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: http://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!
