In Investment news, we have another 10k committed to the film.  As most folks know, financing an independent film with private capital is a very difficult and potentially long process, especially during these shaky economical times.  So the fact that we’ve already raised 20k in angel investments, has us feeling pretty good about the path ahead of us.

We’ve also hired Lisa Callif from the legal team Donaldson & Callif to represent the film. They’ve acted as counsel on a ton of indie stuff, so we’re thrilled to have them in our corner. In the next few weeks, they’ll be creating Sufferance Films, LLC, drafting the script option agreement, as well as getting the investment paperwork together.

Finally, production veteran (& Of Darkness Producer) Paul Irwin has signed on to act as the film’s Line Producer.  So, with the help of producers Jason Contino & Gary E. Irwin,  he’ll be breaking the script down,  putting together an initial schedule and creating a budget.

Making this movie becomes more and more of a reality every day. The Sufferance Machine is up and running. Stay tuned for more.

Speaking of Matt, I’d like to take a quick minute to publicly thank my amazing writer and dear friend, for his continued help in merging our two visions together. His patience and support mean a lot to me. So lucky to have him as a creative collaborator.

This has been such a long journey (Especially for Matt and Bill) but as we inch closer to having a final draft of the script, I’m confident that it was well worth it. So many wonderfully dark, dramatic, horrific and cinematic moments jump off the page. Definitely feel that we’ve created a truly unique narrative that will dazzle audiences. Eager and excited for the the next steps and the road ahead of us. More updates to come!

1. The first step is super easy…if you haven’t become a fan, head over the Eventide Productions’ Facebook page and ‘Like’ us.

2.  Thanks!  Now that you’ve become a fan, (Or if you’re already a fan) The simplest way to share the good news with all your friends and family is by scrolling down to the bottom of this post and clicking the “Like” button.

3. Feeling ambitious? You can go a step further by posting something on your profile.  Off the top of our heads, you can say something like…”I’ve become a part of the Eventide Productions Community and so can you!  Become a fan today @ www.facebook.com/eventideproductions”

3. Are you a Tweeter?  If so, make sure to follow us @eventideprod.  And…Here’s the Twitter-friendly version post – I’ve become a part of the Eventide Productions Community and so can you!  Become a fan today – http://on.fb.me/dO8QAH

4.  Are you a Social butterfly?  We are too!  Make sure to check out all of our social networks including Flickr and Youtube.

From all of us at Eventide Productions, thank you very much for taking the time to read this post and becoming a part of our community.  We’re so excited to have you on board and eager to share more about our upcoming film, SUFFERANCE.  Stay tuned!

Just in time for Black Friday, (Seems fitting, right?) Eventide Productions is offering the OF DARKNESS Value pack for the very generous sale price of $20.00 (Plus $3 for S&H) For one low price, You get the Of Darkness DVD (with tons of bonus features), as well as the film’s official T-Shirt designed by artist Steve Cleff and the 18×24 poster. All proceeds go towards our first feature film SUFFERANCE, so please support us if you can. Visit our online store to get more info and place an order.  At checkout, just enter Coupon Code BLACKFRIDAY.  Don’t wait, this deal will only be available until Sunday 11/28.

A fan of Clive Barker, more prominent was a short lived series of comic books released between 1989-1994 by Epic Comics; a spin-off for the owns the entire collection autographed by Clive Barker himself, and Doug Bradley who played Pinhead in the film series.) But what was most significant about that series of graphic novels was a companion series within the series called Clive Barker’s Book of the Damned which chronicled the bible of hell itself. This bible was titled “Of Hell”. It contained not only descriptions and the history of hell, but of Hell’s denizens. This was the inspiration for Of Darkness’s book of evil. And although it’s never referenced in the film, or even in the script, in Matt’s notes and elaborate back-story of where the book came from, the books title was technically “The Book of Darkness”. This would later lead to the title of the film, Of Darkness at this time being referred to by the production team as “The Other side of Darkness”.

Details about the appearance and contents of Lovecraft’s Necronomicon were sparse. Lovecraft once wrote that “if anyone were to try to write the Necronomicon, it would disappoint all those who have shuddered at cryptic references to it.” But the creators at Epic Comics would have pleased Lovecraft with their Barker-esque depictions of this bible “Of Hell”. This imagery branded itself onto Matt’s imagination: “…on an aging skin-like parchment…” and “…between crudely hewn bookends carved of human obsession and fiery desire”. And it may very well be so that the creators of Clive Barker’s Book of the Damned got their inspiration from the Necronomicon, just as Sam Rami did.

Now that we’ve cleared up where the inspiration for the book came from, make sure you stay-tuned for part two of this article, where we explore the collaborative creation process that brought the Book Of Darkness to life.  Haven’t seen the film?  Make sure to check in out on Amazon.com.

Storyboards are an essential part of any Eventide project and we’re very excited to begin this collaboration with our friend and talented illustrator.  In addition to mapping out the visuals of the film, we’ll also be using the boards and concept art to assist in the fundraising process.  We’ll try to post a board every once in a while, just to wet your appetites.

In addition to working with director Gary E. Irwin & writer Matt Casale on boards and concept art for the film, there are also plans to collaborate on a SUFFERANCE comic book.  The three have already begun fleshing out a basic idea for the comic, which would center around the backstory of the pandemic and focus on some of the initial front line encounters with the outbreak.  More on that later!

You can see a ton of Steve’s work (including his paintings) at his website, fluidbeauty.com.  Also, check out the below short director Gary E. Irwin shot for one of Steve’s gallery openings in 2010.

Reminder: Make sure to become a fan of Eventide Productions on Facebook to keep up with all things SUFFERANCE.

Nominated for Best Screenplay @ The Terror Film Festival for Of Darkness, Matt received a three month course in the Writers Boot Camp. It was there he completed the 1st version of Sufferance. Forming an LLC w/ Bill Bedner & a Texas production company to produce it, Matt pushed to bring Gary Irwin in to Direct it. While the script was involved here, it went through three re-writes mainly based on the producers wanting a different ending.

Once Matt realized that Gary was the only person that could do justice to this script, the Texas LLC was disolved & the script was pitched to Eventide Productions. Sufferance was briefly shelved to begin writing another Eventide propety, Indigo Falls. But the allure of Sufferance somehow leapt off the shelf & back into our laps. With Eventide now involved, the story took another huge turn entering back into re-writes & Director Gary Irwin taking a stab at the latest version.

And here we find ourselves, four years & six or seven re-writes later ready to bring Sufferance to life.

Eventide Productions is thrilled to announce the addition of producer Jason Contino to the Sufferance team.  Jason just wrapped up producing Ben Hickernell’s Lebanon, Pa.  which just had it’s world premiere @ SXSW 2010.  Before Lebanon, Pa. Jason had a string of successful low-budget horror movies, including the  2007 scare-flick The Murder Game about a group of teenagers who invent a game in which one of them is secretly chosen to be a “killer,” while the others remain innocent victims.  I’ve had a chance to get to know Jason over the last couple of years, not only as a producer but as a colleague and friend and he really is a joy to be around and work with.  He’s a smart, insightful and very sharp individual who has an amazing amount of knowledge and love for cinema.  The fact that he’s hilarious and handsome?  Well, that’s just gravy.

After the few chances that we’ve had to sit down and discuss the project, we are confident that he will make an excellent addition to the crew and we’re truly excited to have him on board.

On January 24th, 2010  I recieved the following email from SUFFERANCE screenwriter Matt Casale:

“At long last – it’s about time – and all that other fun stuff. The draft is finally done.
Of course there will always be corrections and tweaks and more re-writes, etc, etc, you stole fizzy lifting drinks…But you know what I say – don’t get it right, get it written.

So without further adu – I bring you Version 4.”

“A plague on both your houses!” ~ Mercutio: SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO AND JULIET.”

The script is by far the most important part of the movie-making process – It lays the foundation on which all other parts are built.  Shaky foundation, equals an unstable product.

After reading and re-reading the latest draft of SUFFERANCE, I find myself becoming more excited about the potential of the project.  There is still quite a bit of work ahead of us, but before we dive back in to re-writes, picking apart dialogue, character motivations, scene re-ordering, etc.  I want to appreciate this moment.  The moment where Matt reshaped a story that he’s had in his head for years and years and did an amazing job of blending his original vision with the current direction of the film.  The results are a truly rich and immersive world that is not only stocked with well-researched information, but also vibrant, colorful characters full of backstory.   I know it wasn’t an easy process for him, and I am truly thankful to have such a talented and passionate screenwriter on board.  This is my first (Of hopefully many) public thanks to someone I am proud to call my screenwriter, collaborator and most importantly.. a great friend.

Having a completed draft of the screenplay is not only exciting, it also means the beginning of the next step in the filmmaking journey. We can all start think about making this project happen!  We have a tactile product, so I can start thinking about actors and potential collaborators, camera work, storyboards, locations and special effects, music, costumes, production design; all the fun and exciting parts of the process that begin to create the film and help give it a unique identity.  Of course, one of the most important parts of the independent filmmaking process is fundraising, so with a draft of the script, we can put a rough budget together and begin the ambitious process of raising cash.  Geez! As I am writing this out, I’m realizing how much there is to do.  Better wrap up this entry and get to work!