The Forest of the Lost Souls (A Floresta das Almas Perdidas) - 2016

IMPORTANT NOTE;

The bulk of this review article, namely the inane chatter from myself and the illuminating interview, was first published in a nostalgically warm month (Its now a perishing cold December) way back in July 2016. It was something of an unusual promotion article, namely that due to a request from the filmmaker I wasn't actually able to do much in terms of a review when talking about the film. This was due in the main for a need to hold off on reviews until the film was to be entered into the various festivals on 2017. Well it was certainly something of a tricky task - but I had a go.

Well six months had elapsed until I received an email just a couple of days ago from director, Jose Pedro Lopes who advised me that The Forest of The Lost Souls was  debuting at the Fantasporto Film Festival in February. In other words, it was time to put some review type comments down in print!

So in the time-honoured tradition of my wanting to save myself some work (or any if the chance permits) I'm re-publishing much (ok, all) of the original July article with the newly added review section at the end.

I'm in an unusual position this week of having been lucky enough to get an early look at a yet to be released film, thoroughly enjoy the said film, and yet not be able to divulge a word about it. Yet that is indeed the very situation that I find myself in. It's all the fault of JOSÉ PEDRO LOPES, who is the creative force behind a quite remarkable film, The Forest of the Lost Souls. 

José wrote to me earlier in the week via the contact section of the newly revamped 5D website at www.5d-blog.com (go on, check it out! - there's a free hug in it if you do). He told me that he's a filmmaker from Oporto, Portugal and currently starting the festival run for his first feature film, a coming of age slasher movie. In the message he asked me whether I would like to look at the trailer for his yet to be released film. Well indeed I would and indeed I did. After all, he had me at 'coming of age slasher'.

It would be safe to say that I was a little bit on the impressed side when I sat down and watched the trailer with its one minute thirteen seconds of black and white visual splendour and evocative soundtrack. If you don't believe me then you can see for yourself right here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OILyu13g-M

In fact, so intrigued was I that I asked José if he would let me see the complete full length version of the film so that I could put a more complete article together (there's a first time for everything, I hear you say!). José told me that he'd be happy to send me a super-secret online screener, however he had one teeny weeny minor condition, namely that I wasn't to divulge to anyone just yet any major review details about the film. The reason being that The Forest of the Lost Souls has yet to begin its festival entry run and so understandably wanted to wait for reviews so as to accompany the films release.

Oh, OK I thought, this could be something of a challenge methinks, having never actually done a review article without actually writing a, er, a review. At first I considered putting in a few clever and cunning hints about the film in this write up. However I soon realised the problem with that plan was my complete lack of skills in the clever and cunning department. My second plan was to record a video review of the film in the form of improvised interpretive dance, that was until I remembered that I have the dancing skills of an Emperor Penguin on Valium.

So after much consideration I agreed to José's request not to divulge any details of his movie, I say 'request' because there was a definite undertone of him 'making me an offer that I couldn't refuse' if I disagreed. Thankfully I managed the conundrum of talking about the film without talking about the film, by skilfully weaning some information by some clever investigative questioning techniques with the man himself.

First of all, let me provide you with a synopsis

"The Forest of the Lost Souls is a dense and remote forest, Portugal's most popular place for suicide. In a summer morning, two strangers meet
within the woods.

Ricardo (Jorge Mota) is a sad old man, who gave up on life when his older daughter, Irene (Lilia Lopes), took her life in a romantic pact gone wrong in the glacier lake that rests hidden deep in the forest.

Carolina (Daniela Love) is an eccentric, unstable young girl who finds all things related to death are fun.

As bumping into each other puts them off killing themselves , they decide to go for a walk to discover 'The Forest of the Lost Souls' and see what they will find. As they walk deeper into the woods, they get to know each other and become friends: but one of them is not being honest, one of them is a dark and horrible person."

As I mentioned earlier, José also kindly agreed to answer a few of my piercing questions. Let me first give you a little information of the man in question.

JOSÉ PEDRO LOPES was born in Oporto (Portugal) in 1982. He studied Management at the Oporto Catholic University (Portugal) and film at Madrid’s Escuela de Cine Septima Ars (Spain).

José founded the production company Anexo 82 in 2011 with Ana Almeida with whom he has produced several shorts films in the fantasy genre such as «A Noiva» (2007, The Bride), «Survivalismo» (2011, Survivalismo) and the direct-to-web effort «M is for Macho» (2013). Their most recent work, the 90s-set coming of age drama «Videoclube» (2014, Video Store) proved to be a festival success and became part of the Mailuki Films catalogue.

In 2016, he directed his first feature film, the coming of age slasher film «A Floresta das Almas Perdidas» (The Forest of the Lost Souls). He was line producer for the Portuguese shot of the Austrian documentar «Brother Jakob Are You Sleeping?» by Stefan Bohun, produced by Mishief Films.

Besides producing films, José is also a journalist (most notably for Portugal's leading indie film website c7nema.net), a festival programmer (for FEST - New Films/New Directors and on occasion Shortcutz Porto) and an enthusiast.

He has created promotional and documentary films for entities such as the Porto Town Hall, the European Comission, the Museum of Transports of Oporto and Braga European Youth Capital.

Q) So, José, what are your cinematic inspirations?

I've been doing films ever since I was 12, and I've started producing short films back in 2007 with «A Noiva» (The Bride) by Ana Almeida. Growing up in Oporto I was very much in love with Asian extreme cinema due to Fantasporto, a very big fantasy festival that takes place here every year. Also I've always been a die-hard fan of John Carpenter. His take on storytelling, both as a visual, narrative and musical form, is a big influence on me and it shows in «The Forest of Lost Souls».

But in this film, I drew more inspiration actually from Japanese cinema, specially Keiichi Kobayashi's «About the Pink Sky» and Sabu's «Miss Zombie». Both are very moody stories shot in black and white that shift genres and the way we see stories. «The Forest of Lost Souls» crosses slasher films with a coming of age drama, and a bit of generational comedy.

Q) What made you make a film about a coming of age slasher?

I'm a big fan of coming of age stories, from John Hughes movies to books/films such as «The Perks o Being a Wallflower» and «Me, Earl and the Dying Girl». But sometimes they can be kind of lame. Often they have too much "be who you want to be", "go be an artist" kind of message - they become positivist to a point they are unnerving. People in this movies talk about books, movies, song and their dreams over and over.

So I wanted to take this kind of inspirational, nice film, and invert it. The two people who meet in this film don't talk about their dreams, but how much they just want to die and get over life. And even if for a while the movie walks the inspirational coming of age storyline, it eventually twists all that into a much darker, sad place.

This story was obviously inspired by Japan's Aokigahara forest. There are places like that here too - and in a way Portuguese and Japanese take on death are very similar. We're the country of fado music, the most beautiful yet melancholic music genre you can find.

Q) Why shoot it in black & white?

There were several reasons why we shot in the B&W. Actually when I, my producer and my cinematographer talked about filming, everybody was assuming it was B&W as we've always though of this story like that. Black&White brings out a lot of the textures and contrasts in images. This makes the forest a more isolated place, and more crowded with trees and rocks. The characters become more isolated from the background.

Also as this story is set in the summer, which is very hot here in Portugal, black&white allowed to make the far away background always overexposed and very white. The characters are a lot of the time in the dark - while the world behind is almost white.

Also as this is a very emotional, sad family drama in its core, black&white very brought out the work of the actors and their expressions. The movie talks a lot about suicide, loss and grief. I felt that B&W would keep the emotions on the characters and their feelings very outlined and exposed. So it was both a technical and a storytelling decision to make it B&W

Yet, at the Berlin Film Festival this year a distributor told me: "You made a black&white crossover Portuguese film? Could you have me it more difficult to sell?".

  

Q) When and where are you releasing it on the circuit?

I've just now started to send it to festivals, hopefully to premiere it before the end of the year. I guess 2017 will be mostly festivals, but I'm looking into commercial circuits where this kind of movie could get release. I'm still figuring it out.

Q) What are your future plans?

I've a production company based in Oporto, Portugal called Anexo 82. We've been making movies since 2012, and this is our first feature. We're already working on several other projects, our and from others, but we do hope we can make more feature length fiction in the future. Maybe a happy film next time

I would like to thank José for kindly giving me some of his time. I know that I'm not allowed to divulge any review details of The Forest of the Lost Souls. All I will say at this point is that I loved it. Hopefully José won't be sending the boys round with a horses head for my bed with that revelation.........

You can find out more about José and his film at the following links:

The Forest of the Lost Souls website - http://forestofthelostsouls.wix.com/enter

His production company, Anexo 82 can be found at http://www.anexo82.com

The film's Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/theforestofthelostsouls/

THE REVIEW BIT........

The Forest of the lost Souls is a beautifully atmospheric and emotionally charged piece of cinema, enhanced in no small part by the performances of it's main cast, the incredible black & white cinematography and evocative soundtrack. 

 For a start the film looks quite wonderful, shot in the Caramulo mountains in the centre of Portugal and in Spains Sanabria lake region the viewer is rewarded with vistas and landscapes of breathtaking quality. The visual feel is further amplified by the inspired decision to make the movie in black and white. Jose said in his interview that his intention was to exemplify many of the textures and contrasts in the film's images. He wanted to make the forest a seem an even more isolated place, apart from the abundance of tree and rocks, serving to make the characters become more isolated from the background. Shooting the film in black and white he was sure would do this.

It's safe to say that he has succeeded completely, black and white photography when used correctly can add technical and narrative dimensions to the feel of a film that colour simply cannot do. The skillful way in which the film begins with bright well-lit scenes and then mirrors the progressive darker narrative as it advances to a similarly darker visual look is excellent. This is not to say that the film wouldn't have worked as a colour production, because I'm sure it would, however the black and white effect adds a technical and emotional depth of real quality.

Yes, this is a story of an ageing man who meets a young girl in the forest, both of whom have gone there with the intention of committing suicide - so it's pretty safe to say that this is a story of tortured emotional isolation and desolation. In other other words, there isn't much here for the Pop idol or Glee generation of superficial sugary happiness. Though that doesn't mean to say that that are no moments of humour on show in this film, because there are - black and biting perhaps, but humour nonetheless as the bond between the two unearths two pasts full of similar emotional contradictions.

For those who like their horror without intelligence but prefer unadulterated blood-soaked gore upon gore (and yes there is a time and place for that sort of horror experience) then The Forest of the Lost Souls may not be for you. 

There is indeed a degree of murderous violence (this a slasher film after all), however this arrives after some wonderful exchanges of dialogue and story telling between the main protagonists. There is a genuine depth of emotion on show here with sadness, remorse, anger and an overall lack of hope filtering from the actions and conversations between the characters. 

At times it's intense stuff.This serves to explore some fascinating philosophical themes about love, loss and the desire to end the struggle of life. 

Now don't get me wrong, whilst there are the inevitable references to the likes of Nietzsche et al, the film doesn't overly prevaricate on such themes - unlike some movies of this nature which seem more intent on contemplating their own navel instead on concentrating on important matters....such as being a good horror story. 

No, because before one realises what has happened the increasingly dark twists and turns swiftly transport you into a world of violence and pain - very nice!

As I mentioned earlier, the acting on show is of the highest quality, with newcomer Daniela Love as the deliciously unstable Carolina showing a depth of performance that belies her lack of experience.

A special mention too must also go to the fabulous soundtrack in this film. Even if Jose hadn't said in his interview that the likes of John Carpenter, whose enduring genius has been to incorporate music as a visual and narrative enhancement, has been an influence on his work well it would have been obvious here. 

The soundtrack for The Forest of the Lost Souls is quite simply stunning, with the noticeable inclusions of songs by the likes of Cyberbully Mom club who's 'March 1st' features in the final act of the film and also the catchy summer song «Beach Bummer» by No Vacation  which is featured in a particular important moment.

Hann Cassady

Perhaps the standout musical element though comes from Hann Cassady, whose song 'Smoke Break' features in the film's trailer RIGHT HERE. Hann is a singer/songwriter recently relocated to the east coast from her hometown of Chicago, Illinois. She has released three EPs: 'Okay', 'American Spirit' and 'Love Bites'. She is currently working on her first LP.

It's a perfect soundtrack for a coming of age slasher film!

So if you like your slasher films to be thoughtful, intelligent, dark, twisted and violent - then The Forest of the Lost Souls is just the remedy for the standard coming of age films that we normally have to endure!

The Forest of the Lost Souls (A Floresta das Almas Perdidas) is debuting at the Fantasporto - Oporto International Film Festival in February 2017.

This article can also be found via the 5D website www.5d-blog.com. There you can find a veritable feast of blog articles, news items, pictures and and other mouth-watering salutations to the gods of the geeks and the nerds. We have now inherited the earth, you know.

There is also a newly launched forum on the website designed for ANYONE involved or interested in the Independent film industry related to genres of Sci-Fi, fantasy and horror. Feel free to register and contribute - Everyone is welcome!

In addition, should any of you fine people out there wish to advertise on the 5D website then have a look at the offer below.

5D. INDIE FILM FORUM.

5D is proud to let you know about the new forum on the 5D website. The forum is designed for ANYONE involved or interested in the Independent film industry within the genres of Sci-Fi, fantasy and horror. Here you’ll be able to interact with other like-minded individuals to ask for help/information as well as share questions, advice, promotion & ideas.

The hope is that in time it will form a hub for anyone working in, hoping to work in, or just plain interested in, these exciting areas of independent and low-budget film production.

I would be honoured if anybody reading this would be interested in registering on the forum and possibly contributing in any way that would interest or indeed benefit you and your work.

You can access the forum either via the ‘Forum’ section on the 5D website www.5d-blog.com or by going directly to the forum at forum.5d-blog.com

World of Death - Misunderstanding (Alex Wiggins)

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It is with great pleasure that I announce that 5D has arranged with Tony Wash, Film producer and general all round good egg, to work with and promote some of the community of filmmakers that form part of his brainchild, World of Death, an international compilation of horror short films produced by Scotchworthy Productions and JP3 Media.

World of Death brings together the talent of over 200 filmmakers from 25 different countries in a compilation of short horror films that will terrorise, astonish, disturb, and excite genre fans across the globe.

World of Death isn't just a compilation; it's a community. Consisting of over 200 filmmakers plus their casts and crew, World of Death includes independent talent of every age and level of experience… From all over the globe!

So in my tried and trusted method of hanging onto to the creative coat-tails of those far more talented than myself 5D will be including regular articles featuring some of the examples of the short horror films that have been produced by this incredible community. Some of the articles will be written by myself (sorry about that) and some will take the form of guest blogs by the filmmakers themselves. If I'm honest, the notion of a guest blog fills me with more than a smidgen of trepidation - not because I don't think that they will be very good, on the contrary they will probably be the opposite. However I feel comforted in the knowledge that when the odd (inevitably) better blog post than my own comes along then I can easily 'accidentally' delete it before publishing it. No one will ever know.

It was after begging like a brat asking Tony Wash whether he would be kind enough to share the details of the newly revamped 5D website that he suggested that it might be a good idea to pass me on to the World of Death community and see what interest came of it. Well interest there was, with a veritable plethora of filmmakers who ignored the views of popular opinion about me and still decided to contact my website with the prospect of putting some love out there for their work. 

The gruesome twosome, Smiles and Tragedy

The first of the filmmakers to feature in the series is Alex Wiggins with his film Misunderstanding. The rumour that Alex was the first to be chosen by myself simply because he said that he had checked out the 5D site and in his words " I really dig a lot of the articles and writings you have!", cannot be confirmed by my legal department without me apparently perjuring myself. Is my ego that easily manipulated? Well frankly I couldn't possibly comment.

In all honesty it was by pure chance that his was the first to be chosen from the wealth of material on World of Death - however, saying nice things about me and inflating my already insatiable need for love and adoration is never a bad thing.

Alex Wiggins tells me that he is a senior at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Georgia...... hmm, I think I dislike him already being younger and more talented than me, he's probably better looking too - Nope, I'm not happy. However he quickly redeemed himself by explaining that he like me, is a total 70's and 80's horror enthusiast, which is inevitably a good thing in his favour, though I have yet to get conformation from him whether he acknowledges that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) is the greatest ever horror film made in the history on cinema. I cannot deny the rumour that disagreeing with me on this matter means an immediate unfollowing on social networking, because it makes perfect sense.

Alex's contribution for World of Death is a short film that he wrote, produced, and did the special-effects make-up work for (see I told you he was annoyingly talented). The short film was titled "M is for Misunderstanding", as it was originally a submission for the ABC's of Death 2 short competition. The film is simply called "Misunderstanding" now. This short was made during their Freshman summer before going into Sophomore year there at SCAD. Bloody hell, in my my equivalent of a Freshman year I was too busy discovering the delights of my friend, Mr Jack Daniels, than creating works of film or indeed anything at all remotely creative.

Misunderstanding is the story of a suburban couple who have their quiet suburban morning turned violently upside down as two masked thugs enter their house in search of a misaddressed and extremely important piece of mail.

The film itself is 3.14 minutes of excellently shot work that nicely manages to squeeze into the short running time a fair measure of bloody violence, as well as a laugh-out-loud moments of comedy. The special (and bloody) effects are genuinely excellent and provide a nice authentic feel of tension to the violent home invasion scenario.The acting for the most part is reasonable from the small cast, though perhaps in truth is the one weak link of the whole production. However on the whole I found the short film immensely enjoyable and a nice twist on the home invasion genre. It all serves to make me feel that Mr Wiggins and the rest of the team may have a rosy cinematic future in from of them.

If you want to see the film yourself then you can find it right here on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLpgrA0zyqw

In addition to feeling threatened by the talents of Alex it seems that there is another of the team that is annoyingly talented. This short was shot and directed by Dan Frantz who is officially an alumni of SCAD film as well who has his own impressive knowledge with VFX as well as DPing and directing. He recently shot a music video for Alabama Shakes that was selected as one of their official videos. It seems that the whole world out there is set upon making me feel inadequate..... I bloody love the Alabama Shakes!

The music video can be seen at https://genero.tv/watch-video/40255

If all that wasn't enough to wet ones appetite it seems that that there are still more 'misunderstandings' to come because the follow up is currently in post production. 

The cunningly titled M is for Misunderstanding part 2 takes place immediately after the events of the first and see the gruesome twosome, Smiles and Tragedy, this time crashing into a house of college girls creating an every woman for herself game of survival. Yep, we've all been there.

Once again we are promised a mix of horror and comedy and continuing the method of using traditional special effects and make-up in the follow up featuring all female cast of comedic improv performers. I must admit that I'm rather looking forward to it.

For further information about Alex and his future work you can contact him at his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/wigginsalex

Dan's Website: http://www.danfrantzfilms.com/ 

This article can also be found via the 5D website www.5d-blog.com. There you can find a veritable feast of blog articles, news items, pictures and other mouth-watering salutations to the gods of the geeks and the nerds. We have now inherited the earth, you know.

In addition, should any of you fine people out there wish to advertise on the 5D website then have a look at the offer below.

Celebrity Chef Zombie Apocalypse by Jack Strange

My holiday reading - courtesy of Mr Strange

When I was asked by author Jack Strange to review his novel I was at first a little reluctant to do so due to of my lack of knowledge, and more importantly, lack of love, of his book's subject matter. No, I'm not talking about zombies obviously, as I and the rest of humanity have been overflowing with the escapades of the annoying little undead buggers for the last few years, and quite frankly it's not a public obsession that seems like abating in the near future either. Not that I'm necessarily complaining mind you, as anyone who knows me and my own particular obsession with The Walking Dead for example.

No, the lack of knowledge that I speak of relates to the subject of 'celebrities', 'chefs' and especially 'celebrity chefs'. The thing is that I have to be careful here, because there are some things that will automatically ramp up my 'rant-meter' to the point of ranting on a near-olympic gold medal rant level. I think you may catch what I mean. Believe me, you really don't want to get me started on how much I despise (and frankly don't understand) the contemporary obsession with all things reality TV and celebrity related, ahem, entertainment. I know I may well be in a minority if national obsessions like the Great British bake a cake off thingy are anything to go by. But watching people on a television, whether they be those, ahem, wonderfully warm and non-egotistical chefs, or the, er, equally wonderful members of the public who are on a "magical journey to explore their passion" whilst at the same time supporting their poor blind quadriplegic mother  - well, I would rather be doing something else...... anything else.

See what I mean? Apologies for the mini rant. 

Anyhoo......... I after a little consideration I advised Jack that I would be happy to read his book, in fact it would be a welcome addition to my little break away in the Scottish Highlands just in case it rained which meant I would need some holiday reading. Of course, it did bloody well rain....... a lot. So on the one hand I don't get so see much of this beautiful land during those few days away, though it did mean that I got the chance (being a famously slow reader) to read this book. And boy did I enjoy it.

Firstly, let me throw your way a little ol synopsis.....

"Celebrity Chef Zombie Apocalypse is the story of the dead celebrity chef Floyd Rampant, who rises from his grave aiming to create a zombie army of chefs who will rule the world, using the human species as the main ingredient in their cordon bleu meals."

Jack's habit of stealing peoples books in coffee shops and

writing rude messages in them continues.

As you will see from the brief description, this is a zombie horror novel that comes with a fair dollop of humour. There is a saying that horror (films, tv, books etc) tend to reflect the society of the moment - and if that's not a saying and I've just made it up, well I hereby claim it for my own. In other words, we get the horror output that we deserve. Perhaps this may explain the proliferation of zombie related material over the last few years, in that every Zombie apocalypse written about is simply a metaphor of the gradual disintegration of the social world that we live in. The argument may indeed have some merit, because when one looks at just what is going on around us (not just here in the UK,  but around the world) it's safe to say that things are a little complicated. In fact I think that the psychological and sociological term is that 'we're all fucked'. 

So in order to deal with this impending social apocalypse we currently dress our fears, hates and prejudices up in Zombie lore. This seems to work when done on a dramatic level, but does it work when one infuses the lore with a healthy dose of biting (I'll get my coat) political and social satire as Jack strange does with Celebrity Chef Zombie Apocalypse? Well yes it does, and some.

There may be some out there in the horror loving community who may be disappointed in the lack of genuine in your face descriptive horror in this novel. However there is still enough blood and guts to satisfy many of us and in truth this will certainly appeal both to horror and non-horror fans alike in that it wears it's funny bone well and truly on its sleeve - as it were. This is certainly a comedy horror book for adults rather than a horror comedy, and something I would wager that Jack fully intended.

The creation of Floyd Rampant (who my wife expertly informs me is based upon the notorious celebrity chef Keith Floyd) is quite simply a work of genius. Whilst some of the supporting characters may feel a little 2-dimensional, Rampant is instead a fully blown in-your-face larger than life character complete with laugh out loud dialogue as he begins to force his vociferous appetites (both culinary and sexual) on an unsuspecting public. I kid ye not, there are moments when I read this in the confines of my rain-sodden Highland cottage and the place echoed to the sound of my unrestrained laughter.

I must admit that I never thought I would ever write this next sentence in a blog article, but special mention too should be given to the creation of Henderson, the cat turned into a vicious cat-zombie. I know, I know, the concept sounds ludicrous but believe me it works! The much neglected sub genre of Feline zombies finally gets the poster boy that its been crying out for with the rightfully creative ways in which it despatches it's human victims. Inspired writing.

Jack is a founder member of the

Phil Collins impersonators society.

Yes, there are some areas where the story doesn't quite work; for example the introduction of the Lazarus machine, the equipment responsible for bringing the dead back to life, feels too rushed and would have benefited from a more detailed consideration and back-story. Indeed, some of the descriptive narrative at certain points during the novel is occasionally overly basic and lacking in depth, as is the depiction of a couple of the lesser characters.

However, these are just minor quibbles because there is far more in Celebrity Chef Zombie Apocalypse to praise than to criticise, whether it be the masterful creations of Rampant & Henderson, the wonderfully piercing commentary of societies attitude to celebrity or the extremely funny satire of the political elite and their views of the cultural divide on the north and south of the country. Indeed, the gobsmacking Government response to the zombie epidemic could have come straight out of many a classic British satirical comedy.

All in all I would highly recommended this debut novel from an author who displays a confident line in exquisite satirical humour. There may may be some who are offended by the occasional swear word, sex scene (not that explicit to be honest) and occasional bouts of flesh eating violence. Well don't get me started on the modern habits of those in society just waiting to be offended by anything and everything, because that's a rant for another time.

You can buy Celebrity Chef Zombie Apocalypse RIGHT HERE

This article can also be found via the 5D website www.5d-blog.com. There you can find a veritable feast of blog articles, news items, pictures and other mouth-watering salutations to the gods of the geeks and the nerds. We have now inherited the earth, you know.

In addition, should any of you fine people out there wish to advertise on the 5D website then have a look at the offer below.

We Are Soldier - News & competition for this exciting new Sci-fi project.

It will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever chanced upon this blog to know that I am something of a social networking floozie when it comes to channeling my news and views. Yes it cannot be denied, if there's a forum out there that I haven't explored then chances are that it's either not worth the time and effort in terms of rewards (e.g messages of love and adoration) or that it is still on my 'to do and exploit' list (yes Reddit, I'm talking about you). So be warned my dear reader, there really is no chance of escape out there in Internetland because eventually I will find you..... and I will blog to you......

So a week or so ago one of my plethora of social networking outlets was contacted (in this case the 5D. The Fifth Dimension Facebook group page (the link for which can be found RIGHT HERE) regarding an especially interesting project that immediately ticked a number of boxes in this here blogger's science fiction loving cold, cold heart. The message came from the writer and producer of the project, Lee Asquith-Coe who wanted to spread the word about his teams work of producing an original sci-fi script called We Are Soldier.

The message ran as follows;

"I, along with an incredible team of very talented peeps have been producing an original sci-fi script called "We Are Soldier" our facebook page takes you on our incredible journey so far, with some incredible BTS shots, from some our shoots plus, prop builds and concept art. If you love Sci-Fi and want to break the remake/reboot mould then please check us out! We hope you will join us on our multilayered journey. Hope you enjoy the concept trailers below. Peace and Love."

Well I don't know about you but my interest was immediately tickled, so much so that I contacted Mr Asquith-Coe and the We Are Soldier Facebook page to find out a little more. The first thing that I demanded was a synopsis, and I was duly rewarded.......

"We Are Soldier is a fast paced action filled adrenaline ride set in the not too distant future where the integration of man and machine through bio implants and nano-technology have become a reality. Where hardened criminals become Drone soldiers, their memories inhibited, their pasts erased and their futures controlled by The British Army. How far will mankind go to protect innocent lives from fighting wars on foreign soil? "

So what else can I tell you about what looks like a rather exciting conception? Well the team behind it regard it as something of a slow burning project, all the crew (who all work in film and tv production) have day jobs so the pace of the project has been taking a little breathe recently due to juggling multiple roles, projects etc.....BUT with a new suit currently under construction and current plans underway to shoot a potentially mouth-watering scene they hope to have far more information soon for investment purposes and bloggers such as myself. The project started out a simple single layered story, which has now turned into a huge multilayered action thriller, with twists and turns, an apocalyptic original sci-fi script that the team hope will blow everyone away.

And do you know something? I'm decidedly confident that they will indeed 'blow us away', because I've also had the good fortune to be shown the first few pages of the 1st draft treatment of the screenplay for We Are Soldiers - now I don't know about you but methinks just being given the opportunity to read something few others have seen is rather cool.

The only problem is that Lee gave me me VERY STRICT orders not to divulge or share anything much at all about what I read - apparently there are some rather unscrupulous buggers out there when it comes to stealing film ideas, so the team are very keen that things are kept under wraps for now. In fact I would go as far to say that I received a couple of not-so-veiled-threats about what would happen if I did...... the public ritual disembowelment and drowning in a vat of three year old Bisto gravy was maybe a tad extreme, but I suppose they have a point. Not only that, but I have also been warned that to be able to read the final treatment and script, DNA samples must first be obtained! Well it could be worse I suppose, depending on what samples could in theory be required........

All I will say for now is the that the concept, story and themes are mouth-watering! 

If all that wasn't enough, I decided to employ my world famous charm on Lee to see if there was any possibility of getting my hands on something from the planned film to use as a competition prize on the 5D website. As usual, my charm failed to work but being the decent human being that he is, Lee still agreed to let us have something. He and the team plan to have a whole range of competitions and incentives to further publicise the project so I am eternally grateful for his generosity.

COMPETITION TIME

An incredible team of very talented peeps have been producing an original sci-fi script called "We Are Soldier". 

"We Are Soldier" is a SCI-FI action film set in the not too distant future, where criminals are sentenced to life as Drone Soldiers.

The facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WeRSoldier/ takes you on their amazing journey so far, with some incredible BTS shots, from some their shoots plus, prop builds and concept art. 

You can win this genuine prop from the project, a "Python MK II" prop pistol by answering this question from writer/producer Lee Asquith-Coe;

"How Many enemy targets does our Soldier's target system detect?

The answer can be found in the concept trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzOL66fEU8Y&feature=youtu.be

To have the chance of winning this fabulous prize all you have to do is visit the 5D website at www.5d-blog.com and submit your answer in the competition section. Good luck!

The We are Soldier team would LOVE you to PLEASE check out their action concept Teaser.......and maybe visit their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/WeRSoldier

This article can also be found via the 5D website www.5d-blog.com. There you can find a veritable feast of blog articles, news items, pictures and other mouth-watering salutations to the gods of the geeks and the nerds. We have now inherited the earth, you know.

Guest Blog #3 - From The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) to Plane Walker – How Senses Can Shape a Narrative by C. P. Dunphey

Welcome to the third of the guest blog slots for 5D. This particular piece comes from C.P Dunphey, who was born in Staten Island, New York. He grew up in Southern Mississippi and had an interest in writing since he was very young. In 2015, he founded his own publishing company, Gehenna Publishing House. His first novel, Plane Walker, was released in 2016. Here at 5D headquarters we'll be reviewing the novel, which is winging it's way across the pond as I write this, in the next couple of weeks.

C.P hopes to further his writing as well as offer authors opportunities to be heard and read, his dream being that Gehenna Publishing House becomes a household name. The sequel to his novel, Plane Walker, titled Heiron, is slated for release in early 2017.

If you would like to be a guest blogger for me then you can contact me through my website at www.5d-blog.com.

From The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) to Plane Walker – How Senses Can Shape a Narrative by C. P. Dunphey

My junior year in college, I decided to take a film class.  I had always been a huge film buff and decided it would be appropriate and fun to take a class that required me to study something I loved.  I had this wonderful professor, Dr. French, and he showed us several fantastic films which we later discussed.  From Vertigo (1958) to Harold and Maude (1971), classics were prominent.  Each film was chosen to discuss specific aspects of film.  So when Dr. French told us that for the chapter on Sound we would be watching The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), I must say we were bewildered at first.  I had never seen the film and many classmates had not either.  It was a notorious movie and we all knew we were in for a trip.  Dr. French told us we weren’t required to watch it considering the nature of the film.

            When we finally screened the movie, I was blown away.  Especially when Dr. French talked about how all of the score was composed with metal objects scraping against each other, due to budget constraints.  And also how the director Tobe Hooper, asked for a “G” rating from the MPAA because there was such a shortage of on-screen violence.  Of course the MPAA declined and they gave him an “X” rating.  Hooper tried again for a “PG” after edits and only then did he receive an “R” rating. 

            The fact of the matter is, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) was a film that terrified primarily by the senses.  The sounds and score left you to imagine the worst and because of the score, the film was more effective than any could have imagined.  Now the film is considered to be a classic.  The fascinating thing about this movie, is the use of the senses to invoke fear and suspense.  The film does not have a lot of on-screen violence, but what is left to be implied by sounds and visuals, will haunt you for the rest of your days.

            When I began writing Plane Walker, I chose a stream-of-consciousness narrative and from the beginning it was a struggle to invoke feelings of fear and dread with the voice of a singular character.  It took a lot of editing and a lot of different ideas for the novel to finally form into the visceral entity it is now.  One of my biggest inspirations during this struggle was the use of senses in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).  I knew after seeing that film that it was possible to use techniques through narrative to create an atmosphere of discomfort and suspense.

            Through protagonist Lazarus’s eyes, I tried to convey his thoughts into detail and crisp description in a way that would make the readers feel vacuumed into his mind.  I used every one of the five senses in every way I could, often creating elements that were unfamiliar to normal human senses.  I tried to use sound, visuals, and touch as my primary storytellers.  With Lazarus’s suit, Hyperion, there are several scenes where he describes in great detail the confines of his suit and what psychological comfort the machine gives to him.  Though it was difficult, I found ways to convey the images and feelings I had in my mind for the narrative.  None of it would have been as inspired if I hadn’t attended that film class junior year of college, where the great Mr. French introduced me to the classic horror film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).

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This article can also be found via the 5D website www.5d-blog.com. There you can find a veritable feast of blog articles, news items, pictures and other mouth-watering salutations to the gods of the geeks and the nerds. We have now inherited the earth, you know.