BOX BATTLE, BOX SPIES, SPY IN THE BOX, SPY ^3…we never really did decide on a name for this one. Though the credited one is my choice, Spy ^3 (cubed), most people will probably mistake that for Spy Kids 3.

Well whatever the case (IE name) may be, this is actually one of the more consistent STRIKE A POSE!!! Films. Bringing out two great performances from James Howe and Philip Krocheski, I was really more impressed with the final results than I should have been. Granted, this video is now about 6 months old and I just now finished the final editing touches on it, making it come in under 10 minutes (still a tad long, I know Dan) but it manages to be a hoot and a holler when need be. The music was created by **** ******, who doesn’t want to be named, but I’m really thankful to him nonetheless. Filmed in scenic Salisbury University’s Dogwood Village, this is the first film detailing the epic battle between the Foreign Diplomat/Guy (James Howe) and Mr. Spy/Agent Q (Philip Krocheski), in a test of skill, witts, and…boxes. This is The prequel to THE INTERSECTION.

Well I certainly have had the time but not the energy to update the site lately. I’ve gotten a job at Target and will hopefully bring in some money to put towards production. We’ve changed the title for the new film from “Darkest Places”- which was the subtitle back when the film only focused on Dark’s journey into his new path- to “Commencement,” something that actually deals with the plot and allegory of the film.

Sam and I went out today and found some great locations for the filming.

First and foremost, we need a big old fashioned house for the main part of the plot on Josef’s side. For this we looked into the Kentlands Mansion. Here’s a few pictures, the first is an outside shot of the building:

And here are the main rooms we wish to use:

A parlor for the scene where Boss Smith makes a deal with Ruger, looks very old fashioned with an original marble fireplace and wooden walls, plus old fashioned artwork. The Antiquated feel is exactly what we’re looking for, a place that holds onto memories of a world that has moved on.

Here’s the best part though: We’ve found a room perfect for the fencing scene, although it will be hard to film because drawing the camera back will be a bit of a problem, but the acoustics and look of the room are really attractive.

Originally it is the music room of the building, and if you could see the ceiling you’d see just how beautiful this place is.

Of course this could also prove a nice alternative to that setting if we need more space, they would just have to have the chairs and everything cleared up. This is the Yellow room, where most recitals are held.

Finally the scenes that take place in the mansion later will involve this place

and this room for Josef’s room

Now the pricing is a bit high- it’d be 300 dollars total really to film, with a deposit. But we are going to try and talk the price down since this is a student film and could possibly help promote the mansion in new artistic ways.

In any case, they wouldn’t have a problem with the fencing scene, so it will be nice if we get it right.

The other places we found are some local woods behind Sam’s house between Great Seneca and Riffleford road.

Also, at Great Seneca State Park, we decided the Mystic Woman will be some crazy old maternal figure who practices medicine out of an old State Park Public restroom. We’ll get some pictures of that later.

The next thing we’ll be looking into is our new camera. I’ve pretty much all but decided on my purchase, and here’s the deal at ExpressCameras.com

http://www.expresscameras.com/prodetails.asp?prodid=105277&up=8678&start=1

It’s a 1,300 dollar camera packaged with all these great extras for only 970 dollars and a full year warranty. Brand new, pretty much direct from Canon, and comes with a lot of the kind of equipment I lost. I’ll probably upgrade to the Continental Package which will hopefully be the best thing I can get for only 1100 dollars.

Well, things are looking up for the company, we should be getting some actors hired soon, and maybe even a cinematographer. We got some tips from a really great local group, so maybe I’ll put their vid up the next post if I talk to them about the deal. In the meantime, if you’re interested in doing a really great film this summer, be sure to let us know!

It’ll be a whole lot of fun.

This is Dylan Hintz and Sam Anderson, the founding members of STRIKE A POSE!!! Films. We’ve been working on some new projects lately, but one in particular is something we’re going to want possible outside help with.

SYNOPSIS
The movie, a short currently titled “Peregrine Saga: Darkest Places” is a drama with a few action sequences, it is a post apocalyptic sci fi martial arts fantasy that serves as an allegory for leaving home for college, staying behind as a “gangster,” or living off your parents’ wealth for the rest of your life. It draws inspiration from event in Dylan Hintz’s life, as well as those of his friends.

It will feature brief action sequences, but it mostly focuses on the stories of two young men, Josef and Dark, as through a series of events their lives are connected for one dangerous confrontation that will ask them to change their futures- for better or for worse. A stolen sword, a bandit for hire, an aristocratic fencer with something to prove, and the people who have control over their lives will be the focal points of this story.
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LETS BE UPFRONT (PAY):
Now that you’ve read the synopsis and are hopefully somewhat interested, let’s point out something: This isn’t a high paying gig. It might not be paying at all, but we’ll definitely cater. This movie is hopefully going to be sent through to local festivals and everything, and you get full credit for participation, it looks good on resumes, etc. We are still a part of the low-low (no) budget industry, and we are looking to practice, have fun, and make some art. We have a lot of faith in this story and want to help make it be the best it can. Maybe if the script is really good and we can organize a producer or something, we can work something else out, but for now we’re looking to simply make a good movie with a smart story and some fun action sequences.
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WHERE
The DC area is probably a good way to describe our location, however what we’re mainly looking into is Montgomery County. Areas around Seneca Creek State Park, Poolesville, and possibly even Sugarloaf Mountain are viable. We’ll also need a few set pieces (we’re trying to reserve a room in the Kentlands Mansion) such as a “mansion,” a “bar/tavern,” and what will pretty much be a shack in the woods. We’re already scouting.
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WHEN
Sam and Dylan are college students, and we will be going back to our schools in late August. This is possibly one of the last films we’ll be doing together so we’re looking to get this done ASAP, hopefully shooting it in late July Early August. That’s where you come in.

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WHO
Sam Anderson is one of the stars, Dylan Hintz is working on the script as this is being written. There are a few other people from our crew that will hopefully star in it or work on the project. The following is a list of the kind of crew we’re looking for:

CAMERA OPERATORS:
Recently Dylan’s Canon Elura 90 was stolen. Yes, we’ve worked on MiniDv most of our career, but it’s been useful for us. The homeowners insurance will allow STRIKE A POSE!!! Films to not die, however we might want to shoot this on better equipment. Granted we can get a new camera for 1,000 dollars (or a similar one for the same price), but we think we want some outside help with this aspect: Anyone with a prosumer type of camera (GL2’s etc) is really, really appreciated.

CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Do you know 3 Point Lighting? Then you understand more about it than us. What Dylan is really looking for is someone who can handle natural lighting and help him make it look clever. The indoor scenes could also really use some polish.

COSTUMING:
We really need some help with this. A mix between post apocalyptic, western, martial arts and contemporary, we need some fancy duds and some ragged wear-and-tear.

MAKE UP:
We’re looking for someone who can make it look like we just ripped out Sam’s eye. Other gore effects are greatly appreciated but we’re not aiming for tasteless. In any case, we want to have fun with this stuff and make the violence sorta real.

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ROLES
ACTORS AND ACTRESSES

*While this is part of a martial arts themed universe, this movie will not have any actual martial arts sequences aside from a brief fencing match between Sam’s character Josef and a sparring opponent. We do, however, need people who can take some stunt work and have fun with it.

CHARACTERS needed to be played:

Dark: A 16-25 year old male who is preferably African American. Dark is a quiet person, with a killer’s eyes. Must be tough and able to do some mild stunt work/choreography. Must feel comfortable with knives (fake and real).

Badeua: a 30-50 year old male who is Dark’s talkative and slick mentor. He doesn’t usually fight, so this will be more of a real acting performance.

The Squires: three young men ages 14-18. They follow Josef around as a sorta jockstar group.

Boss Smith: A late 30’s to late 40’s female who serves as Josef’s mother. She has a wicked tongue, and knows her business. She runs the town and scolds her son for his dreams and failings as a political figure.

Ruger: a Late 20’s to late 30’s man who is a gun for higher, given the task of transporting a special sword along what sorta equates to a Silk Road in the story, he is the leader of the Chambers Gang. Will really need to play it cool, slick, but with a rough edge, and needs to be comfortable with guns (fake).

The Chambers: 4 late 20’s to late 30’s male gang members who act pretty much as redshirts in one scene. Knowing how to handle a gun to make it look more realistic is a plus.

The Mystic Woman: 40- 60 year old female Serves somewhat as an antithesis for Boss Smith’s character, she is an old woman who lives on the mountain healing young vagabonds who get into trouble. She provides words of wisdom for Dark and Badeau.

Doctor: A 20’s/30’sman who checks up on Josef after his injury

Nurse: A 20’s young woman who takes care of Josef after his injury. She has a conversation with Boss Smith about Josef’s future.

Bar Keep: An older man who is assaulted by Josef and his gang. He gives out info after they play “gangster” on his property.

The Peregrine: A late 30’s early 40’s male who doesn’t have a lot of speaking to do. Must be cold and menacing, as he plays a grim reaper bounty hunter role for our unfortunate heroes.

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Questions and advice/concerns? Just message us back! We look forward to working with other filmmakers in this area!

Danny Boyle of 28 Days Later and Trainspotting fame, has been working on a little treat for all of us out in “quality film making” land. You know, the place we were before all these devastatingly terrible “threequels” bombarded out silver screens?

Well I’ve got a treat here for anyone who hasn’t seen the previews yet: two trailers for the film SUNSHINE a movie that is sort of about re-igniting the sun. Most people I’ve talked to about it have said “what? That’s the dumbest most preposterous idea ever” and granted there was a Courage the Cowardly Dog episode dedicated to such a task, only putting more emphasis onto how cartoony such a goal would be.

Image From The Official Sunshine Website

But good news! After some careful research through IMDB (it’s right in the freaking trivia section, folks), I’ve come up with something to quell yea nay-sayers (aka SCIENCE GEEKS):

The plot does not revolve around the sun dying in the normal sense: this is not due for around five billion years based on our understanding of nuclear fusion. It has instead been “infected” with a “Q-ball” – a supersymmetric nucleus, left over from the big bang – that is disrupting the normal matter. This is a theoretical particle that scientists at CERN are currently trying to confirm, and was one of the many contributions of the science advisor. The film’s bomb is meant to blast the Q-ball to its constituent parts which will then naturally decay, allowing the sun to return to normal.

This is the first trailer released, more of a plot/special effects teaser.

This second one details the action, drama, and suspense, with a creepy narration at the end that just DEMANDS you see this movie!

Finally a link to the review from Arrow in the Head

The release date for this film is July 20th, 2007

I recently searched some of my favorite news sites and found a link to a great article:

20 Movies Not Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

Containing such titular titles as Terry Gilliam’s long-lost Don Quixote project, and the Halo movie that we probably will never see (which was recently rumored to be made into an animated series- that rumor apparently also been denied )

There are some great lost titles in here, so do yourself a favor and read it over. You guys in to the gaming are missing out on Duke Nukem Forever, while us film nuts are totally dying to see Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis.

Here’s the site’s description of that project:

Potential Cast: Nicolas Cage, Russell Crowe, Robert De Niro, Paul Newman, and Kevin Spacey.

Francis Ford Coppola has almost as impressive a career of films that never came to fruition as he does of films that have. Coppola’s list of projects-not-made include his long-in-the-works adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road (which he will now produce for Motorcycle Diaries director Walter Salles) and a personal take on Pinocchio (following the tragic death of his son in 1985) that led to a lengthy legal battle with Warner Bros. over the film’s rights. As much as we’d like to see either of those films directed by Coppola, The Godfather director really broke our heart when he announced he was scrapping Megalopolis, an ultra-ambitious epic about the battles between art and commerce, history and the future, told through the architectural restructuring of New York City. The film, however, was hatched in early 2001 and crumbled in that same year following the September 11 attacks.

Project Status: Coppola isn’t ruling out a return to the sci-fi epic, recently telling Ain’t It Cool News, “I have abandoned that as of now. I plan to begin a process of making one personal movie after another and if something leads me back to look at that, which I’m sure it might, I’ll see what makes sense to me.”