AfterThought - Directors Blog

Canne 2008

2008-05-14T20:28:00.001-07:00

AfterThought is at the Canne Film Festival 2008, with G-Machine!

Hopefully more territories will purchase the film!

Two Territories Sold

2008-04-09T17:21:00.000-07:00

AfterThought has just sold to Latin America and Eastern Europe

Your Half Pictures

2007-11-24T09:29:00.000-08:00

It has been 6 months since my last AfterThought Blog.

This monday I am signing the rights of AfterThought over to Your Half Pictures for a Worldwide DVD release. This is a big step for any indie film maker, Ryan Harper of Your Half Pictures has struck a few deals with DVD distribution and will be off to the Berlin Film Festival in February 08, with the hopes to sell many copies to each different country.

I'll keep you all posted

Dances with Films (Festival)

2007-06-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

AfterThought has just been accepted in the 'Dances with Films' festival during the dates of 6th-12th July 2007. For more information please visit the website: http://www.danceswithfilms.com

Horror Year Book Review

2007-05-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

AfterThought (2007)Published by Molly Celaschi April 11th, 2007 in MOVIE REVIEWS

While her peer's bodies are piling up, high schooler Christy begins seeing ghosts and communicating with the dead. Considered a "Dreamer", she is haunted by the ghastly image of a dead boy while piecing together the murder mystery. The only one she can trust is Kyle, who is suspected as the murderer.

The tagline is "Ghost Whisperer meets Donnie Darko". Unfortunately, the film lacks the quirkiness and bleakness of Darko, and it leans more towards Whisperer. The Darko comparison does make sense considering the effects of bullying by peers though, despite a somewhat made-for-TV feel. This is a smart thriller with no nudity and minimal violence & gore. Some scares come from the dead boy that continuously pops up. One particular scene made me jump.

I have a few minor quibbles though. I don't understand why, if the dead boy is connected to the suspects and victims, the cops didn't figure this out? Instead, our heroine had to search newspaper archives to figure it out on her own. And a parapsychologist tells Christy he knows her dead father is contacting her from beyond the grave, but…we never see or hear the dead father during the entire film. Also, the "dreaming" aspect doesn't always work since the ghosts appear midday while she is wide awake too.

Who the killer is and why made perfect sense. I was happy when I got the resolution, even though it was a bit overanalyzed towards the end. The flashback sequences with the young children were creepy.

While shot on a Sony F900, the picture quality was pretty well done with good lighting. I was curious how so many locations were readily available to a low budget production and it turns out that a small town in Wisconsin opened their doors to the filmmakers.

Bottom Line: Good murder mystery worth checking out.

Rating: 6.5/10

HorrorTalk Review

2007-04-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

AfterThought DVD Review
Written by Joe Ripple
Official Site

Directed by Douglas Elford-ArgentWritten by Wendy Elford-Argent2006, Region 1, 85 minutesNot ratedStarring:Gwendolyn Garver as Christy DawsonKristian Capalik as Kyle WalkerCal Thomas as Elliott SmitheBobbi Jean Basche as Mindy MarinerJames Symington as Chief Howard Dixon

Premise:
A young lady is somehow able to have visions — both awake and asleep — involving a spirit of a young boy, while her high school friends are being murdered around her.

Thoughts:
Take one part Scream, one part The Grudge and two parts of "Ghost Whisperer," mix thoroughly and apply to the screen…

In the independent films of today, a common reoccurring theme has always been the availability of something I like to call the "teen" angle. Why does this work so well? In most regards, for the following reasons:

Nobody will listen to them, even though they're right, and being a teen in and of itself has immense pressures. I'm sure we can remember the days of trying to fit in, and trying to find out where we belong in the universe. Even when we knew the correct answer to a difficult question, we were looked upon as children…and, according to some adults, we didn't know jack.
What director Douglas Elford-Argent has done, is take this very simple concept and ramp it up a bit. Our lead in AfterThought, Christy Dawson (played wonderfully by Gwendolyn Garver), becomes haunted by visions of the spirit belonging to a young boy, who is about ten years old. This restless soul foretells our heroine of shenanigans and evil goings-on.

It turns out that this boy-meets-girl, boy-is-afraid-to-ask-girl-out, girl's-friends-start-dying, boy's-friend turns-on-him-boy-gets-arrested-killings-continue story is more than just plot, more than substance, more than a redux of everything that one can expect from a teen paranormal slasher movie.

The film is absolutely beautiful to watch.

Let's talk about the actual hard parts of independent film: Acting, locations and cinematography.
The acting in this film is top-notch. Especially the parts played by the teens. To say the acting by Kristian Capalik as Kyle Walker, Bobbi Jean Basche as Mindy Mariner, and Cal Thomas as Elliott Smithe rivals Hollywood would be a proper, well placed statement — one that I would feel comfortable saying. Some of the adult parts were a bit dry, but palatable. The police scenes were slightly skewed, but not so much that it would not be believable. There were plenty of extras that were used quite well, and this improved the film on an immense scale.

The locations were good, and even when the scene actually involved a house of a friend, it seemed to fit perfectly into the story. In other words, none of the locations seemed to be thrown in to substitute for something that could not be found. Even utilizing an actual jail cell was a plus. And believe me when I tell you that I used to walk many a prisoner into similar cells that were shown in this film. They were real, and the film gained tremendous production value because of this attention to detail.

The cinematography by Marc Menet was, for an independent film…incredible. Proper focus, not too washed out during the day shots, just dark enough on the night shots provided a wonderful canvas on which director Elford-Argent painted his story. At some points, I actually reversed the DVD, and watched the scene again with the volume muted… just so I could appreciate visually what was captured by the cinematographer.

The special effects were handled nicely. They were not done with reckless abandon, and were quite good. There was no nudity at all, and save for some of the language and violence, would probably garner a PG-13 if it were to be rated.

Had the story been a little stronger, the editing just a bit tighter, and the theme not so overdone, I would have given this film five stars out of five. But do not be mistaken by these slight drawbacks. AfterThought belongs on the shelf of every horror fan that appreciates independent film. AfterThought sets the bar for other indie horror films when it comes to acting and cinematography.

Video and Audio:
Video, audio and special features will not be graded as this is a screener. However, the score should be mentioned as it adds the proper tension when needed. Tim Williams, who scored the recent box office success 300, directs the music here.

Grades: 4.5 Stars/5

Want to comment on this review? Head over to the Horrortalk Review Forum
© 2007 HorrorTalk.com. No use of this review is permitted without expressed permission from HorrorTalk.com

Music Conductor of '300' scores 'AfterThought'

2007-03-09T09:37:00.001-08:00

Music Conductor of '300' scores 'AfterThought'

The new WB feature film '300' Music Conductor, scored 'AfterThought' the new feature film from 30 Something Productions.Tim Williams - Music Conductor '300' and 'AfterThought'

http://www.timothywilliams.net/

Boyce McClain's Collectors' Corner - Article

2007-03-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

Hollywood DV Film Festival - FREE TRICKETS

2007-02-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

TICKETS ARE FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AfterThought has just been accepted into it's 2nd Film Festival.

Hollywood DV Film Festival
Fairfax Cinema Theater7907 Beverly Blvd.Los Angeles, CA. 90048
Time: 3.30pm
Date: 31st March

Click Here: AfterThought Schedule at Fairfax Theatre

Please click on the link above to order your tickets ASAP, the theatre only holds 150 seats, so spread the word!!!

Fatally Yours Online - AfterThought Review

2007-01-21T15:54:00.000-08:00

Filed under: Horror — Fatally*Yours @ 10:02 pm
Online Magazine

Afterthought is an intelligent, refreshing and slick-looking independent spookshow set in a hockey-obsessed high school in Wisconsin.

Kristy is a high school student is having reoccurring nightmares of a young dead boy. Her father passed away years ago, and she learns that he left her with the gift to see and communicate with the dead. Kristy is part of the popular hockey clique, which includes her best friend Mindy and her boyfriend and star player Elliot. The outcast of the hockey team is Kyle, who happens to be friends with Kristy. Kristy has a premonition about someone dying at the high school, and sure enough, a hockey player is murdered in the locker room. As more and more people die, Kyle comes under suspicion for the murders as he and Kristy grow closer, while Kristy is haunted further by the ghost of the little boy. Can the young boy help Kristy unlock the secret of his past and who is behind the murders?

First off, this independent feature has a very professional look to it. The opening credits alone grabbed my attention, as did the highly professional score and music. The production values throughout the entire film are very high, which is always a pleasure to see in an indie. The focus on quality really shines throughout the entire movie, from the production values to the acting, the story, the directing and the cinematography.

The story is surprisingly intelligent and keeps you guessing through to the end. The characters are wisely well-developed and I actually cared about what happened to them, unlike most horror films set in high school. The characters don’t make stupid decisions and aren’t stereotypes of high school students, but feel like real people you or I know. All of the actors do a great job, especially the lead in the role of Kristy.The overall atmosphere is creepy and foreboding and the supernatural element of the creepy dead kid adds much to the slasher aspect of the film. The kid reminds me of the J-Horror kids like Toshio from Ju-On, but not in a bad way. The ghost child is very creepy, especially in his first appearance. There are plenty of jump scares, but not the cheap fake-outs featured in so many movies today. No, these scares are actually…scary (imagine that!)!

This film also captures the drama of high school life, especially being on a sports team. In this particular case, it’s the hockey team and we get some great shots of a game. The backstabbing of high school is well-portrayed, as is the strong bond of friendship.

This movie was a real jolt to watch, a jolt that is sorely needed in the indie horror genre. It proves that you don’t have to make a dumbed-down movie to be successful. Smart, creepy and a surprising and satisfying ending make Afterthought a winner in my book.

Rotten Produce Pictures - AfterThought Review

2007-01-07T10:47:00.001-08:00

By David W. Keffer, Rotten Produce Pictures

Afterthought, by 30 Something Productions, is a chilling rollercoaster with so many turns it'll make your head spin and leave you reeling. There are multiple interweaving storylines within the film, which gives the viewer as many questions as answers. The stark contradictions between characters allows for a dynamic plot in which the characters themselves further the movie.

Christy Dawson has had some troubling visions that become far more troubling when they connect with the murder of a local student. As Dawson becomes more intrigued with both the ghost in her vision as well as the brutal slaying of more students after a hockey game, the tale of intrigue sucks a viewer in and leaves them wanting all the answers.

As a moderate low-budget film, Afterthought gives moviegoers a believable set, characters, and, at points, plot. Though high-school thrillers have been hits in the past, Afterthought offers something new in a Nancy Drew sort of way. The film ties in both a supernatural element with a murder mystery, on its way to an ending that could have and probably should have been better foreshadowed. Well-filmed and generally well-edited (save for an extraneous conversation with girl and mom, and girl ironically driving a Zamboni as well as an awkward flashback), Afterthought receives a high rating for its technical, lighting, and composition qualities.

The actual script and storyline, however, receive only a moderate rating, as there are several holes in plot jumps such as a sudden revelation that one suspect had a key to the school when it could have easily been revealed in an earlier establishing shot. Also, there is the use of a psychic/psychologist who just happens to help the girl explain what she is seeing. This is awfully convenient, and could have easily been solved in multiple other ways that didn't add to the already extensive list of characters. Most of the minor characters could have been done away with completely, or diminished with the same effect, (i.e., too many officers, too many hockey players, mom, Elliot's dad), and thus allowing for more time and better development of the main characters.

That being said, the acting was generally well done, again, save for the police staff. Dawson, played by Gwendolyn Garver, portrayed a convincing part as both a skeptic as well as a believer. Both Elliot Smithe and his nemesis Kyle Walker also did well with their parts. The ages of the characters, however, did not completely set the scene for a high school. All four of the main characters appeared well into their 20s, obliterating the suspension of disbelief. But again to the credit of 30 Something Productions, it is difficult for any company to find talented and available young people who can work for low-budget wages in multiple locations.

Afterthought is a movie that I would certainly recommend to my friends. Despite the sometimes chaotic feel of the film, the technical quality combined with above average acting paints a chilling tale of supernatural intrigue. With a movie of this caliber, 30 Something Productions is well on their way to establishing a name for themselves both domestically and abroad, and I certainly look forward to more productions in the future.

Wheels of Terror Magazine - AfterThought Review

2007-01-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

Wheels of Terror Magazine

Reviewed by John Gugie

Taglines: 'There will be more!'

Synopsis: A high school big on its hockey team is the focus. Among the hockey jocks is a group of four childhood friends (Christy, Kyle, Elliot and Mindy). Seven years after Christy loses her father, she begins having strange dreams. When her dreams begin to become real, Christy seeks the help of Kyle, her friend and outcast of the hockey team. A team member is found dead and Christy dreamt of it. Police find her and Kyle snooping around the crime scene and are questioned. Christy trusts that Kyle has no part in the murder but, after he's again found near the scene of another murder scene, she has doubts and police charge Kyle as the serial murderer. Working alone, without Kyle, she discovers the truth.

Meat for the Beast:
I received this from director, Douglas Elford-Argent. He had e-mailed me beforehand and I checked out the trailer on their site, afterthoughtmovie.com , and I had expected to see another low-budget nauseating trailer but hat I saw looked very well done with good quality camera work, clear and crisp images, good audio with an intriguing albeit none too original premise. I wanted to see this.

Truth be told, what I got was uniformly as well shot as the trailer. Great camerawork for a low-budget flick (estimated $750,000) and not just a flashy trailer leading up to a big let-down and shoddy production values upon viewing the feature production. Kudos on not letting me down! The film utilizes a few unique camera techniques in a few shots but nothing over-the-top, gung ho use of them, as many low-budgets try to use to mask their film's inadequacies.

The camerawork is this films most positive attribute. That's not to say that it's a bad movie, just that the story doesn't hold up as well beside the great camerawork.

In my opinion, the story is a cross between an "I Know What You Did Last Summer" / "Scream" type film and a TV show, such as "Medium", "Ghost Whisperer" or some aspects of the hit horror film, "The Devil's Backbone". I think the merge between these two vastly different storylines can work if done with the correct balance. However, "AfterThought" never does find that perfect equilibrium to bring out the best of both worlds.

First, we have the storyline of an unknown killer, who has just killed a male student inside a high school locker room. He was on the hockey team, as are some of our best suspects.

Second, we have the storyline of Christy Dawson, a young high school girl is having bizarre dreams of a dead little boy who is leading her on a journey to where and for reasons unbeknownst to her. She soon finds out that she is, like her father, a Dreamer (basically a psychic whose visions come in their dreams but the ending changes that detail).

Both of the storylines can be good on their own and together takes a bit more work. Their combination here isn't awful but it's not great either. The killer side is just your standard thriller, the psychic seeing dead people can turn truly horrific. "AfterThought" never truly becomes horrific. I think this turned to focus more on the killer aspect. The psychic aspect does have quite a few scenes but it just never feels like it's fully flushed out to its fullest potential.

It turns more into just your standard "teen" slasher flick with a few twists but nothing unique. The psychic part tries to make it unique but doesn't quite make it. Still, for a low-budget flick, "AfterThought" does pretty well at entertaining us and looking good doing it.

The acting is adequate. Most actors do their parts. A few, like Annie Hughes (as Sarah Dawson, Christy's mother) and John Hammond (as Principal Wagner), feel very "cardboardish" and flat. Chris Muntel (as Officer Johnson) does slightly better. Basically, most of the "adult" characters didn't do such a hot job. The "teens" do surprisingly well. I think Gwendolyn Garver (as Christy Dawson) stands out as the best actress in the movie, good with showing her emotions and facial expressions. I hope to see her do more in the future. Cal Thomas (as Elliott Smithe) does a pretty good job. Next in line is Kristian Capalik (as Kyle Walker) does okay in a "Smallville" sense. Bobbi Jean Basche (as Mindy Mariner, Kristy's best friend and Elliott's girlfriend) eh, she's okay; beautiful but a tad too "Californian" for my tastes. The teens' younger versions are adequate. The rest of the cast are background characters.

The dialogue is pretty good, not many cheesy lines as in most low-budgets.

The SFX are okay but a bit cheesy at times. The dead people/ghosts are portrayed just as people with grayish makeup which is cheesy but serves its purpose. There is blood but not too much, little gore really.

Director, Douglas Elford-Argent, does a fine job with the script he was given. His work is given a boost by Marc Menet's superb and professional cinematographic work. High marks to Menet! Writer, Gwendolyn Garver, starts with a novelle idea and does a good job with dialogue, for the most part, but I feel her script needed one more edit to get the slasher/psychic merger honed one step further.

While "AfterThought" isn't the greatest film it does a fair job as a slasher flick and even better as a low-budget. I hoped the psychic part was better defined but it could've been worse. It turned out more like an episode of "Ghost Whisperer" but that's not such as bad thing, is it? Worth a view or rental. 2 stars for story, .5 added for acting and an additional .5 for cinematography. Total: 3 stars. 3/5

Average: Rate: [ 0 · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 ]

Hollywood is Talking Online - AfterThought Review

2007-01-03T18:37:00.000-08:00

AfterThought - A Review
2007-Jan-3 by Laughcalvin

The Studios have a pretty good track record of producing movies about kids in high school whether they be musicals, sports, suspense, horror, or better yet, a combination of two or three of the fore-mentioned genres rolled into one. My theory is that those years were the best and worst of our lives with all that entails but that’s beside the point; suffice it to say these movies sell tickets. In many respects the same holds true for the world of indie filmmaking . Without the deep pockets, indie filmmakers have to really rely on good storytelling and craft. After all, there is only so much gore and f/x one can take. I caught the LA premier of “AfterThought” at AFI and was impressed with what the filmmakers did on a tight budget.

The story is set within the high school of a small Wisconsin town. Director, Elford-Argent, and DP, Menet compose some fine spooky shots, thereby setting the atmosphere for something bad to happen. Gwendolyn Garver plays Christy Dawson, a high school student who lost her father seven years earlier. Garver is convincing, especially when she starts to have these dreams of what looks like a very dead elementary school kid. The meds don’t stop the dreams and of course, it is hard to explain these things to her friends Kyle Walker (Kristian Capalik) and Mindy Mariner (Bobbi Jean Basche) at school. A lot of the action revolves around the high school hockey team and the cold, icy rink. Elford-Argent captures the rhythm of the hard-knock sport in his framing and shot composition and it felt like I was at a hockey game. When a student comes up murdered, the stakes are air-wrenched up a notch, especially when Kyle , who she wants to confide in about her dreams becoming increasingly real, is found at the crime scene. This dramatic twist is set-up well and is further complicated by the feelings growing between the two.

The authorities, played nicely for dramatic and comic affect, are drawn in and Christy is torn between investigating on her own or enlisting the help of the friend she trusted. To complicate matters, can she come clean about seeing future murders in her dreams? Why is this little boy haunting her? The story gains by this mystery that combines the elements above in a tightly crafted story by Wendy Elford-Argent. To boot, she edits “AfterThought” and that makes for some tight cuts that propel the story. The sound, usually the weakest link in indie filmmaking, was excellent, top-notch, every bit as good as a big-budget studio film. Acting can be a subjective call, but suffice it to say Chief Howard Dixon played by Jamie Symington and the Kristian Capalik as Kyle stood out in their performances. The supporting cast did a good job as well.

“AfterThought” does not break new ground in films centered around high school but what it does do is give you a well-told and well-made story. When it comes to the filmmakers however, you will probably be seeing their work again matched with solid, original material.

- rev. by Jerry Brewington for HIT

WFRV CBS 5 and Channel 7

2006-12-21T09:44:00.000-08:00

The screening in Waupaca, WI last night was a great success, the 750 seat theatre was filled with locals, the lines were so long it followed outside in the 30F cold night, Douglas and
Gwendolyn were present at the screening.

WFRV CBS 5 covered the event! View Video

also

Channel 7 featuring Jan Janssen! View Video

Waupaca Screening NEXT WEEK

2006-12-14T08:16:00.000-08:00

Location: Waupaca High School, WI

Date: 20th December

Time: 8pm Sharp

Admission Fee: $4

Director and Lead actress to be present!

MYSPACE - VIDEO DIARY

2006-11-12T01:58:00.000-08:00

Myspace - AfterThought now has 1st AD's (Anit 'On' Bashar) on-set 2 minute video diary.

Click below to watch link

MYSPACE - VIDEO DIARY

Max Hauser Article

2006-11-02T08:17:00.000-08:00

Read Max Hauser article regarding his role of 'Young Elliott Smithe'

The Long Road

2006-10-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last night was our first festival screening at the Eerie Horror Film Festival, for which Maxwell Hauser (Young Elliott Smithe) attended (Pictures to come). AfterThought will be at the AFM (Hollywoods answer to the Canne Film Festival), represented by Gabriel Film Group, Inc.

I am hoping to sell AfterThought to each separate country and make the money back for my investors, plus some. My next film '25 Percent' is due to be shot early 2007, I am ready to start looking for investors, we need to raise $500,000. This includes shooting on 35mm and attaching two small stars for a quicker release, on the list so far is Rider String (Cabin Fever) and Cary Elwes (Saw), for which both have agreed.

If you are reading this and are interested in investing you can by clicking on: "25 Percent Investment"

Eerie Horror Film Festival

2006-09-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

AfterThought has just picked up it's first Festival in 2006 at:

Eerie Horror Film Festival

Trailer

2006-09-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

Check out our trailer at - www.afterthoughtmovie.com

Waupaca, WI Screening

2006-08-25T00:19:00.000-07:00

At last we are ready for the Waupaca, WI Screening for December 21st at 8pm.

The screening will be hosted by Gwendolyn Garver and Douglas Elford-Argent, also a 20 minute 'Making of' with interviews from Gwendolyn Garver, Kristian Capalik, Bobbi Jean Basche, James Symington Ted Willett and Douglas Elford-Argent.

Location:
Waupaca High School Auditorium
Waupaca, WI 54981

Premiere Photos at last!!!!!

2006-08-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

Afterthought Movie/Interview

2006-07-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

Afterthought Movie/Interview

2006-Jul-26 by Laughcalvin

One of the goals of this site is to promote emerging filmmakers and one such filmmaker is Writer/Director Douglas Elford-Argent. Working with his wife, triple-threat Actress/Screenwriter/Editor Wendy Elford-Argent and producer Ted Willett, they have put together a very professional film for very little money. Below is an interview HIT had with Doug by email:

First, congratulations on your feature “AfterThought.” I was fortunate enough to be at the premier at AFI and really enjoyed it.

Thank you

Doug, give us a bit of background on you and your partners involved in the project.

I opened a production company just over a year ago, 30 Something Productions, LLC in order to make AfterThought. This was also mainly to start creating independent films here in LA. I had a company in London, England, but wasn’t too happy with how they were marketing themselves. I met Ted Willett, my producing partner, and we decided to help one another to raise money and start making quality features for under a million dollars.

Can you tell us a little about pre-production and how you approach this part of the filmmaking process?

My wife, Wendy, wrote the screenplay. The whole idea was hers. When we took a trip back to her hometown of Waupaca, WI, we noticed the overwhelming support from the town; Police, Fire, High Schools and Local Businesses opened up their arms to us. The majority of the financing came from Waupaca. Newspapers continue to print updates informing the town of our progress.

I believe the film was shot in Hi-Def? The picture and sound were excellent. Tell us a bit about the decisions you and your DP made in terms of equipment.

A lot of people get HDV mixed up with HDCAM. They are two different cameras. We used HDCAM, a larger camera with higher resolution and contrast. It was the same camera they shot Star Wars Episode I on. You have to understand where your film will end up. Most filmmakers assume it will be picked up at Sundance and be screened in all theaters across America, but we knew from the get-go that AfterThought was a DVD release. If it’s shot right, it’s almost impossible to tell 35mm and HDCAM on a regular TV. It was a lot faster to shoot HD than film. Playback was instant and gave you more of an idea of the finishing look. Film playback is low and you can only watch performances. Many directors are turning to HD as the medium of choice. Superman Returns and Miami Vice were shot on HD.

Many folks were blown away by the sound recording and mix as many lower-budgeted films suffer from bad sound. How did you guys pull it off?

It all counts on the ‘Production Sound.’ Dennis Haggerty did an amazing job. All the actors were clip mic’d and of course we had the boom mic. Our ‘Post Sound Designer,’ Garrard Whatley, was so grateful for Dennis’s clean recordings, but Garrard also recorded all Foley sound for a 5.1 mix, it was important to get the sound right.

I believed you worked with pro and non-pro actors? What were some of the challenges casting and working with the performers?

It’s hard to call certain actors pro or not pro. We were casting for a non-union show, which means no regular Screen Actors Guild actors could be used. Some SAG actors have a different status with the union and were able to do both. Most of the actors were excited and keen to be in a feature regardless. Some actors ended up paying out of their own pockets to be in the film.

How about the logistics while shooting in Wisconsin? You folks shot at several locations.

The town was about 2 miles square so company moves didn’t hurt us too much. We were able to get all our locations for free, which helped our ‘post production’ budget. Everyone gave more than we asked, Wendy and I were married not too far from Waupaca, so we knew exactly who to approach for food and the making-of video.

Tell us a bit about post on the project? I believe it was done here in LA?

Yes all post was done in LA. Wendy cut an off-line edit of the picture alone, then the sound files from this ‘locked picture’ are handed to the sound designer (Garrard Whatley). He decides on what works and what dialogue needs to be replaced via ADR (Audio Dialogue Replacement). The off-line picture, in the meantime, is handed to the ‘On-line’ editor (HD Studios). They color-time the film while the DP (Marc Menet) and I supervise. Finally we were ready to ‘ marry’ the picture to the sound back to the original HDCAM format. The thing I love about LA is that, even as an Indie filmmaker, the big companies are out there to help smaller people like me.

Doug, you are originally from the UK, I believe. Compare making films there to here in Hollywood.

Completely different, it’s like ‘chalk and cheese.’ England has the best technicians in the world, but the mentality in England is so far from Hollywood. Over here there are people willing to take meetings with a no-name director, they listen and are prepared for the most outrageous stories. In England, there is a certain way and style to making films. That is why we have suffered in the past decades. We need a studio system in London, but right now, all we really have is a place for Americans to shoot.

What’s the strategy for getting your feature “AfterThought” out there for people to see? The festival route or going to straight to a distributor or broadcaster?

Since we have unknown actors we need to take it to a few Festival screenings. This announces to the distributor that our work is worth buying, I have currently mailed out about 20 DVDS to festivals, all in America. My film is very commercial, so I am unclear on how it will work at festivals. I can say it was made to be sold, not to be 'different'.

What’s up next for your and your collaborators, Doug?

I am in negotiations with creators for a 22 million dollar film based on the Dr. Seuss Kids, and I am also rewriting and plan to re-shoot a film I did called 25%. This is a road movie to be shot for $400,000 or near to that.

Thanks a bunch for taking the time to answer our questions and HIT wishes the best of luck on “AfterThought.”
Thank you.

Premiere

2006-07-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

Last night was the official premiere of AfterThought, the house was full with over 135 guests. Cast and crew from Los Angeles attended with style, Gwendolyn Garver, Kristian Capalik, Bobbi Jean Basche and Jamie Symington were the stars of the evening. Today marks the first day of Festival mailings.

Pictures to follow.

Festival

2006-07-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

So this monday night marks the end of one journey, the completion of AfterThought, but a new journey begins...Festivals, I have 10 DVDS ready to mail off, 3 being very important, AFI Fest (They screen at the ArcLight Cinemas) ScreamFest (They screen at Universal) and NYC Horror Fest.

With each DVD Screener for the judges, I am also including a Press Kit, which includes Synopsis, Actor Bios and Production Statements etc. Most Festivals are due in 2 weeks, some in 2 months, but each Fest is about $45-$60 per submission, it's going to be a long few months of Pizzas for Wendy and I.

Foley

2006-06-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend the Foley for all sound effects were recorded and mixed, everything from Ice Hockey Skates to Police banter on the radios, to footsteps and frabric rubs!

The Premiere is now officially booked, we are FULL!!!!!

ADR

2006-06-19T09:28:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a lot of fun, Kristian Capalik, Gwendolyn Garver, Jamie Symington and Chris Muntel all came down to Santa Monica, where the home of Rocketwerks lies. ADR is simply replacing old dialogue with new, for many reasons. Kristian was up first, then Jamie, followed by Chris and Gwendolyn. It was a great experience for all, and we managed to get some great performances, far beyond what I expected. Bobbi Jean Basche is up next week.

One step closer to completion.

Past Films

2006-05-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

'How to Kill your Neighbor' (aka How to Film your Neighbor) for which Douglas Elford-Argent produced, is now at the Canne Film Festival to be sold for foreign territories via our sales agent: Loose Cannon Films.

NEW Sound Designer

2006-05-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

Last night Wendy and I met our new sound designer, Garrard Whatley at Rocketwerks Studios in the heart of Santa Monica.

OnLine - Picture

2006-04-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

Over the last 4 days myself, Brett Smith (Colorist) and Marc Menet (DP) have Onlined the picture cut of the movie, AfterThought (Picture only). Firstly once Wendy Elford-Argent had finished her off-line edit, she handed the AFE (Avid File Exchange) to HDStudios, this is basically all the time code elements for the picture edit.

Brett Smith (making of Star Wars III) and myself looked over the film for any further changes to the edit, then we proceeded to watch the film for a look/style. Color can make a film either cold or warm, scary or romantic, you can push the blacks or make a shot during the day seem as if it was shot at night.

Marc Menet flew in from Chicago to over see the last 2 days of the color timing (correction) after 32 hours we finally agreed to print the film to tape, for the HDCAM master tape (Picture Only)

Now we must wait for the 5.1 Dolby mix to marry the sound and picture together, due end of June.

We are still waiting for most of the checks/cheques to be mailed to 30 Something Productions.

M&E

2006-04-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

RE: Update

I am sure most of you are wondering where we are with regards to Post Production?

We finished the picture lock about 2 weeks ago, nothing can be done until the editor picture locks the film so each different department works off the same time code (edit). This film is basically one long ‘reel’ of about 83 Minutes (without end credits) a Quick Time copy was handed over to Tim Williams and Andy Hay, the QT copy was about 17GB so too big for a DVD or any other digital format.

Between Tim and Andy there is the ‘Online’ this is simply an ‘Up-Res’ going from DV to HD, back to it’s original quality, then comes ‘Color Timing’ where we match all the shots for the directors look. Titles will be added to this also.

Tim Williams is scoring the film with original music, he’s about 1/3rd the way through. Andy Hay is the Sound Designer, firstly he cuts the dialogue to take out any ‘bump’ or ‘word fumble’, then he fills in the background leveling out all dialogue. Next is the Foley Que, this is every sound you hear from, footsteps to hockey pucks to a tap dripping. The reason for all this is not only for a ‘thicker quality of sound’ but for ‘Foreign Delivery’ once the film has been sold to international markets, they need to replace the current actors dialogue with their choice of language, ‘dubbing’. When this happens, any sound recorded from the actors mic will be lost and should be replaced for M&E.

After the ‘Foley’ we will require most actors to come back and spend a day in the studio, for ADR. Replacing dialogue that is either too quiet or hard to hear, once Tim and Andy have finished there will be a 6 day mixing session for both the Music, Dialogue and Effects. (M&E)

We will finish late May with a 5.1 Dolby-E Theatrical Mix for the premiere.

Producers

$50 Donations List

2006-04-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

The plan is to get 70 kind people to donate $50 each for our final payments on the movie, AfterThought. Each $50 gets a screen credit on the scrolling titles.

Checks and Bankers Drafts made payable to:
30 Something Productions

The Benefactors so far are:

70) John Siscel
69) Betty and Peter Argent
68-64) Tooth and Nail Productions
63-62) Anonymous Donation
61) Erin Glaus
60-47) Anonymous Donation
46) Anit Bashar
45-44) Wayne Doul
43) Deborah Elliott
42) Anonymous Donation
41) Jerry Brewington
40) Hannah Plaxen
39-38) Geno Dozier
37) Adam Rowe

Sound Design and Music

2006-03-24T15:07:00.000-08:00

A big weight has been lifted from my shoulders, AfterThought has been taken from me and handed to the Sound Designer and Composer. Sound Design will level dialogue and fill in the blank air pockets, also adding all foley from Ice Skates to Footsteps. I feel relieved and happy with the 85 Minute feature!!!!

Picture Lock

2006-02-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

The picture is locked for the 86 Minute Horror/Thriller.

You can now buy T-Shirts and other misc items, by clicking below.

CLICK HERE FOR MOVIE STORE

Poster

2006-02-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

Here is the NEW Poster for 'AfterThought' designed by Anit Bashar, my 2nd AD on the movie.

CLICK HERE TO BUY POSTER NOW!!!!!!!

Cut

2006-01-30T11:59:00.001-08:00

63 Minutes into the fine cut.

Opening Titles from London England are currently being delivered.

Music Score by Tim Williams will be expected over April.

1/3

2006-01-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

The edit is looking fantastic, we are now a 1/3rd (23minutes) the way through. It's very comforting when you watch your film, without music or effects and it still holds up. I have had some encouraging emails from companies interested in watching AfterThought, our aim is to have the premiere in April, with hopes to receive some festival pick-ups.

Inspired

2006-01-03T17:44:00.002-08:00

I am not one to be ‘influenced’ by others, but merely someone who feels ‘threatened’ by others, competition that causes me to work harder and beat my opponent. I never enjoyed sports (Until I met my wife and her family) but worked hard to achieve my goals as a filmmaker, the way I wish.

It seems that I am always in process of 2/3 feature films at any one time, during the pre-production on 25% I shot 4 small music videos, while Wendy wrote AfterThought I was shooting 25%, just after I had co-produced How to Film your Neighbour. During production on AfterThought I am currently in pre-pre-production with my new feature, Simple Minds.

I find it hard to slow down or even take a break, sometimes I wonder if this is a weakness and will effect my work? As time goes by I am more interested in television than I am in cinema, possibly a style that fits TV more.

So far 12 minutes fine cut for ‘AfterThought’

Progress

2005-12-28T14:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone with a blink of an eye it's sad, but at least we can now get started with editing full time. As I make each film I grow stronger, my budgets get higher and my experience develops further, many people critize my work style, claiming I need to slow down, concerntrate on one piece at a time. That seems crazy to me, I have directed 4 features from $1,000 to $100,000 I have produced 2 features over $70,000 both in UK and America, and this is only in the past 2/3 years. 'AfterThought' is my newest venture, the project for which will build 30 Something productions LLC.

I feel a film maker is everything, actor, editor, director, writer and producer, all come under the umbrella of a 'Film Maker' I direct and produce, my wife edits and acts. Crazy? We have both achieved more work over the past 2 years than anyone I know, we are both a company together. I am now in the process of talking to another producion company about my next feature as director, this at a higher budget again. So it is safe to say I am progressing as each film is shot, unlike most film makers (Or claim to be) who have at least 3 features on the go, but neither of them will ever be given the 'green light', writing a script is not having a 'feature in progress' if this was the case then I would have 8 features in progress.

Wrapped!

2005-10-31T11:48:00.000-08:00

Halloween Wrap Day

We finished at the Waupaca County Jail at 9.03pm on Halloween.

The Dreamer has now finished, I have to admit I am pleased, both Ted (Producer) and Anit Bashar (1st AD) have pulled in almost 17 hour days, our production beards are looking healthy but we are not. Looking back on the last 3 weeks I feel confident that we achieved everything I wanted, there were many times I could have strangled an actor or crew member but held out til the end, stress can get the better of you in certain situations but we cut our way through.

We held a great wrap party in a local bar in Waupaca, WI (A popular hang out for the cast and crew during production) while Ted, Gwendolyn(Christy Dawson) and I raced home to make punkins before the night came to an end.

A long journey back to LA via our car, should be a lot of fun.

Cold Nights

2005-10-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

Night shoots are also the worst, with the weather on our side we are now on schedule and on budget. In fact that is a lye, Ted saved me $6,000 on his first day here so we are in fact under budget.

The shoot tonight starts from 4am to 4pm, horrible, Wisconsin in the winter! Ek! The police have been absolutely amazing, tonight they gave us 3 squad cars and an ambulance. The scene starts off with a jib shot raising from the 'Do not cross' sign, we track up to James Symington (A great actor) and Gwendolyn Garver, the lead. As soon as the police leave it's straight into a scene with Bobbi Jean Bache and Kristian Capalik, the co-stars.

Hockey

2005-10-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

The 7am calls are the worst, this means Ted and I are up at 5am to go over the daily call sheet one last time. We arrive at the Expo Center (Ice Hockey Rink) for the large crowd scenes and Hockey game, the Ice Dogs have arrived (The Ice Hockey team doubling as the High School Team) directing 150 extras and 20 Ice Hockey players is a complete nightmare but we managed to get everything we wanted, some of the shot on the ice were compromised but other than that, a great success.

We will be back here tomorrow to shoot the locker room scenes.

Update

2005-10-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

It's raining here in Waupaca, WI. Tomorrow we are due to shoot a large ice hockey game in 8 hours. I am tired and utterly exhausted. The Producer and I are pulling in 15 hour days.

Tomorrow is Day 12 of our 18 day shoot. We are currently on schedule and I'm very happy with what we've got. For the most part, the weather has cooperated, until last night (10/21) when it rained and we had to reschedule half of our exterior shots. We did, however, manage to get the shot of the ambulance, 2 sheriff's cars and a police car.

The town has been really cooperative. We were on the front page of the Waupaca County Post, and tomorrow the neighboring paper, The Post Crescent from Appleton, WI will be coming to do an article.

We are pleased to have wrapped at the following locations:
The Lochner's House
Simpson's Restaurant
The Kirk's
The Hankey's
The Waupaca Public Library
The Hospital in Oshkosh, WI
The Moe's Barn

We are excited to continue filming at the Expo Center in Waupaca as well as both the Middle School and High School, along with the Waupaca County Jail and Sheriff's office.

I am very satisfied with the quality and look that the HD-F900 is giving us! We have a great cast and crew and it is hard to believe that filming is coming to an end.

Douglas Elford-Argent
Director
11:43pm

Beer or Pizza?

2005-10-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

Last night was crazy, this was the one evening shoot I was really dreading. Ted the Producer skillfully arranged many extras for the 'exterior barn party scene' everybody arrived on time but we 'as a crew' were not ready, lights were not set and my shot list was changing by the minute.

Just as we were ready the extras began to grow tired, and Ted and I looked at one another for about 3 seconds. The 'kids' wanted to go out and drink, even though they were 16 or 17 they became very bored with the speed of shooting a movie. 'Should we buy these guys some beer or pizza to make them stay?' maybe not...we thought!

The evening went smoothly and I can't thank the extras that stayed through the cold night, just for us.

Kids

2005-10-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

Today was a little crazy, we were filming at the Kirk's House on Washington Street/Main, a very famous house for which the Bates Motel was based on, I was excited and nervous also. We were using younger actors from 10-11 years. This was my first chance at directing 'kids' we open up with a 24 foot tracking shot revealing the 4 'younger' versions of the leads and co-stars. As time went by we lost day light and missed the scene between Daniel Koester and Kristian Capalik, this resulted to a moody director and a frustrated AD. Luckily Ted (Producer) organized a pick up shoot at the Hankey House exterior, not all was lost!

Hospital

2005-10-13T23:47:00.000-07:00

During the shoot yesturday Ted received a phone call from the local hospital, they confirmed that our loaction tomorrow was not available due to lack of beds. Like usual I started to panic but Ted and On (AD) got in touch with another hosiptal in Oshkosh and raced to photograph the site for me. Racing home they called and informed me it was a fantastic location, the whole West Wing would be ours. Sometimes things happen for a reason, my mum use to tell me this when I was kid, and I strongly believe it to be true.

The day went smoothly, some of the scenes I hoped for I didn't get but covered it enough for Wendy to work some of her magic during editing. The production value looks great and the feeling of the scenes worked out in the end.

First Day

2005-10-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

Today was our first day, I sit here with a glass of red wine and check over what we missed, Ted Willett (Producer) and On (1st AD) work on tomorrows schedule. This seems to be the routine, since both flew in a week ago, we wake up at 9am and make a ton of calls, some calls seem to be follow ups, either somebody hasn't got back to us or has a major problem with dialing our number.

Emails have saved us a lot but the towns size and shear welcome has been the key, Waupaca WI sit only 5500 people and with it's small 2 1/2 mile sq size helps for the company moves or actor pick ups, the actors are staying in a small motel off of Fulton Street, something simular to the Bates Motel.

Tomorrow we are back in the Hankey house for the second of a three day shoot.