The Redwood Massacre (2014)

Over the past year or two it has been my pleasure to have been involved in doing what little I can to help promote a whole range of ventures across the genres of Sci-Fi, fantasy and horror. It's been a blast, it really has. I've had the opportunity to correspond and collaborate with a number of very talented and highly motivated individuals who are producing a wide variety of astounding material. I genuinely believe that this time will be looked back upon as a golden era of creativity involving all the avenues of potential possibilities that the internet, the WWW and within it, social networking, has to offer. It truly is an exciting time.

The USA, Australia, Scandinavia, Brazil and the good old Blighty (amongst many others) have all provided this blog with a wealth of material and projects to write about. The problem has been (if it is a problem at all) that by the very nature of my home location (high up in the North East of Scotland on the beautiful Moray Firth), there hasn’t been much opportunity to become involved in projects close to home. To be honest, it has for some time been a mystery to me why more movies etc are not filmed in this part of Scotland, it has more than its fare share of suitably creepy and atmospheric places to fill a horror library......and I’m not just talking about Dundee. :-) 

So when I was contacted by Lorraine Keith, a producer from Clear Focus Movies, asking me if I wanted to put a little something together on my blog about a film that had just been produced by their company – The Redwood Massacre. Well I was both devilishly excited and yet initially a little concerned. I’ll explain why concerned in a short while. However, why excited you may ask? Well because not only is the production company based in my neck the woods in the North of Scotland, but they are situated in the city where I work – Aberdeen. Nice!

Of course, I still wasn’t going to lend my (ahem) esteemed name to any old Tom, Dick or Harry tin pot organisation. After all, one has standards. No, shush, I really do have them.......it’s just that they are often a little difficult to locate. So I decided to have a wee look-see for myself at their website http://www.clearfocus-productions.co.uk/

It seems that Clear Focus Movies is a creative advertising and video production agency with something of a global reach. Their aim is to produce innovative films and original content across a wide range of brands, industries and platforms.

In addition to that they specialise in television advertisements, film production, health & safety video, training video, tool demonstration video, charity video, video for web content, 2D / 3D graphic animation. If that wasn’t enough, they act as both Video Production and Service Production Company, and apparently are happy to organise a customer’s video production from script to delivery – no matter how big or small the budget, or how simple or complex the project.

Blimey, they seem to be all professional and all that. I’m in!

After further perusing their website I also noticed they have a track record of film production already, with a previous 2011 movie called Attack of the Herbals . According to the website blurb it is an “Evil Dead/Shaun of the Dead” style of horror comedy, shot on low budget in the North East of Scotland. The film tells the story of a mysterious and unmarked wooden crate that is discovered by locals after it washes ashore. In the crate is rather strange substance which the locals discover makes a particularly nice tea (as you do) – though the side effects on the local population are not quite what they expect. It’s not a film I’m familiar with, but the synopsis alone is enough to intrigue me for a later time.

Anyhoo, enough digressing (I told you to stop me doing that). The purpose of this article is to talk about The Redwood Massacre. Firstly, let me provide you with the movie synopsis.

"Lets go for a walk - what's the worst that could happen?....

“For five adventurous friends, visiting the legendary murder site of Redwood has all the hallmarks of being an exciting and thrilling camping weekend away.

A popular site for revellers and party goers, each year on the exact date of the famous local family massacre, people from around the country head out to the site to have fun and scare each other. The twenty year old horror story is legend in the quiet sleepy part of Scotland and is made even more fascinating by the fact it is a true story.

As the five campers head deeper into the woods they soon discover they’re not on their own. What starts out as a fun camping trip soon turns into a bloody nightmare as they are sadistically stalked by a mysterious evil presence hell bent on viciously murdering his innocent victims one by one.

Events take a bloody turn for the worse when the innocent campers discover the Redwood myth is in fact a horrible reality, which turns the unsuspecting victims into prey for a mysterious axe wielding maniac that has remained dormant for twenty years

‘THE REDWOOD MASSACRE’ is a genre bending horror movie that plays with the rules and clichés of your typical slasher film.”

Now, those of you that have read some of my previous horror musings will no doubt identify pretty much straight away from the synopsis the problem, and why a district feeling of concern slightly diluted my initial reaction after hearing about the film being shot so close to where I live. For those of you that have been foolish/wise/sedated (delete as necessary) enough to have stayed away from my blog, it is quite simple. The ‘young campers in the woods hunted by a vicious sadistic killer’ isn’t one of my particular sub-topics of horror movie, quite the contrary – indeed on most levels it has been done to death, as it were, such is the over familiarity of the format. In fact I would put it only behind the found-footage horror format on my list of movie dislikes.

Yet this doesn’t seem to deter the independent and not-so-independent filmmaker it seems, because the 'rampant slasher in the woods' films are still being made – by the bucket full. Whether it is because it shows a catastrophic lack of original thinking, or possibly because (and this is my personal theory) that the ‘murder of teens in the woods’ sub-genre is simply the easiest and cheapest form of horror to make. If you combine that with the fact there is still something of an audience out there for this type of horror then why would these films cease to be produced?

However as such recent offerings as The Invoking (SEE HERE) and The Lashman (SEE HERE) show, there are still filmmakers willing and able to take an arguably tired formula and inject a whole new element of life into it.

Some Redwood Massacre production stuff going on....

So, once again I was willing to set aside my prejudices and endeavour to find out as much as I can about the movie before its official release date in Aberdeen in September.

Unfortunately I was unable to make the invitation to the early test screening of the movie at an Aberdeen cinema earlier this month due to an important engagement which I was unable cancel (major dental work – don’t laugh, it was bloody painful!). However I’ve been able to glean a few essential elements of information from a few people who were actually able to get their lives in order and attend the screening. I have also had the benefit of seeing the official trailer – which you can also see below.

The Redwood Massacre teaser trailer

If the test preview word of mouth and trailer is anything to go by, I may just have my cynicism thrown back in my smug little face – because it looks excellent. It also looks bloody scary – which for a horror film is always a good thing I suppose. I had already heard good accounts from the test viewing in regards to the cinematography – and judging by the admittedly brief trailer, this assertion is absolutely confirmed. The various camera shots and lighting look sublime and the sound is a suitably in your face (or ears) horror experience.

The acting in low budget independent horror can traditionally be hit or miss (to put it mildly) – however there doesn’t seem to be much to worry about judging from the few excerpts I have seen up to this moment. As for the horror, well lets just say some of the girls can scream!  I will say though that the requisite murdering psychopath looks stunningly chilling and gives a genuinely horrific feel to the proceedings – we may have a new big-time bad boy in town, he is seriously scary looking.

A pensive moment for the homicidal manic.

It is quite clear that the writer and director David Ryan Keith has no intention of making anything close to an original horror film – and to be honest I applaud the honesty. The filmmakers here fully intend to give what they believe many in the horror film audience want – and that is an authentic old fashioned slasher horror with multiple violent deaths and gallons of blood and gore. Who am I to argue with this sentiment? To be honest, it is rather refreshing to see a filmmaker throw the condescending and patronising opinions many people have towards horror and the slasher sub-genre back in their faces.

Indeed, David has promised that “This film won’t be winning any screen play awards or any pats on the back for its meaningful tones or depiction of our society, what they will get is a fun 80 minute bloody movie that will entertain from beginning to end and hopefully give horror fans worldwide something to talk about....”

In addition to the film being shot in a number of locations in Aberdeenshire there is also a wealth of local acting talent potentially on show in The Redwood massacre. At the risk of alienating some names I may omit, just to quickly mention three:

Lisa Cameron (Pamela)

Lisa is an actress based in Aberdeen, Scotland, known from her work within various local independent films including ‘The Redwood Massacre’, ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ & ‘Sawney Bean’ which has since gone on to be nominated for a Scottish Bafta.

Rebecca Wilkie (Jessica)

Rebecca is an actress from the north of Scotland, known for her work in a variety of local independent films, her films have ranged from horror to action to comedy. Rebecca is also an experienced stage actress whose most recent production was the opening show from the newly refurbished Tivoli Theatre

Adam Coutts (Mark)

Adam is a drama teacher at the International School in Aberdeen. The Redwood Massacre is his first venture into film 

I know I’m biased about the area in which I now live (and probably will until the grim reaper comes to take me into that haunted cabin in the woods in the sky – but I will genuinely admit to being just a little bit excited about a local horror film that might just turn out to be also bloody marvellous.

The official Aberdeen premier takes place in September – I fully hope to be there (dentists permitting).  However a little birdie has informed me that there is a distinct possibility that I may be able to view a super duper secret preview online in July, as soon as the final score and soundtrack thingamajigs have been sorted. As soon as I’ve seen it, the full review will appear here.

Important Information

Directed by

David Ryan Keith

Produced by

Lorraine Keith David Ryan Keith

Written by

David Ryan Keith

Production Company

Clear Focus Movies Limited

Executive Producer

Lorraine Keith David Ryan Keith

Starring

Mark Wood Lisa Livingstone Lisa Cameron Rebecca Wilkie Adam Coutts Lee Hutcheon

Running Time: 80 minutes 

Aspect Ratio: 1.66 1920 x 1080p 25fps 

Language: English 

Budget: £150,000

www.clearfocus-productions.co.uk/the_redwood_massacre 

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The Ecstasy - La jetée.......The Agony - Psycho (1998)

Firstly the ecstasy: La jetée (1962)

When I received an email from Matt at the marvellous http://www.ukhorrorscene.com

first suggesting the Agony and the Ecstasy season, in which each writer talks about their movie love or hate, I thought that this would be easy peasy. If nothing else, writing a blog goes some way to satisfying my own particular self-indulgent and narcissistic need to bleat on about just how much I love/dislike this movie or that book (or how I dislike most bloody remakes). The fact that some people seem to quite like my blathering is something of a bonus, and not an unwelcome one at that. And do you know what? The task of coming up with my own love and hate was indeed easy peasy.

My own example of an absolute love of film is not meant to be overly high-browed or pretentious in any way, shape or form. But what cannot be denied is that my choice is certainly different in terms of it's style and structure. In addition, the influence that the film has had on filmmakers in both science fiction and horror is also not open to question, though that influence is unknown to many people in the wider public, due in no small measure to the movie's very different construction from the norm. The terms 'great' and 'genius' when describing certain works are often thrown about (by us all) in such abandonment that the descriptions have become passe and irrelevant when addressing the qualities of any production. There are many many good films, there are indeed a large number of excellent films. But there are few great ones.

However, my choice of Ecstasy I would argue IS the personification of pure unadulterated cinematic genius. It is a movie that changed everything for me in regard to me personal appreciation of science fiction, fantasy and horror. I cannot give it more praise than that.

La jetée is the 1962  French short movie that inspired Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys. Chris Marker's original telling of the story that mixes science-fiction, fantasy and horror within a narrative strand of post-Apocalypse disaster and time travel is far less commercial and accessible than Gilliam's (still wonderful) version. It is simply a genuine watershed of science-fiction film making, a 28-minute masterpiece told almost entirely in black and white still-frames. 

Set in the near future, the Earth has barely survived an all-consuming nuclear holocaust, which has driven the remnants of humanity underground. In this new underworld existence the division between victor and vanquished would, one would think, be meaningless under the circumstances that humanity now finds itself in and that in the event of such a catastrophe we would all pull together to ensure our survival. Nope, not a chance.

However, it seems that there are those who are more than prepared to subjugate others to their will and intentions, whatever the cost to personal rights and freedom. With few human and technological resources left after the planets near-destruction, scientists entombed beneath the ruins of Paris are searching to save the last vestiges of humanity through the one single road of opportunity left - time travel.

La jetée tells the story of an unnamed man who is obsessed with his vivid childhood recollections of witnessing an unknown man die on an airport jetty and then finding himself gazing into the entrancing face of a young woman. These memories seem to make him the perfect guinea pig for the authorities to use him in an experiment involving time travel. In due course the man travels though a loophole in time to the past and meets with the mythical woman from his childhood images and soon a relationship is kindled (or is it re-kindled?). Soon the powers that be attempt send him to their future to procure humanity's own future, however, the man wants to simply return to his past where the woman now waits for him and a plan for him to escape is put in place........

The first time I saw this movie it was hidden away on some obscure cable channel showcasing equally obscure foreign movie fare. This short piece of film made an unforgettable impression on me which has only ever been near equalled on a couple of occasions - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Alien to be precise. In fact it would be safe to say that La jetée has become something of an obsession, a piece of film making that I find myself returning to an a regular basis. It never fails to move me in its powerful depiction of the end of the world, human love and our autobiographical memory - all of which are conveyed in a number of genuinely effective and chilling 'scenes', particularly in the treatment of the people seen as mere disposable means to an end.

In the original, the French narration adds to the poetic subtlety and drama. The English narrative version is still equally powerful and the more easily found online. Hopefully, the original French version with English subtitles will be made online, as it seems to add a little more to the overall ambiance and feel of the movie. Though it certainly doesn't mean that the English translation for this version spoils the experience in any way.

I have heard it mentioned more than once that this film would be best described as avant-garde in nature. To me that description is overly pretentious and disingenuous towards fans of sci-fi and horror- it almost implies most fans of the genre are unable to grasp such complexities as an innovative plot structure which we may actually have to think about. Absolute nonsense, I love mindless SFX and violence as much as the next person, but occasionally it is nice to ponder and muse over what one is watching too. La Jetée is an example of how science fiction, fantasy and elements of horror can be constructed with style and fine distinctions, instead of a reliance on special effects.

This then, is La Jetée, a masterpiece of simple yet immeasurably effective and emotive visual art. If you've never seen this movie, I implore you to watch it.

And now for the agony - Psycho (Remake, 1998)

Hate is a strong word and one that I don’t use very often. I like to think that I’m a reasonably easy-going guy with a healthy dose of a live-and-let-live attitude to people and life in general. In fact I would go as far as saying that there are very few things, and even fewer people, that I would categorise as ‘hating’. I will, just between you and me, freely admit though to hating a few things that make ones blood boil; bullying, aggression, homophobia, intolerance and carrots – boy do I hate those orange coloured vegetable bastards.

As for people, well again there are few that I would define as hating, though I certainly dislike a whole shed load of people who well and truly test my personal policy of non-violence. I pretty much hated a guy at school when I was 10, David Clark (and for many years afterwards as it happened) after he stole my prized possession of my favourite Dobbie marble and then gave it as a present to the girl in our class that both of us fancied. Bastard. I worryingly held onto that hate for many years until I found out that he was married with 5 kids, had turned into an overweight and balding no-hoper who had been in and out of prison for a range of petty crimes. Hows that for Karma, matey Davie boy?

When it comes to Science Fiction, fantasy and horror, there is much I love, much I dislike and only a very little I would say that I hate. In all honesty, it would take a lot for me to hate a movie and in truth the particular film would need to have a number of important elements to fully justify a full hate value. The film would have to be a remake of a classic for a start which no doubt would have to completely and catastrophically miss the point of the original. In addition it would have to be a lazily directed piece of derivative excrement, containing a cast full of performances so abysmally wooden that it would never fail to make me want to be physically sick whenever I merely think of the films title. Oh hello Psycho (1998).

It is virtually impossible to gauge the colossal impact that Hitchcock's original masterpiece made upon it's release way back in 1960. It broke in no small way countless cinematic and social rules of the time; A couple sharing a lunchtime of illicit pleasure on screen & overtly violent murderous acts, to name but two. Psycho (1960) should also be given credit for introducing, or at least re-inventing, a new type of horror film. Here the traditional b-movie plots of Gothic horror in medieval England or distant Eastern Europe were substituted by the possibility of everyday horrors that were real and known to us.

Psycho (1960) isn’t regarded by some as a slasher movie, but it should be. There are many in my fellow slasher-loving fraternity that point out the lack of blood and gore in the film, but does a true slasher film have to be so? Not only does is have a demented murderer slicing up perfect strangers in the middle of nowhere, it is also a lesson in intelligent and thoughtful storytelling and audience manipulation. In addition, the movie's direct descendants in the 1970's of the seminal slasher movies such as Halloween owe everything to the first in their line.

The plot I'm sure is familiar to most - but just in case you have no taste and have never seen it.....

The film begins with an office worker Marion Crane who is clearly unhappy during one of her lunchtime assignations when she realises she and her boyfriend cannot afford to get married. This problem seems to be potentially rectified when, on returning to the office she is entrusted with a huge amount of a client's money to put into the bank. After a few moments of deliberation as to whether she should take the money, steal it she does and absconds from the town immediately.

Looks legit....

As she drives onwards through a torrential rainy night she realises that she needs to rest and so pulls into the remote Bates Motel. Here we are immediately introduced to a shy yet polite young owner, Norman Bates, who offers Marion one of the many spare rooms in the Motel. As they chat Norman tells her that since the recent diversion of the main highway they don't really see much business anymore. He seems nice.............

At first Marion feels in control of the conversation with this pleasant but very nervous young man, even after he also starts telling her about his mother, who Norman reveals suffers from some sort of mental illness. However,  Marion soon starts to regret her immoral actions and after setting on returning in the morning to give back the stolen money she decides to take a shower……… 

And we all know what happens there.....

Soon after, a detective who has been charged with the task of tracking Marion and the stolen money, has been talking to her boyfriend and sister (Sam & Lila)  and eventually locates the Motel. Here he is murdered on the stairs of the Bates house by a shadowy female figure, who has emerged from an upstairs room.

Sam and Lila, after losing contact with the detective decide to take matters into their own hands and make their  own way to the town near the motel. Here they start asking questions about Norman's mother…..

It doesn't go well.

Spot the difference. Oh wait, don't bother......

You may be asking whether this is the original plot or the one for the remake? Well it really doesn't matter because in his infinite wisdom, the director, Gus Van Zandt decided to not just remake a classic, oh no, no no.......He was going to duplicate the hell out of it.

When Gus Van Sant decided not only to remake this, the most revered of all of Hitchcock's films, but also to shoot a great deal of it frame-for-frame, there were many who shook their heads in disbelief. After seeing the finished product on it's release in 1998 there were even more people simply wanting to shake the director by the throat.

There are so many aspects of this version to despise that this particular article could never hope to do it justice. But as I said to myself many years ago when given the chance to spend the evening with Gemma and her twin sister, Rebecca-  "I'll certainly give it my best shot".

One myth that should be dispensed with straight away is the belief that this was a complete shot for shot remake- it wasn't, but it was bloody close. The vast majority of shots, including the way they were angled and lit in the original, were copied exactly, as was much of the dialogue. For the life of me I've never been able to figure out if this was some of misguided homage to Hitchcock or whether Van Sant actually believed that he was adding something new and fresh to the story. I've got news for you Gus, sonny Jim, you were doing neither.

"Hi, I'm a mad bastard, you know".

Then there was the misguided belief which old Gus obviously felt that the late 1990's audience wouldn't be satisfied with the lack of blood that accompanied the original. One of Hitchcock's many master strokes was to make the violence implicit and suggested, so much so that even today when people are asked to describe the much lauded shower scene their descriptions invariably include far more recollections of blood and violence than there actually was. This wasn't just the genius of Hitchcock because there are a plethora of examples of so called blood soaked movies that in reality contain comparatively little; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween, to name but two.

However when old Gus went bumbling into the the directors chair he seemingly thought that the audience of 1998 were a bit too thick to understand such complexities as the power of suggestion and the genuine feeling of terror that it can bring. He instead decided to uses oodles of blood in the showers scenes et al in an attempt to placate the appetites of a new contemporary audience.  Fool.

"No, I'm the real mad bastard......"

Then there was the performances of the cast. Oh deary me. The catastrophic mis-casting of the all-important lead actor meant that the film was doomed from the start. Now, one could probably forgive the leading role of Norman Bates, as played by Vince Vaughn, because Vince is, well, crap in everything that he does. It's really not his fault, he's just a bit rubbish. So it's probably fair to say that he was always going to be on a hiding to nothing when being compared to what was to become in the original, one of horror's seminal performances.

Anthony Perkins in Psycho was almost note-perfect in his portrayal of a tortured psychopathic killer that gave us glimpses of textured acting that Vince Vaughn could only dream of. The genius of his performance was to hide the fact that beneath his shy and pleasant exterior lay a monster. You looked at this frail innocent looking boy and failed to comprehend the horror that he could be capable of. Unfortunately, it was also a role that defined Perkins' career and for many fans it defined the actor himself - despite a string of awards and noteworthy performances that succeeded Hitchcock's seminal masterpiece. No fear of that happening to you, Vincy boy I'm afraid.

If we can at least excuse old Vince then the rest of the cast don't get off quite so lightly.  Forget Anne Heche, because she's also pretty rubbish in most things, but for crying out loud; Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen, William H.Macey, Robert Forster and Phillip Baker Hall - these people are bloody good actors! Whether it was the fact that they felt constrained by the directors need to mirror as much of the original's dialogue and scenes is impossible to know. 

"Bugger, I'd rather be in Mordor right now."

They all have the look about them that seems to constantly have the "I thought that this would look good on my CV, but now I think i'm buggered'. Viggo Mortensen in particular seems that he would rather be anywhere else but in that bloody stupid cowboy hat.

There have been a number of catastrophic misguided failures when it comes to remakes - this one for me is quite clearly at the top of that list. It's terrible and I hate it.

The Fairy Flag (Am Bratach Sìth) - A new Scottish Fantasy Film.

The Fairy Flag - this is proper Scottish history Mr Gibson.

Only yesterday I was talking rather excitedly to an acquaintance of mine about the subject of this very blog article, namely the starting of production of a  brand new Scottish feature film, The Fairy Flag, that promises clans and battles and mucho mystical wonderfulness.

Now as soon as I said the words 'Scottish, clans and film' I practically saw straight away the cogs in her head turning as she processed that information. I knew beyond all reasonable doubt what her response was going to be, as it was certainly going to be one of two possibilities. The first of which would include the word 'Braveheart' and the second would include the word 'Highlander'.

Now before I go any further, I will readily admit that both films for me are something of a guilty pleasure, particularly the second one ( I do have guilty pleasures, but that is an ongoing matter for my legal team). The simple fact is, no matter how much I have tried, I have an unrelenting liking and and affection for Highlander (1886) and to a lesser extent, Braveheart (1995). I say 'no matter how much I have tried' because over the years I have tried desperately to discard them on the basis of the damage that they have done (particularly by Mr Gibson's film) in creating a skewed view towards Scotland's heritage and the portrayal of the Scots and the English. FYI, I'm half Scottish and half English, so old Mel has pissed me off on both counts.

This not the time and place to go into the plethora of issues that I have with both films and the consequent damage and mis-understanding of Scotland's history that they have caused, not just from the viewpoint of the rest of the world, but from some Scots too. I mean, I could mention the catastrophic number of historical inaccuracies and one dimensional Scottish and English stereotypes contained in Braveheart for a start. I don't know, but maybe I'm being picky when I was expecting the movie to show William Wallace's victory over the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge to actually include, well, a bridge. The list of historical bastardisations could go on and on and on.........and on.

As for my beloved Highlander - well I really do need one day to get past the little issue of a Scotsman playing an Egyptian, who is existing as a Spaniard, after spending many many years in Japan (with a crap accent), a Frenchman playing a Scotsman (with a crappier accent), an English woman playing his Scottish wife (with an equally crap accent) and an American playing a Russian (yes, still a crap accent).

What these two films have done almost single handedly is to provide a quaint and completely unrealistic view of the country, its rich history and its people. They may be entertaining movies in their way, but boy have they done their best to ruin our historical legacy.

Oh by the way, I was completely correct - the first sentence she muttered about Scottish films was bloody Braveheart.

So you can imaging my delight when a friend of mine -  the talented and gorgeous Jennifer Cooper, told me that she had been recently made a production assistant on a brand new Scottish Fantasy film, The Fairy Flag, (Am Bratach Sìth in Gaelic). Maybe now we can start to redress the damage created by Mr Gibson et al?  Well read on because judging by the information contained in the press release and other nuggets of information that Ive managed to get my eager little hands on, this could be one hell of a special movie!

“The Fairy Flag (Am Bratach Sìth in Gaelic) now resides with the Clan Macleod on the Isle of Skye, Scotland within the island stronghold of Dunvegan Castle. The flag came to them when a mysterious maiden discovered on a battlefield entered their lives. What resulted was the stuff of legend! 

Iain Breac Macleod is the young leader of the Clan Macleod. He has fought and won countless battles against rival clans, but nothing could prepare him for his greatest challenge. An onslaught from a band of mercenary English soldiers led by the vicious Rafe,hell-bent on claiming Dunvegan Castle and the Isle of Skye as their own.

But something else stirs amongst the heather. A strange woman called Titania has wondered into the lives of the Macleod Clan and there are whispers of the supernatural echoing around the castle walls.

Iain must muster up all his courage if he is to survive not only on the battlefield, but also within his heart."

The Fairy Flag is a new Scottish feature film that centres on the mystical “Fairy Flag of Dunvegan Castle”. A treasured heirloom of the Clan Macleod, that legend has it, was gifted to the infant child of the clan chief, by his departing fairy lover. The flag came to be thought of as a beacon, able to summon the fairies to the Macleod Clan during their time of need.  There have been at least two instances documented in which the flag was used to call the fairies to the aid of the clan during battle. The Fairy Flag has resided at Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye, home to the Macleod family for 800 years, making it the oldest castle in Scotland to have been inherited by the same family throughout the years! A point that is still true to this day.

Chris Capaldi. 

Apparently he is good-looking

Based on an original story by Rory Mhorr Nicoll and Peter Columbia, and directed by DavidIzatt, The Fairy Flag is a film that will embrace Scottish history, and the wonderful myths and legends that come with it.  Rory Mhorr Nicoll and David Izatt are producing the film throughDavid’s company Zoghogg Entertainment Ltd, based in Dunfermline. 

Filming is to commence June 1^st, and will take place largely around the Fife area, as well as on the Isle of Skye, with Balgonie Castle doubling up as Dunvegan Castle for internal shooting. The Fairy Flag features a vast team of talented individuals from all corners of the Scottish film industry, as well as accessing the talents of the Historic Saltire group.

Chris Capaldi and Jade Yourell take the lead roles of Iain Breac Macleod and Titania respectively. Jade was recently to be seen becoming, er, acquainted as it were with Josh Hartnett in Penny Dreadful. Chris and Jade are joined by a colourful cast from various film/TV/sports and comedy backgrounds...many of whom are also experienced swordsmen.  

Jade Yourell.

I know for a fact she's good looking.

The cast includes singer Michelle McManus, Commitments actor, and singer Dave Finnegan, Craig McGinlay, Michael Daviot, Tam Hetherton, Samantha Hindman, Amanda Marment, Maggie Macleod, Jim Sweeney, Clare Ross, Marcus Macleod, Richard Wake, Martin Haddow, Jane Cochrane, J. Scott Murray, Jim Leishman, James Robson, Kerry Lynn Hamilton and David Winter amongst others.

So there you have it - A genuine Scottish production of a Fantasy film promising oodles of mystical forces, sex, death, battles, strong male AND female characters. It's enough to make Mr Gibson want to return to ransacking Scottish and English history. The rumours that his new movie Culloden Braveheart: When Charlie kicked the English arses, is currently in pre-production and ready to be filmed in the Transvaal are yet to be confirmed.

You can find out more information, as well as keep up to date with the project, and everyone involved at the Official Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/thefairyflag .

The movie can also be found on Twitter - @FairyFlagMovie #FairyFlagMovie.

Quickie post - Austin Film Festival Horror and Sci-Fi Deadline Approachin​g

Just a brief blog post today to advise you that I was contacted by a representative of the Austin Film Festival asking me to pass on news of the final deadline for the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition is this Saturday, May 31.

The festival's Horror and Sci-Fi categories may well be of interest to some of you out there (well it is interesting to me, so there). 

This year, both categories are sponsored by Darkwoods Productions which is run by Frank Darabont (The Mist, The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption and The Walking Dead).  He and his Executive, Dana Ashmore, will be the primary judges and will meet with the winner in each category.  If you have any questions please contact Matt Dy, Screenplay Competition Director, at matt@austinfilmfestival.com.

THE AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL SAY THAT ITS NOT TOO LATE FOR ANY HORROR AND SCI-FI SCREENPLAY ENTRIES!

Frank Darabont

As one of the most industry recognised contests of its kind, AFF’s Screenplay Competition continues to encourage and advocate the work for new, talented writers. They are proud to include Frank Darabont’s Darkwoods Productions as the official sponsor of this year’s Horror and Sci-Fi Award categories.

The company will review the top scripts submitted in each category and will determine the Semifinalists and Finalists and the winner will be handpicked by Frank Darabont and Dana Ashmore his executive. If you have a Horror or Sci-Fi feature screenplay, don’t miss out on this opportunity to get recognised!

To repeat - The Final Deadline is for your submissions is  May 31st.

For more information and how to submit your script, please visit www.austinfilmfestival.com.

So if there any budding Sci-Fi and horror writers out there with a spare screenplay script lying about the house, then send it along to the Austin Film Festival and tell them that Stuey from the Fifth Dimension blog sent you :-).

Red sleep: A web based Urban-Noir series featuring on JTS.TV

One evening, back in the distant days of my late teens, I was walking though town after a long Saturday night of booze and chasing after women. The fact that I was walking alone through on a Saturday night suggests that whilst there may have been plenty of booze, my friends and I may have struck out on the women front - an occurrence that sadly happened all too regularly as I recall.

Anyhoo, the reason for this walk down my teenage lane of memories is due to an idea for a story I had as I wandered through that busy Saturday night. You see, at the time I fancied myself as something of a prospective storyteller, a writer who would one day rival the likes of Philip K. Dick, Tolkien, Asimov and King as a bastion of literature, whether it it be science fiction, fantasy or horror genres, I was going to rule them all. One ring to bind them, as it were. As a consequence, my head was constantly awash with plots and themes for stories that I promised myself that I would write one day. If truth be told, most of the ideas I had were at best, derivative mishmashes, the others were frankly forgettable - and most of them have indeed been forgot along the rocky road of this bloggers life.

However, one story has stayed with me - in part due to the unique form that the idea took. As I was walking home and pondering on another night of missed opportunities I suddenly saw another man walking beside me in the street. He was very tall, of local origin and extremely well dressed, in fact he was almost military like in his demeanour. But the thing that struck me most was the look on his face, one of deep confusing dreamlike state that spoke of colossal mistakes that had been made in his life, both by and for him. I know what you're thinking, it was the alcohol talking for both him and me, but no, it was far more than that, there was something else. I immediately constructed a back story for this man with the haunted look on his face; He had been down on his luck, desperate for money and direction after being discharged from the army when he had been offered the chance to redeem himself and his career by the military authorities by testing some new secret weapon, or drug. After which, he would be given a new future - but things had gone wrong and he was lost, alone, confused and possibly in a great deal of danger. As he wandered away down another road, still lost in thought, I envisaged his future as one of intrigue and danger.

Now nothing more ever came from this quite frankly brilliant vision of mine, I never wrote it, in fact I'm pretty sure that I never even mentioned it to anyone else after i realised that it was a theme that had been done a number of times in film and literature and I simply didn't believe that I was capable of adding anything new to the concept.

So you can only imagine my delight when I was contacted by a representative of a new series, Red Sleep, which had recently premiered on a streaming website (JTS.TV) and dealt with some of the very themes that had wandered into my head all those years ago. I wanted immediately to see what they had done and if it worked. And did it? Well read on. 

Red Sleep tells the story of Clyde Harris, an escaped prison inmate who makes a deal with the U.S. military to take part in a year long drug experiment in exchange for his freedom. Sounds simple eh? Well no, because soon after taking on a new identity in Los Angeles, it seems that the deal Clyde made may have come at a personal cost far higher than he ever envisaged as the side effects from the drug and his chequered past catch up with him.

The web series is written, produced and directed by Andre Welsh. The rumours that he also swept the floors and made all the sandwiches have yet to be confirmed by me. Though what is certain after seeing the first three episodes is that Welsh and his team have crafted a richly textured series that will appeal to fans of thriller, suspense and add to that a distinct hint or two of science fiction and horror and you have another heap of the viewing market ready to enjoy a most wonderful series. 

Red Sleep certainly has something for everybody; a classic film-noir voice over from the excellent Ron Kaell and an utterly compelling central performance from Chioke Jelani Clanton as Clyde Harris. Not only that but it only also features the magnificent Don Stark who played Bob Pinciotti in That 70's show - what more could you want? I mean apart from an excellent supporting cast of people  who can actually act?

Well I suppose that you could also want the production to be well lit, photographed and directed - which it is. You could also want more than your fare share of drama, suspense and moments of claustrophobic tension as we see a story of multiple time lines slowly unfold before our eyes - we have that too. Oh, and Los Angeles simply has never looked better, or worse. I've seen the series called 'Urban-noir', and while I'll readily admit from not being the biggest fan of labels, I do love that particular one. 

There is also a thought provoking element to this series in the subject matter of medical experimentation. The USA (like many other countries) has an extensive history, dating back to my own countries' colonial past, of using some of it's prison population for experimental drug research and experimentation. Red Sleep deals with this issue and an ever still pertinent one, namely the selection of such trials in the main from a certain part of the prison population, namely African-American. The figures show that even taking into account the percentage breakdown of prison inmate backgrounds, the use of those from certain racial and social class backgrounds is disproportionally large. 

I love anything like this that aims to highlight certain issues without ever becoming preachy or over sincere in its message. Andre Welsh has produced something that will encourage us to ask questions about society's treatment of parts of its own populace whilst importantly not losing sight of the need to entertain an audience. 

We the viewers are as much in the dark as to what has happened to Clyde as the character is himself, and together we are being transported along the journey he is facing (and has faced) and the dangers and terror that still await him. I have been lucky to have seen a number of fine web series recently and can safely say that this is quite possibly the best that I have had the pleasure to view so far.

Have a look at the trailer below to get a feel of what I mean.

Red Sleep premiered earlier this month on JTS.TV. which is a subscription-based streaming website featuring a whole plethora of web series. JTS stands for Just The Story, in essence because the site brings ad-free versions of a wide range web series online, (often for the first time ever). There are a number of sci-fi and horror based series on its site, three of which immediately caught my eye; 

Continuum  - in which "A beautiful young woman awakens aboard an adrift space ship with no memory of who she is or how she got there and at the mercy of the ship’s mysterious computer."

Vampire Zombie Werewolf - " After partnering with a not-so-classic suburban couple, a webseries producer with a string of derivative, monster-themed successes learns that the deadly creatures of his imagination are real. And they love his work. He’ll have one night to help the couple climb the undead social ladder by dreaming up a new, vampire-inspiring webseries that doesn’t suck, or become the victim of his most rabid fans."

Finally, there is Asylum  - which "Follows a team of doctors as they diagnose and treat patients at a hospital for the criminally insane, and as we learn more about each of the doctors and the asylum itself, we will begin to unravel a mystery that uncovers forces at work more extraordinary than anyone could imagine."

There is a genuine feeling that we are now part of an ever exciting brave new world of entertainment sources that are taking us well and truly headlong into the 21st Century with the likes of Netflix, and now JTS.TV, the link for which can be found RIGHT HERE

Red Sleep Credits: 

Written and Directed by: Andre Welsh
Produced by: Andre Welsh
Co-Produced by: Mitch Costanza and Jeff Gadigan
Cinematography and Editing by: Andre Welsh

Red Sleep Cast:

Chioke Jelani Clanton – Clyde Harris
Ron Kaell – Calvin
Don Stark – Dr. George Reed
Jessica Sonneborn – Katrina Long
Phillip Jeanmarie – James
Tobias Mehler – Dr. Dan Black
Ahku – Darnell
Jo-Anne Krupa – Alexia
Ryan McCann – Jason Long
Jessica Roth – Claire Carson
Aaron Massey – Chip Connelly
Leanne Wilson – Elizabeth
Michael Coons – Jonathan Wright
Andre Matheiu – Crooked Cop
Phillip Jeanmarie – James
Shalonda Shaw – Corrine Johnson
Jenny Pellicer – Grace
Kyle Koromaldi – Anton
Mitch Costanza – Rich Flemming
Cheyenne Costanza – Artificial Flower Girl

For more information on Red Sleep and JTS.TV then follow the links below......

Red Sleep on JTS.tv:

http://www.jts.tv/red-sleep 

Red Sleep trailer #1 on Vimeo:

http://vimeo.com/65130317

Red Sleep trailer #2 on Vimeo:

http://vimeo.com/90301961

Red Sleep tv series on Facebook:

facebook.com/redsleepseries

Red Sleep on Twitter: @RedSleep_Series, @JTSTV

Red Sleep on IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3481624

UPDATE 30/05/14

After the original article was published I received a very nice message from one of the producers of Red Sleep, Mitch Constanza, who thanked me for the review I did about the web series. One of the consequences of our conversation was my agreeing to do some sort of podcast interview with him, and hopefully Andre in the near future. I ‘m doing this on the basis of two points: firstly, as I’ve already mentioned, the web series is excellent. Secondly, I just love the name, ‘Mitch Constanza’.

In the meantime, I decided to construct one of the now legendary Fifth Dimension ‘interviews’with Mitch.

Q) So provide us with a brief background to filming Red Sleep

(Mitch) Andre and I have been making films together for ten years. He wrote, shot, directed, and edited the entire series. He funded it out of pocket for a fraction of most web series's budgets. He shot it with mostly natural light and one boom operator as our crew.  We shot guerrilla style in the bay area (Oakland and near San Quentin Prison) for a few scenes and a ton in LA.

Q) Yes but that’s all well and good, but what proof do you have this ten years worth of experience?

(Mitch) This is a trailer link to mine and Andre's previous short film in case you want to check it out:http://vimeo.com/29652639

Don 'nice guy' Stark

Q) Well that put me in my place then didn’t it? Especially as it looks rather good......so. erm, talk to me about the wonderful Don Stark (who many will know from playing Bob Pinciotti sitcom That '70s Show)

(Mitch) We got Don Stark to play a dark character in that and he was so excited. He knew our script incredibly well and jumped right into our physical /violent scene. He upped my game as an actor for sure.  

Our collaboration was so strong that he was on board with Red Sleep the moment we asked him. I'm a huge fan of getting to work with actor's we've watched on TV and in movies and give them a chance to play opposite their type.

Q) Yeah but I bet he was a big-time prima donna, bossing you all around like some sort of prima donna type superstar?

(Mitch) He told us that while he loves comedy, he was so excited to get to go to a deeper and darker place for our projects because he didn't have the chance to in a long time.  He was frequently talking out the scenes and shooting ideas with Andre, the director/creator.  Don didn't just show up to deliver lines and there was no ego involved. When he came on set he was fired up to shoot some intense scenes and was a true collaborator. Of course in between scenes we laughed our asses off much of the time thanks to him.

Q) Darn it, Don Stark is a nice guy. There goes a Fifth Dimension blog scoop about him being a nightmare to work with. Bugger. So what else can you tell me?

(Mitch) Please let me know if you have any questions about the show. We're also available for podcasts... although I swear a lot so Andre can do more of the talking if need be.

Ron 'You looking at me?' Kaell

Q) A podcast sounds a pretty good idea - don't worry, I swear for Great Britain so it would be fine  - hey, maybe we could compare US and UK swear words?! :-)

(Mitch) We would LOVE to be on any UK podcasts. Let me know what I can do to help make it happen. My British father in law and I quote Ben Kingsley lines from "Sexy Beast" as terms of endearment all the time so it would be fun to be uncensored while promoting the show.

Jessica 'bloody gorgeous' Roth

Q) And to finish off – how are things going with publicising Red Sleep ( apart, that is, from the magnificent work that I’m doing ............)? 

(Mitch) Last week we were ranked 3rd on soaps.com for the best series of the week and we didn't even campaign for votes. We want to win so we're getting the word out now.  The actors we're nominating for the ballet this week are Ron Kaell and Jessica Roth. 

We realised what a huge opportunity we have to establish ourselves as contenders in the web series community and want to do whatever we can to get recognition for Andre and every body's hard word work.

Finally, I would like to say a genuine thank you to Mitch in taking the time to talk to me. All it leaves me to say to him is a message from Ben Kingsley.....

"Where there's a will - and there is a fucking will - there's a way - and there is a fucking way!"