angeles fans began to gather at Solutions, an electronics store in Silver Lake on Sunset Boulevard where Smith had once posed for the cover of his 2000 album Figure 8. The mural became a makeshift memorial, with many people writing notes, poems, and rememberances on top of the black and red painting. Ever since, the store has become a L.A. fixture, with thousands adding to the ever-changing collection of thoughts and tributes added to what became known around the world as the Elliott Smith Memorial Wall.

But [in the summer of 2007], the wall was defaced with a large graffiti tag. While many local residents were horrified by the vandalism, the tag remained a part of the Silver Lake scenery. Recently, the wall was hit yet again, with an even larger bubble-letter tag covering most of the memorial.

This latest affront to the wall inspired some local artists and Elliott Smith fans – who had already set-up a MySpace page devoted to restoring the wall – into action, and earlier this week the original mural was restored to its pristine state. The thousands of memorial tributes are gone, though the blank canvas is sure to be covered with words of love for Smith and his music again soon.

We happened to be in Los Angeles with the Twisted Twins shortly after the recreation and we stopped by Solutions to briefly look at the new wall (which has been vandalized a few times since, once famously by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd.)

If you have not seen this Elliott Smith book by Autumn De Wilde, longtime friend of Elliotts and the photographer who took the original cover photo, it is an absolute required purchase and one of our favorite things easily.

The book contains hundreds of photos and candid conversations with those around him. Stories like this from the dress rehearsal the day of the Oscars broadcast where Elliott was nominated for his original song.

LARGO OWNER MARK FLANAGAN AND AUTUMN DE WILDE, FROM THE BOOK "ELLIOTT SMITH"

After confessing to Mark that he was terrified people would "call him out," Elliott stumbled out of Largo at 5am and re-surfaced later that night in a white suit on the Oscars singing Miss Misery.

Dead Hooker Is Better Than Evil Dead & Dead Alive

2011-08-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK, IN HONOR OF NOEL THINGVALL'S PODCAST "I HATE/LOVE REMAKES"

It still hasn't fully kicked in that having Dead Hooker In A Trunk released on VOD means that now anyone at any time could be watching or posting their thoughts on the film. Some have come to our attention via the #deadhookerinatrunk hash tag that have been circulating around Twitter.

As with Assly, we will re-post reviews of the film that catch our attention. Most recently, co-host of the podcast I Hate/Love Remakes, Noel Thingvall/@NoelCT - a self-described 'Minnesotan who collects copious amounts of books, films, comics, and screenplays,' - posted an extremely impressive, thorough/thoughtful review of the film.

At one point, Noel goes on to compare Dead Hooker In A Trunk contextually to the impact and cult statuses of like-spirited films Evil Dead (1981) and Peter Jackson's Dead Alive (1992). Noel feels we have taken it one step farther and, when partially taken out of context, it makes a hell of a quote and keyword laced, Google-friendly headline!

'Assly' Lectures Us To Feed Birds, Is A Thing That Exists

2011-08-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

If working on Dead Hooker In A Trunk the last 4 years has taught us nothing else, it is the value of a title. Kristian Hanson's horror website Craptastic Horror - Where Horror Fans Go To Get Nutty is clearly no exception. Kristian is a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan and for those of you unfamiliar with the Cubs, here are the opening lines of the team's Wiki page:

...The Cubs have not won the World Series in 102 years, a championship drought longer than that of any other major North American professional sports team, and are often referred to as "The Loveable Losers" because of this distinction.

We mention this only to perhaps offer context or explain why Kristian hides his face during his horror reviews and records them with an endearingly foul-mouthed, condescending puppet sidekick named Assly. After hunting down a region-free DVD player and a copy of DHIAT on DVD, the horror version of the Odd Couple posted their review which - to explain it further - would only cheapen it ~~and the Blackhawks championship banner is doing a good enough job at that~~ #weareallcanucks

The Scarlet Ending Perform Epiphany From "Ghosts"

2011-08-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

We proudly present the final performance we shot with The Scarlet Ending during their time here last year. The song is called Epiphany and has rarely been heard in it's entirety, as the song is only featured on their album Ghosts as a single verse/chorus. Here the two sisters, Kayleigh & Kaleena Goldsworthy, along with guitarist Jon Tedd perform flawless 3-part harmonies on the spot, without rehearsal and amplification free.

This clip was initially only available as a special feature on the Kickstarter Reward DVD we designed to give to the people who funded these videos. Viewers could use their DVD remotes to switch between the two available camera angles to edit their own version of the track. Now a select group of you can judge the job we did on ours!

Patchwork Parade Pitch Perfect For Promise Project

2011-07-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

MUSICAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE, THE YAMAHA PSR-E413

Earlier, we released the details and an early tracklisting for a new soundtracking project called "Cleaning To The Cloudbursts" that was taking place in the background the last while on an independent film shot in Los Angeles called Goodbye Promise. Like our Scarlet Ending videos, the film was funded via Kickstarter donations and director David Branin updated the investors on the project's progress. In part, regarding our involvement:

Our composer CJ Wallis really has done a masterful job with our original score. Many of these songs stand out on their own. Just writing these words, I had to open up one of CJ’s tracks and I am now listening as I write. We have laid most of CJ’s work onto the timeline.

Is it okay to say that we are just as excited for you to hear CJ’s music as we are for you to see the film? If you missed the last update, here is a sneak preview (http://bit.ly/k6sVNn) of one of CJ’s original tracks entitled “Patchwork Parade.”

You can check out David's entire update here. Another advanced track may surface in the near future, but for now here is the aforementioned "Section 13: Patchwork Parade."

The Sisters Of Mercy Teaser Poster Released

2011-07-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE FOR HIGHER RESOLUTIONS

"The Animals Are Planning An Intervention is performed to a gorgeous string quartet by composer Sarah Slean. Lucy Rupert uses expressive animal imagery to explore the evolution contained within us. It is a beautifully conceived show, rich in set, lighting and video details. Her theme is loss and recovery, and she actually makes her lyrical body look angled and distorted."

In the film adaptation, written and directed by CJ Wallis, Rupert plays the lead role of a mother named Marie who is unknowingly hand-delivered to a government institution by her three sons after a house-fire, that Marie escaped, claimed the life of her 9 year old daughter. The Sarah Slean arrangements commissioned for Animals will be featured and used throughout the film. Announcements will continue to spill out leading towards production set for Fall 2011.

IFC Releases Dead Hooker In A Trunk Theatrically, VOD

2011-07-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

We have finally been allowed to let the cat out of the bag. Our first feature film, Dead Hooker in a Trunk, will be theatrically released by IFC in limited midnight screenings across North America. Included in this announcement is the film will also be available on VOD on August 3rd of this year. The DVD release date is still being confirmed and will be announced soon.

Dailies From New Columbia Video "The Time"

2011-07-19T23:33:00.000-07:00

Click the thumbnails to view the full high definition 1080p resolution images.

Documented Documenting David Choi For Please Subscribe

2011-07-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, David Choi was in town during his second North American tour and we met up with him and BFF Shakalohana Sam at a Costco near their hotel - a location he tweeted in advance to his fans. After a two-hour performance and an additional three hour meet-and-greet, we returned the weary travellers to their lodging shortly after a necessary 2am Burger King pitstop.

Research for the final spitshine on Please Subscribe lead us to finding the above-embedded video ~~way too late~~ that David put up from his time here. Their (very kind) documentary features us hanging around and filming additional footage - making this, both, a behind-the-scenes and alternate look at some of the moments that will be featured in our film.

The Sisters Of Mercy New Promotional Posters

2011-07-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we received several wonderful photos taken by Melanie Gordon from the original performance of "Animals Are Planning An Intervention," choreographed and performed by Lucy Rupert. Naturally, these quickly became two new promotional posters playing off of our tagline "When The Mind Gets Distorted...The Body Must Follow." Click the thumbnails below to see the full versions.

The Sisters Of Mercy also has a new project page on our website where everything along the way will collect and gather. And yes, that is the Joey Greco listed as the 4th lead. More details and other familiar faces to be announced soon.

Finally, at our most recent Celluloid Social Club visit, we met Meeshelle Neal. Meeshelle, also Leo nominated for her performance in the short film Therapy, mentioned that she really enjoyed The Rose and went on to write a very kind post about her evening out.

Sisters Of Mercy Film Mused By Morleysaurus, LittleSlean

2011-07-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

Shortly after we announced the initial details surrounding our third collaboration with Lucy Rupert, a feature film called The Sisters Of Mercy, a few people who have been very kind to us in the past took the time to help spread the word. Jennifer Cooper's way-more-popular-than-your-blog Musings Of A Morleysaurus was the first. In part:

C.J. Wallis is one helluva talented young man. Not only is he an absolute darling within the independent horror industry, he is also an award winning music video director! His video for the absolutely gorgeous song The Rose, by Sarah Slean got him Best Music Video of the Year at the 2011 Leo Awards. I'm sure you will agree, this is impressive work but an impressive man who Heidi Honeycutt once also described as Canada's Best Kept Secret Weapon!

You can check out the entire article here and shortly there will be another article featuring the lurvly Ms. Cooper herself surfacing here which will have an interesting twist. Cameron over at littleslean also wrote up an article on the film (which included an additional Elective plug!).

Video Shoot For New Acoustic Columbia Track

2011-07-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

Kevin Schallie and I went to the same small-town elementary school from kindergarden through Grade 6, but never really interacted much. The peripheral existence continued into high school and throughout the lifespans of our post-grad musical acts that each no longer exist (Kevin's being the much more popular Straitpipe.)

For the last couple years Kevin, along with Straitpipe co-creator Richard Jacquard, have continued forward as the re-branded Columbia and have rapidly exploded - headlining venues across North America including The Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.

In September of 2009, the band had their biggest show to date playing to a sold-out crowd at The Venue in Vancouver. Kevin wanted to add live keyboards and strings to embellish two of their tracks and reached out to me, which was instantly agreed to. A collaboration 20 or so years in the making, it seems.

Naturally, the video hustle talk began and I tricked them into complying to my demands and, a year or two later, it is The Time. Which is both an obnoxious pun and the title of the band's new acoustic track we'll be shooting a video for that will be surfacing sooner rather than later.

Todd Masters Fxd Me So Hard

2011-07-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

Multi-award winning Todd Masters, usually adorned with words such as generous, kind-hearted and talented, lured me unknowingly into his Vancouver office early yesterday morning.

Claiming to want to "go over storyboards" so he and his people can "start work" - Todd pulled the ultimate bait-and-switch and took my virginity with the willing participation of his accomplices Amelia Smart and Sarah Pickersgill.

Click here to see the incriminating SFW photo evidence.

Transformers 3 Exclusive Miami Premiere With Michael Bay

2011-07-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is a glimpse at the recent Transformers 3: Dark Of The Moon premiere in Miami, Florida. The entire video was shot on a Nokia C7 celphone at the height of a spontaneous/epic tropical storm that had decided to impose it's will on everyone's dry clothes and immune systems.

The after party, which Michael Bay was a very good sport about, was held at Liv - located inside the overwhelmingly classy, former 80's cocaine kingpin headquarters, The Fontainebleau Hotel.

This also marks our first venture into the newly released Final Cut X which, at first, was a little like living inside Memento...everything seems friendly and familiar but there is always a new, suspicious thing to try and make sense of around every corner. I guess Apple is starting to share people's opinion.

The Sisters Of Mercy Featuring Lucy Rupert, Sarah Slean

2011-06-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Click To View Full Sized

On the day of my parent's anniversary, I am happy to announce a forthcoming feature film project titled The Sisters Of Mercy. The story takes place in 1939, mere months before the Second World War, and is a narrative adaptation of an original dance performance called "The Animals Are Planning An Intervention" created and performed by two time FortyFPS collaborator Lucy Rupert. A review by 96.3 FM in Toronto said of Animals:

The Animals Are Planning An Intervention is performed to a gorgeous string quartet by composer Sarah Slean. Lucy Rupert uses expressive animal imagery to explore the evolution contained within us. It is a beautifully conceived show, rich in set, lighting and video details. Her theme is loss and recovery, and she actually makes her lyrical body look angled and distorted.

In the film adaptation, Rupert plays the lead role of a mother named Marie who is unknowingly hand-delivered to a government institution by her three sons after a house-fire, that Marie escaped, claimed the life of her 9 year old daughter. The Sarah Slean arrangements commissioned for Animals will be featured and used throughout the film. Announcements will continue to spill out leading towards production set for Fall 2011.

Look Out: Brendan Fletcher Post Stanley Cup Playoffs

2011-06-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

Nokia Invites Us To Live Like Snooki, Michael Bay All At Once

2011-06-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

Director Michael Bay respectfully whispers direction to his lead actor

To explain: Late last December, we were found and selected by Nokia to create a promotional short film using only their cel-phone as the recording device. This became Runaway.

Chris Illman was the initial representative to get in contact and we got along famously over e-mail and, a month or two later, at the impressive gala screening Nokia threw for the projects. Chris, while possessing several of his own admirable qualities, reminded me a lot of one of my most valued, far-too-far away friends Mr. Andrew Worrall. Except we now like Chris way more.

Rumor has it, Chris recommended us for Nokia's latest event which essentially involves attending a day-long exclusive screening in Florida for Transformers 3: Dark Of The Moon, hosted by the one and only, blockbuster-transforming-robot, director Michael Bay. Nokia will be supplying us with their Astound model to capture content throughout the day "if [we] feel like it" and during the "associated after-parties or wherever the night takes [us]." .....Sold!

Naturally, because Nokia is allowing us to live the life of the Jersey Shore cast for the day, the plan is to certainly make them a nice video something or other as a thank you. It seems like a reasonable trade, considering. The clip will be uploaded here once complete.

New Original Score Preview "Patchwork Parade"

2011-06-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Section 13 [Patchwork Parade] by CJ Wallis

Earlier this year, director David Branin posted a note asking for someone to create an original score for a film he has recently finished called Goodbye Promise. The influences suggested to apply were Sigur Ros and Radiohead.

Armed with a not-very-secret obsession with both bands and a like-crafted, unreleased Elective instrumental - we contacted them. After listening to all submitted works and composers - we were ultimately selected by the filmmakers to create their arrangements.

The production initially sent along a quicktime file of the opening moments of the film for context and are currently in final post-production/mixing stages. "Cleaning Through The Cloudbursts" is a collection of sixteen original pieces of music, which includes the initial example at David's request called "Patchwork Parade" which can be heard above. The current track listing is as follows:

CLEANING TO THE CLOUDBURSTS
Goodbye Promise Soundtrack, Directed By David Branin.
Performed, Arranged & Mixed by CJ Wallis

Section 00 - Our Time To Shine [Instrumental]
Section 01 - Crushed Frequencies
Section 02 - Sunburnt
Section 03 - Halted Cadence
Section 04 - City Streets
Section 05 - XO
Section 06 - Inside The House
Section 07 - Outside The House
Section 08 - Slay The Dragon
Section 09 - Hideaway
Section 10 - Destroyer
Section 11 - False Started
Section 12 - Cleaning To The Cloudbursts
Section 13 - Patchwork Parade
Section 14 - Falling Into Traps
Section 15 - All Come Back Around

Yesterday, David and producer/actor Gregor Collins received & discussed the soundtrack freely on their Facebook accounts. They seem to be enjoying it! There are discussions of how to release it (digitally vs psychically etc.) and whenever it is made available, we will do our best to interrupt your day with the details.

Celluloid Social Club Photos, Screens The Rose

2011-06-22T14:02:00.000-07:00

As was recently mentioned, our video for The Rose played in front of a sold out Celluloid Social Club last Tuesday. Additionally making our night in millions of different ways was the arrival of Mr. Chris Gonzalez and Paula Lindberg - who never could have imagined shooting Narcolepsy what strange things were awaiting her 6 years later. Click here to view the photos from the night, taken by Bob Soska.

Dead Hooker In A Trunk Gets UK Television Premiere

2011-06-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

Like an NFL player finding out he was traded on ESPN Sportscenter rather than from his agent or management team - we here at FortyFPS and Twisted Twins Productions have received most of our film's announcements via other people's Twitter accounts.

Today's installment comes to us from ScreamQueenArmy who has announced that Dead Hooker In A Trunk will have it's UK television premiere on ~~June 29th~~ on The Horror Channel. There is nothing about it on their website at the moment, but I assume SQA has checked his facts.

UPDATE: He didn't...

But, since the original post was published, SQA has made good by forwarding everything to do with the debut including the channel's official press release, appropriately titled: "Beasts, Nazis and Dead Hookers - July On The Horror Channel."

Dead Hooker In A Trunk – Friday 29th

Twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska are behind the brutal and shocking independent flick Dead Hooker In A Trunk, which must earn itself the “It Does Exactly What It Says” title of the month. The movie concerns four disparate friends, the Badass, the Geek, the Goody Two Shoes and the Junkie face a fight for their lives when a dead hooker is inexplicably found in their car.

They list available satellite channels as 319 on Sky, 149 on Virgin and 138 on FreeSat and it is set to screen at 22:55 local time.

Celluloid Social Club To Honor The Rose, Leo Awards

2011-06-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

Paul Armstrong, co-founder of the long-running and immensely popular Celluloid Social Club, messaged us and asked if The Rose would like to attend a Q&A screening with other recent Leo Award recipients at the next CSC event on Tuesday, June 21st. Which is a silly question that was instantly agreed to.

Celluloid Social Club @ The Anza Club on W. 8th, Vancouver BC

Paul is one of few people in this city who seems to be consistently pioneering every major development or successful event our branch of the industry has to offer. Entry starts at $5 and doors open at 7:30pm. This event is only once a month and always sells out fast making early arrival crucial.

Vancouver Canucks = Stanley Cup Game 7

2011-06-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

And to tell you about it at full volume is Brendan Fletcher. We've posted some of his previous appearances on Urban Rush and missed two others, but after watching nearly every Vancouver Canucks game this season with them on the brink of a Stanley Cup Game 7 (for the first time since I was 13) - I figured this was the best way to get behind our boys one final time this season.

Empire Magazine Print Ad For Dead Hooker In A Trunk

2011-06-12T13:22:00.001-07:00

Someone sent along photos to The Twins from the June 2011 issue of popular UK film publication Empire Magazine which features a half page ad dedicated to the DVD release of Dead Hooker In A Trunk. Bounty Films have done an amazing job supporting their region's release of the film and have been a delight to deal with.

American Mary now has an IMDB page with a cast & crew listings page that is filling up nicely. On top of producing and post production/marketing work, as previously mentioned, I will direct a 9 minute sequence of the film. The last ~~nine months~~ two weeks of producing this film have been overwhelming but, assuming all goes according to plan in the next x amount of days, you will soon understand why. Stay sickkk.

"The Rose" Named Best Music Video Of 2010

2011-06-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

The video made for Sarah Slean's song "The Rose" was awarded Best Music Video Of The Year at the Leo Awards.

I was unable to attend the ceremony and was notified via a txt that read: "You just won a Leo award!" from Katrin Bowen, director of the multi- award nominated feature film Amazon Falls.

Fellow 2006 Crazy8s alumni member and Phoenix co-star, Katrin took a considerable amount of her post-awards evening to ensure the award was looked after and eventually was the one to hand it to me, beaming - which made it all the more better. Thank you.

Thanks to the jury/industry members that voted for the video. This is a wonderful pat on the head and all involved appreciate it a great deal. Please feel free to check out the video by clicking here.

From Our Shelves To Yours

2011-06-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

As submitted to us from Peter Bakewell taken in a UK branch of HMV

Dead Hooker DVD Sold Out On Amazon, Reviews Are In

2011-05-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

According to those in the know, the first run & release of Region 2 Dead Hooker In A Trunk DVDs have sold out completely and a second run of discs are being promised soon from those at Amazon (Artwork from Australian release pictured above) The features and some of the menu images from the UK Bounty Films version have been released, along with a semi-favorable review, on DVD Beaver:

Edition Details:
• Directors' Commentary with Jen and Sylvia Soska
• Production Commentary with C.J. Wallis, and Jen and Sylvia Soska
• Deleted Scenes (16:9; 5:37)
• Behind the Scenes Featurette (16:9; 14:33)
• Discussion with actor Carlos Gallardo (16:9; 1:44)
• Theatrical Trailer (16:9; 2:22)
• Preview Trailer (16:9; 2:56)
• Festival Trailer (16:9; 1:13)

14 DVD Chapter Titles:

01. The Night Before The Morning After
02. Youth Group
03. A Dead Hooker In The Trunk
04. Visitors
05. Getting To Know Goody Two-Shoes
06. Losing Limbs
07. Burial
08. Cowboy
09. Heavenly Advice
10. The Hooker's House
11. Catching The Killer
12. A Face From The Past
13. Friends To The Rescue
14. End Credits

DVD Menu Art By Bounty Films:

Bounty has also sent around a good chunk of screeners to various established UK print magazines and websites. TotalFilm Magazine reviewed the film and had this to say:

Hobo With A Shotgun might be getting all the buzz, but…there's another grindhouse gem equally worthy of your attention, out on DVD on Monday.  Like Hobo With A Shotgun, Dead Hooker In A Trunk easily lives up to the promise of its title. If you want a nuanced plot, watch Chinatown. If you want a thrill-ride that'll occasionally make you spit-take your popcorn and Coke, watch Dead Hooker In A Trunk. Case in point, none of the characters have proper names, they all go by ridiculous nicknames. But that doesn't stop you from falling in love with each and every one of them.

Ben Bussey, a self-proclaimed fed-up-with-DV-Low-Budget-Horror film writer for the popular genre website Brutal As Hell, has already once previously, and positively, reviewed an earlier/rougher edit of the film and had the task of doing a second review for the DVD release now complete with our final DVD-exclusive spit-shines.

Ricki Gagne[sic], CJ Wallis and of course the Soskas themselves are genuinely...people you enjoy spending an hour and a half with. It is their charisma as individuals, and overall chemistry as a group, that will bring people back to watch this movie over and over. And their work is all the more impressive when you consider all but Gagne were doing multiple jobs on the film; the Soskas multi-tasking is established, plus CJ Wallis was one of the principal cinematographers, as well as editing the film and composing and performing the music. They’ve made a debut feature that, for all its flaws, really does stands apart; that’s a rare thing, and worthy of celebration.

The second run of the DVDs are available and apparently also nearly sold out. Rumor has it the distribution deal for a North American release has been finalized with a major company that couldn't be a better fit.

Continuing in this vague fashion, it looks as though Fortyfps will be doing the pre-release marketing campaign for a major motion picture starring two people you have definitely heard of. More info coming, as it is allowed.

Dead Hooker In A Trunk Officially Released On DVD

2011-05-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple months our micro-budgeted co-venture with Twisted Twins Productions, "Dead Hooker In A Trunk," has been shopped around and sold to various companies around the world to distribute on BluRay, DVD & VOD, complete with exclusive new DVD content we made for the releases.

The first deal announced was with Bounty Films in the UK and today marks it's DVD & department store release - marking the first FortyFPS project to receive such treatment. The Amazon page for the film doesn't have much up aside from some version of our trailer that is like watching it through a cold glass of water.

Bounty sent us a low-res image of the cover art they drafted up which I can't find, but it can be described as a mash-up of this and this. We would love to see photos of your copy so click and e-mail us? The North American releases, we are told, have all been sorted out and will be able to be announced ~~to all of us~~ shortly.

Many things coming in the next months including some solo music and some arranging for Kayleigh Goldsworthy, a new soundtracking project (the first segment has been mixed over the past few days) and principle photography on American Mary (which will have it's own major announcements coming as well, more often than not on our not-so-random blog called Abstrakt.Me)

Thanks to The Girls for asking me to be around in the first place. Onto the next one...

The Rose Nominated Best Music Video Of 2010

2011-05-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

Adding a significant amount of extra icing onto our sappy story cupcake, our Sarah Slean video for The Rose has been nominated for a Leo Award in the Best Music Video category - the fourth nomination in as many years. The Leo Awards, in the words of Wikipedia, are...

...the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry, celebrating excellence in artistic achievement. Held each May or June, the Leo Awards honour nominees and winners in 13 program categories and up to 19 craft categories. The Leo Awards Red Carpet continues to be the largest red carpet event in Western Canada attracting the glitterati of the BC film and television industry, including stars and celebrities from US-based productions.

The awards will be handed out at The Fairmont Hotel on Saturday, June 11th. If you have not seen the video, you can view it below or get the whole story by clicking here.

Brendan Fletcher On Urban Rush Part 3

2011-05-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

If you require context to the following, I can provide some amount of it here. For the rest of you, we present Brendan Fletcher updating the city on his thoughts regarding the Vancouver Canucks playoff progress.

FortyFPS Designs Cannes Ad, Guest Directing American Mary

2011-04-28T21:57:00.000-07:00

American Mary is soon to be off to the South Of France with co-producer Evan Tylor and IndustryWorks Pictures, traveling to this year's 64th annual Cannes Film Festival. Our teaser poster will be paired with a newly designed, full-sized 8.5" x 11" trade-ad featuring the delightful Katharine Isabelle. The ad is a mash-up of images torn from iconic American magazines. Click the preview image below to view the print.

If you would like to have the poster for yourself or help promote the film, I have uploaded the original full-sized file so you can download and print the poster from home at full press quality. Semi-Gloss if it is handy.

Also, as announced by the film's co-director Sylvia Soska on Facebook, I will be guest directing a key 9 minute sequence in American Mary, the specific details of which are being kept under wraps by request. The Twins have mentioned in recent interviews that after American Mary, they will permanently transition away from acting in their films into working exclusively behind the scenes. Whatever assumptions that could be made connecting these two unrelated statements are probably true.

Official American Mary Teaser Poster Design Released

2011-04-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

27" x 41" featuring Paula Lindberg as Ruby RealGirl. Concept & design by CJ Wallis, FortyFPS Productions. Click the preview image above for various different sizes and resolutions.

The Scarlet Ending - Sinner

2011-04-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow marks the 6 month anniversary of The Scarlet Ending videos became fully funded via their Kickstarter fundraising campaign. 6 days later, the band was in Vancouver to shoot videos for their largely popular singles Exactly What You Want and Phoenix in only two days time.

Limited run DVDs of these videos were sent out to all those who donated and one of the additional features was an electricity free, alternate acoustic performance of "Sinner" filmed live, without any prior warning or rehearsal, which we now present to you in full 1080p HD:

Additional thanks to Adam Veenendaal who mastered the audio.

Re-Introducing Margaret Bird, FortyFPS Productions

2011-04-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed by now, everything FortyFPS related has been completely overhauled and re-structured based around our previous, awkward first attempt at a side scrolling website. The production company is also now graphical represented by a magpie named Margaret Bird. The name marries our YouTube Channel username with the image that is an updated version of a logo used for promotion of The Stalls over ten years ago. Let us know your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter or comment below.

CJ Wallis: "Canada's Best Kept Secret Weapon"

2011-03-29T23:16:00.000-07:00

Theron Neel has always been a loyal supporter of Dead Hooker In A Trunk. We featured a quote from his review for the online promotional trailer called "Mayhem." Theron, who currently writes for Fangirltastic one of the largest horror websites online (formerly "Pretty Scary,"), sent me an e-mail about doing an interview with me. The resulting article was so unexpectedly glowing that a few messages similar to the one below were passed along to us in various ways.

An excerpt for context:

Some people are just so talented that it really isn't fair. CJ Wallis is one of those people. You probably haven't heard of him, but Wallis is an enormously gifted director, actor, cinematographer, producer, editor, writer and musician...Totally not fair.
I first became of aware of Wallis when I saw Jen and Sylvia Soska's Dead Hooker in a Trunk. As the character called Goody Two-Shoes, Wallis has a starring role in the Twisted Twins' exploitation sensation, but he also shot and edited the flick, composed the score and worked on the effects team. It could be said that while the Soska sisters built the Dead Hooker car, Wallis was clearly the motor that made it run as well as it does.

You can check out the entire article here and sincere thanks to Theron for the wonderful gesture. Join FortyFPS on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Coming Soon?

2011-03-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

Kint Terrors In A Trunk

2011-03-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

Knit-Terrors are unique, custom made dolls made my artist Laurie Pizzi. Laurie has created a set of characters for the actors of Dead Hooker In A Trunk which will be made available on her site shortly. If your tastes aren't so obscure, she also does several horror terrors including Pinhead, Jason, Freddy and Jigsaw.

Noisography Reviews Elective Single

2011-02-25T12:30:00.000-08:00

Recently named one of the Top 30 music websites across Canada by the CBC, Noisography has posted a review of "The Stitch-Up Of Bloody Mary," the first single and video from Elective, our musical side project with Kayleigh Goldsworthy. The review was written by Mr. Dan Nightgale

Video/Single Review: Elective - "The Stitch-Up Of Bloody Mary"

The music sounds like a lot of Ableton Live loops piled on top of each other but the quality is good and the drum (bongo?) sounds are deep if a little repetitive.
The vocals go high above most of the instrumentation and is clear and pleasing, and sometimes I start to worry that she's going to run out of breath with the run on sentence lyrics. A few layers move in and out on top of the drums with gentle chimes and a sliding bopping bassline.
The repeating chorus straddles the line between cliché and nostalgic but the vocal quality is very appealing and the layering makes for an emotionally moving and sweeping musical landscape. It's the peak of the relatively short song, followed by a 15 second denouement and a sudden halt to the drum landscape and it's over.
The video is pretty straight forward: artsy dancing girl. There's lots of nice cinematography and it's high quality and well shot. If you hadn't seen the new Radiohead video it would be a little easier to dismiss this as lacking in substance, but if it's good enough for Thom Yorke, it's good enough for CJ Wallis (who did it about a month earlier, just for the record).

You can check out the recently published webpage for the Elective/Bloody Mary video on our website by clicking here which has a little bit about the concept behind the editing and some production things.

Dead Hooker In A Trunk Gets UK DVD Release

2011-02-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

We initially found out via Steve Hills Twitter account that Bounty Films, who also recently attained the rights for the second installment of The Human Centipede, has made a deal with our sales agent and will be releasing Dead Hooker In A Trunk in the UK on May 23rd.

Pre-sales of the DVD have already found their way onto Amazon and are available for just under 10 pounds. I have created and recorded a decent amount of DVD extras from what footage/etc was available and those items will be delivered to our agents and onto the eventual buyers. These exclusive features currently include, but aren't limited to, the following:

Dead Hooker In A Trunk - DVD Extras

"Rebels Without A Budget" >> A 15 minute featurette following the making of Dead Hooker In A Trunk which is a mash-up of alternate footage, B-Roll and candid moments throughout the production showing aspects of the process of making a no-budget independent film.

Director Commentary Track / Featuring Jen & Sylvia Soska, Recorded February 2011. The twins discuss various aspects of the film and it's creation set to screen specific moments.

Post-Production Commentary Track / Featuring CJ Wallis, Recorded February 2011. This track will discuss some of the tricks and methods used along the way to side-step the time and budget limitations during production and post.

A Discussion With Carlos Gallardo Shot in Carlos' apartment in Los Angeles shortly after completing his scenes, the Twins and Carlos discuss El Mariachi and the history and war stories of low-budget filmmaking.

Deleted Scenes

It is my understanding that whoever purchases the rights for each separate region's release has the ability to package the film however they wish, so I cannot say what will make it on what disc and where but when we know, we will pass it along.

Elective - The Stitch-Up Of Bloody Mary

2011-02-14T09:09:00.000-08:00

Elective Music Video Coming Soon

2011-02-12T21:44:00.000-08:00

In the middle of a recent week-long editing adventure in Toronto on another director's first short film, I commissioned the usual suspects at Major St Productions to assist me in making a music video for "The Stitch-Up Of Bloody Mary" by Elective, which is my musical project with Kayleigh Goldsworthy

Despite a month long illness that included something completely limiting the use of her left ear, Lucy Rupert (who last worked with us here) toughed through over 45 minutes of continuous performance as we had to execute, set-up and light two completely different looks and set dressing and pack down production in under 2 hours.

Robert Walsh was on camera and lighting with myself and Jeffrey Zablotny operating other cameras from other angles to triple the amount of footage captured in the limited amount of takes. Elli Weisbaum, who has produced a few of my previous efforts, came out to maintain order and help operate the multiple lighting dimmers and cues with gaffer Todd Thompson. Make-Up artist Nicole Stredder politely rearranged my very male attempts to describe the eye make-up design I was hoping for on Lucy and this video would not in any way be what it is/was without the selfless efforts of these six individuals.

The plan is to release the video on Valentine's Day, Monday, February 14th.

Behind The Scenes With The Scarlet Ending

2011-02-04T16:34:00.000-08:00

Katharine Isabelle Is American Mary

2011-02-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Sarah Slean - The Rose

2011-01-31T01:58:00.000-08:00

Now released and streaming online in 1080p high definition.

Making Of Sarah Slean's "The Rose"

2011-01-31T01:57:00.000-08:00

24 Hours Away From Making 21 Year Old CJ's Day

2011-01-30T01:58:00.000-08:00

For whatever reason, I vividly remember every detail of the 4 minutes in 2002 when I happened to stumble upon the video debut of the song "Sweet Ones" by some 'new' hyper-active Canadian named Sarah Slean.

It marked the first time it occurred to me that I really wanted to make a music video for someone. I wrote her name down in red smelly-felt on a desk-sized scribble pad I had at the time and set it to the back of my mind to one day try to dazzle this person I didn't know existed 5 minutes previous.

I saw her countless times live afterwards and a couple years later in a bold, Jack Daniels soaked gesture - informed her of this lofty goal after her show at the Commodore Ballroom. She politely/warmly smiled and said whatever sweet things popular artists say when strange people tell them strange things. (She claims to have no recollection of this ~~thankfully~~.)

It is nearly impossible for the people you enjoy and respect from a distance through film or music to live up to everything you've assumed and built them up to be if you are ever fortunate to get to meet them or collaborate together and Sarah is, and has been, all of it and more. Please enjoy a short clip of someone being effortlessly talented and relishing every second of it...Thank you for having me around. Xx

Sarah Slean's "The Rose" Video Release Revealed

2011-01-28T12:14:00.000-08:00

This morning was greeted with an e-mail from our new best friend Jennifer at BravoFact! letting us know that, almost a year to the date it was finished, our Sarah Slean music video for "The Rose" has it's national broadcast date which, in turn, means it can be finally be released online!

The video will be embedded here and released on Monday, January 31st and will be accompanied by another incredible making-of documentary shot and edited by Jeffrey Zablotny. Please visit our Rose Project Page on our website for a bit of pre-release context and other potentially interesting things.

Glitching Up Kayleigh Goldsworthy's Solo Release "Burrower"

2011-01-22T14:56:00.000-08:00

In honor of The Scarlet Ending receiving their giant box of Kickstarter DVDs for all the kind people who gave us their riches back in October, it seemed relevant to announce the first of three upcoming Scarlet-verse collaborations:

Scarlet Ending/Elective co-founder Kayleigh Goldsworthy will now also be venturing into the solo spotlight in 2011 with the "Burrower," her first album release of all original songs. One of these new songs recently appeared in my e-mail in the form of a vocal-acoustic-only track and a kind note, politely asking me to ~~please not fuck it up~~ electronically decorate it a bit. The song title is currently under wraps but you can follow the teasing process direct from the source at her blog Kakeleigh Goldswirly.

Sidenote: As everyone knows, this is one of the premiere places online for breaking news on all things reality television based, so it would be a great disservice to not mention that the internet has been buzzing & speculating about the latest batch of golden ticket earning contestants on the 10th season of American Idol. Spoiler Alert.

Rollercoaster Alumni Report On Canucks, Take Over Urban Rush

2011-01-21T15:09:00.000-08:00

Watch in awe as one of Canada's finest Brendan Fletcher spends a life time's worth of energy giving his thoughts and opinions on the current happenings surrounding our beloved Canucks. Brendan's segment features an original theme song by the equally entertaining/multi-talented Sean Amsing, also of Scott Smith's Rollercoaster fame and the Vancouver supergroup "The Heard."

And more recently, Brendan returned to answer for his previous appearance.

Runaway Starring Connor Stanhope & Sierra Pitkin

2011-01-17T21:36:00.000-08:00

You can view behind the scenes photos and other potentially interesting information on Runaway's project page.

Runaway Returns To It's Home, Nokia N8

2011-01-16T13:19:00.000-08:00

It is a mere 2 days away from Nokia's "Direct & Project" gala screening event at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Part of the marketing hook of the phone, aside from the ability to Direct in 23.98 fps at 720p resolution, is the ability to Project the videos from the phone via HDMI.

"...So it's not just a clever name?" W.Campbell (c.1992)

You can click the photo above or here to view full resolution of the image above. Shortly after the screening Wednesday, we will be uploading Runaway to Youtube along with a nice amount of behind-the-scenes photos and a mini-making-of documentary cut from footage shot by Sylvia Soska from Twisted Twins Productions.

Juno Actress Sierra Pitkin In Nokia N8 Film 'Runaway'

2011-01-13T23:03:00.000-08:00

It seems Nokia is quite happy to hear about the inclusion of Connor Stanhope in our Direct & Project film, Runaway - taking to their Twitter account with the news. So what better time than the present to reveal that another young star named Sierra Pitkin, who is best known for stealing every scene she was in, in the massively marketed/hyped indie-film Juno (shown above) will be acting as Connor's co-star. For more information on the Wednesday art gallery screening of the films, click here to visit the WOW/World Nokia event Facebook page.

Runaway: Nokia N8 Promotional Poster

2011-01-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

Smallville's Connor Stanhope, Twisted Twins Join Nokia N8 Contest

2011-01-11T23:11:00.000-08:00

With the Nokia N8 Direct & Project contest deadlines dwindling down and the gala screening approaching rapidly, we thought it best to begin the build-up. The contest, as mentioned, requires various kinds of visual artists found/selected by Nokia to create a 1 minute clip (narrative or visual) shot entirely on their N8 phone. The top 3 entries keep their promotional phone and the top film wins a large 46" HD television and corporate party favors!

Our entry is titled "Runaway" and features one of my new favorite actors Connor Stanhope, who regularly portrays young Lex Luthor on the Vancouver produced "Smallville." Connor is on an extremely short list of young actors with the ability to act circles around the majority of his adult counterparts. (His words, not mine.)

I will be directing, shooting and post-production for this with a story co-written with The Soska Sisters and featuring visual embellishments by Jeffrey Zablotny - re-assembling all our award winning fast-film team members from contests past. "Runaway", we realized shortly after it's creation, is an indirect homage to a comic strip which, clearly, remains as one of my biggest influences and favorite things ever.

Rules state that I'm not really allowed to post much else regarding my entry but: I am allowed to shamelessly promote the screening and their product...product liiike Nokia's latest cel-phone homerun: the Nokia N8? The Nokia N8 which features Carl Zeiss lenses (seen right) and shoots in crystal clear 720p HD! Nokia, of course, being the company putting on this "N8: Direct & Project" contest and screening (and by screening, I mean the Nokia screening on the 19th) at the Vancouver Art Gallery (generously rented out by Nokia.)

Nokia.

Despite my profession, I have not bought a television since the nineteen hundreds and am willing to do whatever it takes to play NHL 11 at home on a large, high definition television - out of respect and solidarity, I haven't even looked at my Blackberry since writing this.

Scarlet Ending Kickstarter Reward DVD Details & Extras Announced

2011-01-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

Back in September, Syracuse's The Scarlet Ending turned to fundraising websaviour Kickstarter as a hail mary attempt to help make two music videos in my current homeland of Vancouver. Like long-time, late night guilty pleasure Scott Houston does on PBS, we asked you to send us your extra bits of wealth in exchange for exclusive items - naturally escalating in grandeur relative to the size of your generosity.

Surprisingly, the majority of people who donated did so above and beyond the 10 dollar amount and will be receiving a DVD packed with as much as we could get done for you in the two days we had. The disc includes:

SCARLET ENDING KICKSTARTER REWARD DVD
Disc Details, Extras & Specifications

EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT - Live @ The Biltmore (3:55)
1:66, Color, 480p from 1080p HD Export
Directed & Edited by CJ Wallis

PHOENIX - David Barkes, David Lovgren & Katrin Bowen (4:08)
2:35.1, Color, 480p from 720p HD Export
Directed & Edited by CJ Wallis

EXCLUSIVE DVD EXTRAS

SINNER - Electricity Free, Un-amplified Acoustic Performance (4:02)
2:35.1, Color, 480p from 1080p HD Export
Directed & Edited by CJ Wallis
Shot at The Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver, British Columbia

EPIPHANY - Direct & Edit Your Own Music Video (3:15)
2:35.1, B&W, 480p from 1080p HD Export
Directed by CJ Wallis
Shot at The Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver, British Columbia. Using The Angle Button On Your DVD Remote, Viewers Have The Ability To Change Between Angles At Any Time During The Performance Of Epiphany, Which Is Performed In It's Entirety.

SMOKE OUT - Behind The Scenes Documentary (4:39)
1:66, Color/B&W, 480p from 1080p HD Export
Directed & Edited by Jeffrey Zablotny
An alternate Kickstarter specific edit which varies slightly from the version that appears online. (which can be seen here)

DVD COVER ARTWORK

Only 200 of these DVD's were printed and will be shipped directly to Syracuse tomorrow sometime where, upon arrival, the daunting task of getting them individually to each person presents itself. A task which may take a little time considering. Please let us know what you thought on our Facebook or Twitter pages.

All Things Horror Gives 'Dead Hooker' Top 10 Honors

2011-01-03T12:22:00.000-08:00

Mike Snoonian over at All Things Horror has released his choices for the top 10 films of the year and Dead Hooker In A Trunk made the list coming in at #6, sharing the spotlight with the likes of 'Let Me In' and the Eli Roth produced 'Last Exorcism.' Here is what Mike had to say about the film:

6. Dead Hooker in a Trunk: Catchy name aside, this film delivers a pantsload of fun during its run time. Jen and Sylvia Soska bring a Warner Brothers cartoonish element of violence to a live action film. Aside from a number of "holy shit" moments and a pair of scenes that aren't for the squeamish (especially one that will have dudes covering their ghoulies and averting their eyes), DHiaT is also brilliantly funny, with some of the best moments spawning from CJ Wallis' "Goody Two Shoes" ultra christian character. Really, if you're any sort of fan of the film's that 42nd Street used to churn out, you know you want to watch this film. I can't wait to the ladies' next film, American Mary, to hit later on this year.

You can check out the entire list here and you can read Mike's initial review of the film here.

Nokia Asks Us To Make A Film With Their Cel Phone

2010-12-26T23:37:00.000-08:00

I recently received a surprisingly enthusiastic e-mail from Chris at WOMWorld/Nokia, which is apparently a "Nokia-sponsored platform that provides opportunities for all kinds of different communities and gets Nokia devices in the hands of creative types and tech enthusiasts." Chris is in charge of the "Nokia N8: Direct and Project," which:

...gives filmmakers a few weeks with a Nokia N8 (a device famed for its film capturing capability) to make a minute long movie. Then on January 19th, [they're] putting on a big party with loads of food and drink at the Vancouver Art Gallery, where each of the submissions will be screened, projected with a Nokia N8, in front of a live audience.

If our video submission is chosen by the panel of judges as one of the best three entries, we will get to keep the Nokia N8 and have their short film uploaded onto the Nokia Canada YouTube page. The top film selected will also receive a "huge screen TV" and two free cinema passes for the year. The finished clips must be submitted by January 13th, 2011.

The phone hasn't made it to Vancouver yet, making the promised "few weeks" timeline into "few days" but our tracking number informs us that the phone is currently in Cincinnati meaning it'll probably be intercepted...

American Mary Triggers Twitch Film Trailer Alert

2010-12-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

Todd Brown, head programmer of the world-famous Fantastic Fest genre festival, has always been very kind and supportive of Dead Hooker In A Trunk. Continuing in the same gracious fashion, Todd wrote a piece about the American Mary trailer on Twitch Film:

Titled American Mary the first teaser for the new film has arrived and while it's very clear that these are the same film makers it's also clear that they're pushing into some new territory here.

You can check out the entire article by clicking here.