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The Night Shift, an indie horror/comedy coming soon!

Hi everyone,

Long-time lurker here. I wanted to share some info about a low budget indie feature I’m working on at the moment called The Night Shift. It’s about an undead cemetery caretaker, Rue Morgan, and his misadventures keeping the cemetery and its “residents” safe from the forces of evil while he pines for a second chance at life and the affections of the very much alive day-shifter, Claire Rennfield.

The film is a horror-adventure-comedy based on a very low budget short ($200 with a lot of iffy day for night – yeesh!) we made about two years ago that was very well received. The short, also titled The Night Shift, has appeared in several film fests across the country and was positively reviewed by Fangoria. We’re smack dab in the middle of pre-production on the feature at the moment and will begin principal photography on May 1st. The budget for the feature has been upped considerably, though it’s still a very low budget film. We’ve also found a lot of great, hard-working actors, crew members, make-up, visual effect and prop people that are going to make this a really fun and entertaining film. And that’s really all we’re trying to make – a fun film.

My crew and I jumped into this daunting endeavor after tiring of Hollywood and its never-ending remake/reboot/sequel machine. Don’t get me wrong, I have a few choice franchises that I follow closely and I love a rollicking, fun film as much as the next guy. But many of these “event” films seem to be getting dumber and dumber (Transformers). I’m a product of the ‘80s, so I grew up with a lot of Indy, Monster Squad, Back to the Future, Gremlins, Goonies and Ghostbusters - films that were fun but didn’t talk down to the audience or insult their intelligence (too much), possessed a certain magic and had a lot of heart. That’s the tone we’re hoping to recapture with The Night Shift. Fun, smart and entertaining with characters you get to know and, hopefully, feel for – something few studio films make us do these days, actually feel something.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. If you’re interested in viewing the original 23 minute short film, feel free to check it out here (it’s free!): http://www.thenightshiftmovie.com/watch.html

If you’d like to follow the film’s production process, you can do so by becoming a fan on Facebook or by following us on Twitter.

Also, we have the film’s official website up and running, though we’re still doing some refining. You can check that out over here: www.thenightshiftmovie.com

Filming is expected to wrap by the beginning of July. As we go through the pre-production and production process I may stop in (time permitting) seeking advice or recommendations from fellow filmmakers. Publicity photos are scheduled to be taken this weekend, so hopefully I can give you guys a first look at some of the characters very, very soon. I, along with the cast and crew, really believe in this project and hope some of you out there will lend your support and spread the word. Thanks for reading!
 
Great, man. Saw the short a while back and thought it was pretty good. Look forward to seeing the feature.

Do you have a facebook for this? I have a twitter account but I rarely use it.

Good luck!
 
Now you can get your first look at the film’s lead characters. Coinciding with an overhaul of the official website for “The Night Shift”, an online gallery has been added featuring publicity photos of the lead characters, Rue Morgan, Herbie West and Claire Rennfield as portrayed by Khristian Fulmer, Soren Odom and Erin Lilley, respectively. Also available to download from the site are two official desktop wallpapers for “The Night Shift” featuring the leads facing off against the film’s menacing creatures.

To stay abreast of all the latest production developments and updates, please become a fan of Fighting Owl Films on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fighting-Owl-Films/73399032976) and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/FightingOwlFilm). For more information, downloads, photos and cast information, please visit www.thenightshiftmovie.com .
 
update

We just held zombie make-up tests this weekend and everyone looks great. One of our producers and actors, Erin Lilley, has started a behind-the-scenes production blog at Paranormal Pop Culture that will go up every Friday with sort of an overview of the production process. The first entry went up this past Friday (www.paranormalpopculture.com/2010/03/night-shift-beginning.html) and the next will go up this week with some test photos of the zombie makeup. So check that out if you have a chance! As of this past weekend all of our props and costumes are finalized and finished. We're starting set construction around mid-April for crypt interior sets. Should be a lot of fun and stress.
 
I'm sure Rodrigo Gudiño would get a kick out of this...

I'm just going to brainstorm with this while I watch it...

It was hard for me to wrap my ears around the fully-ADR'd dialog and the jingling keys...I wouldn't have put the key jingle in there...or at least, I would have dropped the audio on it until it was juuuuuust noticeable, but not distracting. It was mega distracting.

The night-for-day was far too sharp edge shadowy...full moons can create obvious sharp shadows, but when they are too dark and hard, it reads funny. As you probably know it's best to do night-for-day on overcast days.

I thought there was a lot very well done about this short. Some really nice composition, some good editing, and a fun story.

I found the folly work a little off and obvious...

The acting was hit or miss...very campy, and sometimes it worked...but the intense camp combined with the all-ADR dialog created a bit of a lackluster performance for most of the actors.

I would have liked to see this in 16:9 or something similar.

Nice job overall. A lot of work went into this and it shows. Thank you for sharing. I would try to record sound with a boom next time...:)

Cheers.
 
I'm sure Rodrigo Gudiño would get a kick out of this...

I'm just going to brainstorm with this while I watch it...

It was hard for me to wrap my ears around the fully-ADR'd dialog and the jingling keys...I wouldn't have put the key jingle in there...or at least, I would have dropped the audio on it until it was juuuuuust noticeable, but not distracting. It was mega distracting.

The night-for-day was far too sharp edge shadowy...full moons can create obvious sharp shadows, but when they are too dark and hard, it reads funny. As you probably know it's best to do night-for-day on overcast days.

I thought there was a lot very well done about this short. Some really nice composition, some good editing, and a fun story.

I found the folly work a little off and obvious...

The acting was hit or miss...very campy, and sometimes it worked...but the intense camp combined with the all-ADR dialog created a bit of a lackluster performance for most of the actors.

I would have liked to see this in 16:9 or something similar.

Nice job overall. A lot of work went into this and it shows. Thank you for sharing. I would try to record sound with a boom next time...:)

Cheers.

Thanks! We're correcting all of the problems we had on the short in the feature. No ADR, no day for night, we'll be shooting 16:9 and we have some pros handling the foley and sound mix. Thanks again for checking it out and we'll keep everyone posted on our progress.
 
I only had time to watch the first couple minutes -

Too much chain foley on the first guy,

ADR is too dead and calls attention to itself.

Footsteps could be more tasteful and mixed in better.

(I'm an audio person)

Other than that I liked it.

Good job.
 
I just gotta ask you a question about one of your character's names: Claire Rennfield.....is that a spin on the name Claire Redfield from the resident evil series? If it is that is pretty awesome....I tend to do that a lot myself. If it isn't then it's just a strange coinsedence and I am sorry for questioning you....lol

watched it loved it great job!
 
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I just gotta ask you a question about one of your character's names: Claire Rennfield.....is that a spin on the name Claire Redfield from the resident evil series? If it is that is pretty awesome....I tend to do that a lot myself. If it isn't then it's just a strange coinsedence and I am sorry for questioning you....lol

watched it loved it great job!

Hey - thanks! Unfortunately, it's not a variation on the Redfield name in Resident Evil. I was actually playing off the Rennfield character from Dracula and Claire just happened to fit nicely with the surname.
 
Hey - thanks! Unfortunately, it's not a variation on the Redfield name in Resident Evil. I was actually playing off the Rennfield character from Dracula and Claire just happened to fit nicely with the surname.

"Give him an enema!"

:lol::lol:

Sorry, that's what Rennfield always makes me think of. You know. From Dracula: Dead and Loving It :blush:
 
Filming has wrapped!

Filming has wrapped on "The Night Shift"! The film will now enter post-production for completion and is currently seeking distribution.

I’ve seen a good bit of the footage we have and the film is going to look great, and the finished product should be a lot of fun. Everyone put a lot of hard work and long hours into the production, both in front of and behind the camera, and I think we'll all be pleased with the final outcome.

The official website for "The Night Shift" has been updated with the latest behind the scenes photo galleries and new desktop backgrounds have been added to the downloads section.

To stay abreast of all the latest production developments and updates, please become a fan of Fighting Owl Films on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fighting-Owl-Films/73399032976) and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/FightingOwlFilm). For more information, downloads, photos and cast information, please visit www.thenightshiftmovie.com.
 
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