On set with the talented Raven Elise

Also see: A Beautiful Chaos (The Epilogue) (Coming Soon)

We have selected the 2011 Original OBS (Organization of Black Screenwriters) Script Short Film Contest Winners.

Congratulations to all of you! I am grateful to have helped sponsor and be a part of this competition.

Great work screenwriters! Thank you OBS.

The winners will be announced via: http://obswriter.com/

Stay tuned!

What type of creative projects can we expect in 2012?

A series of artistic short films, some scripted work due to the Organization of Black Screenwriters short film competition that we are hosting, and potentially more music videos. I have paused production on the independent music video market because I am ready to explore the mainstream market. The mainstream market provides an opportunity for the work to be seen by a larger audience, so I am looking forward to making that transition.

Oh… and make sure you look out for “Alone at Midnight.”

I watched She’s So Gone, Kiss of the Black Widow, A Beautiful Chaos, and The Nightmare. I appreciate the visuals in these films. What is the inspiration behind your personal short film visual pieces?

I have always been a fan of “artistic” short films and non-dialogue based visual cinema work. You see, I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and grew up under the inspiration of Andy Warhol and The Mattress Factory. My pieces are inspired from a series of random spur- of- the – moment visual story ideas. Many of these visual pieces will only be created for the sole purpose of provoking an emotion. Nothing more, nothing less.

I plan to continue to make films such as these because I have full creative control over the visuals that are portrayed. Many of these films will also defy traditional film genres. Many of these films may not make “sense” to viewers, which is good because I strongly believe that art and film can be very ambiguous in nature.

Therefore, viewers should expect a great deal of abstract work from me in the near future.

Now, the scripted work is something that I am looking forward to, from a directorial standpoint. It is hard to find good scripts – especially short film scripts. Therefore, my ProdCo wanted to reach out to screenwriting organizations in an effort to help birth these projects. In addition, it is important that directors develop, nurture, and encourage positive working relationships with writers. Besides, what good is a great script if it is not produced…. …right?

What do you look for in the actors/actresses that you cast for these films?

Top 6:

1. A positive and professional attitude. This is probably the most important requirement. The attitude of the actor/actress makes the creative process function. Acting is really about projecting the honesty of the character, not the individual actor/actress, and it’s important that the talent understand their role .

There is a certain honesty in a strong performance that makes cinema special. Plus, LA is very competitive and there are always a great deal of candidates to select from in this city. You don’t want to miss out on a great opportunity because you are having a bad day.

2. A unique look.

3. Passion for cinema, fashion, and art.

4. An Internet and social media presence.

5. The desire to perform in a creative and unique visual.

6. Fast response time and good communication. Many opportunities are squandered due to slow responses and lack thereof. 

They have to be serious about becoming the character. I stress this because I take my creative work very seriously. A responsibility comes with acting. A responsibility comes with directing.

I tend to cast many models for these roles because I find that models know their bodies, and many of them want to be in films. I enjoy providing creative opportunities and roles that challenge them.

As directors, we create the world that they explore, and you would be surprised at what you can create when you match the proper visual with the right person.

What type of creative projects can we expect in the next few months?

More original and inspired work. I have some cool pieces to release this year.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

One goal of mine is to find the right EP. I see that as an ongoing goal. When I find or develop the right team, look out because I sincerely feel that I am going to take this to the next level. The talent is certainly there… it is just a matter of linking it with the right person or group of people.

From a logistical standpoint: Hmmm. I have concluded that I secretly desire to live in a city where the women wear elegant dresses and the men only wear well-tailored suits. People may get a chuckle from this… but I am 150% serious. Perhaps I will find that place. Perhaps I will just create it and live in it. Your imagination has the power to take you anywhere.

“Destiny has two ways of crushing us — by refusing our wishes and by fulfilling them.”  - Henri Frédéric Amiel

“Sometimes who we are is no different than what we have become.” – Director Max Cole

Also see: On set with Raven Elise

Short film: The Nightmare
Directed By: Max Cole
Lead: BOBBi DEAN

Synopsis: A woman experiences a series of random events, which forces her to question what is real, and what is not.

I have always found dreams and nightmares fascinating, and I have always wanted to shoot something that reflected a trippy, lucid nightmare. This became the inspiration for the film – providing a short, disjointed, psychological visual nightmare. I’ll leave the rest for your imagination.

The only thing that I want viewers to take from this film is that dreams are really bizarre.  They usually never make sense. They are beautiful for that reason.

DIRECTOR’S HINT: Google RU-486
____
“Your dreams are part of your reality. As purely energetic beings, there are far more similarities between our waking and dreaming realities than there are differences. Our thoughts create our experiences and our feelings indicate our level of alignment with those experiences.

In dreams, however, unlike in waking life, our ego-directed conscious thinking mind is turned off. This means that in dreams the manifestation of our thoughts comes quicker and more intensified than in waking reality. The time delay between when we have the thought and when it’s actualized in our present reality is decreased, as is the amount of attention required from you to make it so.”

Source: Posted by Mind Power Master http://www.mindreality.net/dreams-are-preview-of-incoming-manifestations

Yeah… movie reality seems to differ from actual reality. Very unfortunate….

The trailer for ‘Shame’… a brilliantly acted, directed, and well shot film.

Lucy Van Pelt: [throwing Snoopy off her head] No, no, no!
[Snoopy starts mocking Lucy]

Lucy Van Pelt: Listen, all of you! You’ve got to take direction! You’ve got to have discipline! You’ve got to have respect for your director!
[notices Snoopy]

Lucy Van Pelt: I oughta slug you!

Lucy Van Pelt: [Snoopy licks her face] Ugh! I’ve been kissed by a dog! I have dog germs! Get hot water! Get some disinfectant! Get some Iodine!

Snoopy: [Snoopy sticks out his tongue] Bleah!

A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror. Sufferers usually awaken in a state of distress and may be unable to return to sleep for a prolonged period of time. – Wikipedia

Click here to view the short film (The Nightmare)

Short film: Kiss of the Black Widow Part I
Directed By: Max Cole

Synopsis: Kiss of the Black Widow is a dark and stylish short film that involves a troubled young woman’s hopeless journey into self-destruction.

The concept behind the short film, Kiss of the Black Widow, originated around the end of 2010. I wanted to direct a series of dark short films that involved an exotic looking group of troubled women, lust, drug addiction, alcoholism, and suicide.

This short film series begins with PART I - In this installment we see the demise of a woman who is doped up, and in a dark place psychologically. Her only outlets are alcohol, lust, and a deadly drug labeled, “black widow.”

The title of the film was birthed from a mock cover art (of a single black widow spider) that was exchanged by a friend during a conversation online. Ironically, the picture alone sparked a series of ideas, each ironically connecting to the original concept for this series of short films.

Each installment of the Kiss of the Black Widow will be multi-layered. Therefore, if you are only interested in surface level films (and cannot get past the lustful imagery of each woman), these films are not for you.

The overall concept is broad and dark. For this reason, Part I serves as the precursor to a group of much more complicated, mysteriously dark, and twisted stories. Viewers should feel more and more “tangled” in the cobweb of the black widow spider with each story. I strongly recommend watching each film a few times.

Stay tuned for PART II. I plan to dig a little deeper into the back story of the black widow drug. Enjoy.