Sunday, December 22, 2013

Merry Christmas!

Hey, backers, we've got some DVDs and Blurays coming your way! Cover design by the awesome Beano Gee.












































In other news, we've begun submitting to film festivals. Check out the "screenings" section of the official website to see when and where we're playing. 

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The final month of work on Meet Your Maker

Justin and I are tying up loose ends. We're putting together a press kit for festivals. I'm finishing up the very official website, which you should look at now. The DVDs are in production. You are excited.

To sate our ravenous backers... the DVD and Blu-ray special features are as follows:

- Kick ass cover art by Beano Gee (who also made our poster)
- Teaser trailer with Chilly Billy Cardille
- Full-length trailer
- Kickstarter Promotional Videos
- Full-length audio commentary by writer/director Justin Francart, cinematographer/editor Pat Francart and star John Amplas

We've also got another screening in Pittsburgh coming up very soon. January 14 at the Melwood Screening Room. "Meet Your Maker" will be shown as part of January's Film Kitchen, a monthly screening of regional, independently made short films and videos. More details very soon.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Free Online Halloween Screening!

Huge thanks to everyone who came out to our premiere at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont last night. It was a great event with a huge turnout. And thanks to Ben Prisbylla at the Hollywood Theater for being such a great help to us.

In other news... tomorrow is Halloween! And for 24 hours, you'll be able to catch "Meet Your Maker" online for free! After that, we're taking the film down for image and sound tweaking, and preparing for the DVD release. To watch the film, go to our brand-new official website, www.meetyourmakerfilm.com. Have a spooktacular Halloween!

Friday, October 25, 2013

On the old time radio


Justin stopped by WRCT 88.3FM this afternoon to talk to Zombo about Meet Your Maker. You can check out the archived recording here. Bottom of the page. Justin is in hour two.

And don't forget! Meet Your Maker premieres October 29 at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont. Get your tickets here.

Premiere Press!

A couple awesome folks have featured our premiere date right here on the internet! We just want to say thanks!
And if you haven't purchased tickets yet, do it here, now! Tickets are $5. If you're planning on paying at the door, you can register for free, and please do, we need a head count.

Steel Cinema (again. Awesome!)


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

"Meet Your Maker" Premieres on October 29th

"Meet Your Maker" is premiering at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont on October 29th (that's in three weeks!). Doors open at 6:30 and the show starts at 7:30. Q&A and reception follow. We're so excited and we want to thank everyone who has supported our project yet again. You guys are great. For more information and to pick up tickets, go here. If you're a backer, check your e-mail for an update and promo code for discounted tickets.

And here are a bunch of promotional lobby cards we made:









Friday, September 6, 2013

"Meet Your Maker" Official Trailer and the last vestiges


We haven't met our makers yet. In fact, we're editing. The rough cut of our film is done and we are looking to release it in October. We are about to start work on sound design and image correction. And for you backers, we are also working on your rewards. And also, backers, we want to say thanks again. And we'll keep saying thanks because this project literally could not have happened without you. The fact that you all rallied around us gave us a ton of hope and ambition and got us excited for future projects.

For those of you interested, here's some technical info about "Meet Your Maker."

Negative format: Kodak Double-X b&w negative 16mm film (ASA 200)
Camera: Arriflex SR
Shooting ratio: 10:1 (Approx. 20 400' rolls)
Shooting days: Twelve (May 13-14, May 25-31, June 11, July 10-11)
Processing house: Alpha Cine in Seattle (I'd recommend these guys.)
Telecine format: Apple ProRes 4:2:2
Editing software: Adobe Premiere Pro CS6
Post software: DaVinci Resolve 9

P.S. Why film?
Because the cameras rock (they have viewfinders that don't totally suck and they're simple and durable), the look is great, and it's a reliable archival shooting format. I've had to justify shooting film repeatedly. It's simple - the look fits our story and I like the process. Don't let the digital true believers frighten you away from celluloid. Film isn't some flaky medium, it's a reliable format that's been in constant development for over a hundred years. Ask a painter why she uses expensive oils instead of cheaper acrylics and see what a stupid conversation results. Aesthetic choices are about aesthetics.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

"Meet Your Maker" Official Teaser


A familiar Pittsburgh personality came to the laboratory to lend his chilly presence to this quick teaser.

Come and see the premier of our extended trailer on June 22nd at a charity screening of "Martin" starring our lead actor John Amplas. Get yer tickets here.

Principal photography wrapped

We wrapped principal photography on May 31. Pro tip: Don't build your movie set in a defunct walk-in freezer. One of the tricks about freezers is they are insulated. Things will get a little steamy. This here is a whole bunch of photos:

Justin with actor Kevin Koch as Cavey

Justin lounging very casually

Cori Shetter as Susan

John Amplas as Dr. Henry Malvoy

Nathan Hollabaugh nursing a post-particle-collision injury as lab assistant Jennings

John Amplas musing on profundities

Nathan Hollabaugh operating a hi-tech supercomputer. Patent pending. 

Justin peering into the abyss

Metering light

Justin Francart. Very candid.

Nathan Hollabaugh and John Amplas poring over experimental results

John Amplas

Photos by Greg Neiser and me. The majority of the movie is in the can, and the cans are out in Seattle getting processed. We shot about 6,800 feet of film. We're feeling really confident right now because we haven't yet gotten the footage back. The movie in our heads is awesome.

Thank you to our crew, both those who were with us the whole time and those who showed up to help out for just a day or two. This production wouldn't have been possible without you. Next time maybe we'll pay you.

And thank you so much to our talented cast. You made our jobs easy.  

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Day five of principal photography

Actors Nathan Hollabaugh as Jennings and John Amplas as Dr. Malvoy. 
Anthony DeAngelis from Studio Corrida has been taking some awesome photos during shooting. Check them out here.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Set Construction

Justin and I in our nearly-complete set. Featuring my shorts. 





















We've been working on our laboratory set for the last two days. It's nearly done. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped. Shooting resumes on the 25th!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Sorry for the delay

Apologies for the lack of updates. We've been busy. We started principal photography on May 13th and here are some photos:

Eastman Kodak Double-X
Jonathan Visser in makeup with Meghan Washington

Zanny Laird in makeup with Meghan Washington





Dave Mansueto as Zabit
Zanny Laird as Zimra

Jonathan Visser as Zumet


Zumet and Zimra

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Casting News!


Pat and I are delighted and thrilled to officially announce that John Amplas (Martin, Day of the Dead) has joined the cast of  "Meet Your Maker" and will play Dr. Malvoy, the scientist at the center of this strange tale. Starring opposite of John is the already-attached Jonathan Visser, who will lend his talents to the production as he brings Zumet, the leader of the microscopic extra-dimensional beings, to cinematic life.

Keep checking back for the latest exciting updates surrounding "Meet Your Maker!"

-Justin

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Higgs Confirmed

Check out that link below for some cool news regarding the scientific experiments that inspired "Meet Your Maker!"

Physicists Say They Have Found a Higgs Boson

Monday, March 4, 2013

Funded!


We reached our funding goal on Friday night at around 9pm. We are so grateful to all our backers and all those who helped us spread the word. "Meet Your Maker" is becoming a reality because of you.

We also want to thank Steel CinemaGeek Pittsburgh and especially Boring Pittsburgh for their help and support during our campaign.

 We've got a lot of work ahead, so check back here for updates. Next up is casting and set construction. Over and out.

Friday, March 1, 2013

For the price of a ticket


Ten hours to go. We put together a final promotional video. In it, Justin tabulates the cost of going to the movie theater, and the inherent risks involved. "Meet Your Maker" is 91% funded on Kickstarter. We want to thank everyone who has contributed. We're amazed by how much support we've gotten despite our unfamiliarity with the whole internet promotion thing. Help put us over the edge.

We have some cool news on the way actor-wise, but we can't say anything specific yet. Be patient. We'll tell  you eventually.  

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

A Final Plea


Justin solicits some more donations. We're a mere 71 hours from our funding deadline. Know any rich folks looking to lighten their wallets? Let us know. More soon. Kickstarter

Friday, February 22, 2013

Geek Pittsburgh!

Our friend Anthony at Geek Pittsburgh was generous enough to write an article about Meet Your Maker. He is also a backer. Check it out!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

IN DEFENSE OF THE MAD SCIENTIST

Science, yeah! We dig it, man! I mean who doesn't? Certainly not Dr. Henry Malvoy, Pittsburgh-based physicist and proponent of scientific literacy. In this cool little article from Boring Pittsburgh, Malvoy lays out his case for science against the roadblock of conservative and antiquated thinking. The link is below, and make sure to read to the bottom and click on the additional link for a fun little twist...

http://boringpittsburgh.com/entertainment/in-defense-of-the-mad-scientist/

Monday, February 18, 2013

A land of both shadow and substance

For those of you who also think "The Twilight Zone" was the greatest of all television achievements, you should have a look at Shadow and Substance, which explores Rod Serling's work on the show, highlighting the great screenwriting that makes TZ so indelible. It also features discussions of Serling's lesser-known work on "Night Gallery." Check it out.

I've also rehabilitated my twitter account to shamelessly promote this movie. @patfrancart #meetyourmaker.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

How are we?

We've got 12 days to go in the fundraising campaign and we're in reasonable shape. We're about a quarter funded. We're getting very anxious. We're talking to a very talented local actor this weekend about playing the lead. You may have heard of him. We're very excited. More details soon.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Deep in an underground lab...


Eighteen days to go. Justin and I go deep underground to our secret laboratory to beg you for some money.

Updates

We're 11 days into our fundraising campaign and we're at about 20% funded. Big thanks to everyone who has pledged so far. We went shopping yesterday and picked up some materials for our set - switches and some other electronic doo-dads like 3-volt motors and Arduino boards. We've also secured an actor, Jonathan Visser, to play the part of Zumet, one of the survivors of an accidental universe. More on this very soon. We've got a new video coming later tonight and another coming later in the week. Stay tuned for that. That's all for now. Over and out.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Special Effects!

Justin and I show you how to make the special effects in the "Meet Your Maker" promo in your kitchen.

Steel Cinema!


We were featured in the blog Steel Cinema! Check out the blurb here: "Meet Your Maker" in Steel Cinema.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Hot off the Presses



By hot I mean cold and by presses I mean my printer. Look for these on your windshield, in your mailbox, taped to your back.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

"Meet Your Maker" kicks off on kickstarter


We are about to embark on an adventure, and we'd like you to come along for the ride. We're making a movie in Pittsburgh and we need your help. Check out our video and our Kickstarter page for a taste of what we've got in store. And be sure to check back here regularly for updates, videos and desperate pleas for your attention. This blog doesn't end with our fundraising campaign. We're going to document the entire production process, so stay tuned. Same place. Same channel.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Transmission

Hello?
...
Can you understand my words? Does this resemble your communication method?
...
This is the production blog of the short film "Meet Your Maker," written and directed by Justin Francart. It's a film about science, but told with one foot planted firmly in the realm of the fantastic. It's a story about discovery and inadvertent creation. It's a story about responsibility. The main players are a scientist, an experiment and a universe - a universe whose tortured life and death occupied only a fraction of a second, and whose bewildered occupants come calling from the void to meet their maker.
...
If you can understand me, move to the primitive microscope 23,000 rectorbytes to your right. Increase magnification and listen. We don't have much time.