Righteous Insanity

Updates on two long-awaited projects

Had a good time catching up with Denny Grinar last night. Denny's a long time friend and an actor who has appeared in dozens of Righteous Insanity shorts. He's probably best known as Adam in the Adam and Eve flicks.

 

Denny borrowed my camera to shoot the final scene for Fluffy 3 this week. He also happens to be the director-designate for two long-awaited film projects. After last night, I am very optimistic both films will see the light of day in 2010.

 

"The Telemarketer" is a sci-fi comedy adapted from a short story featured in the book Tolerance: Aliens, Vamps, and Other Lousy Dinner Guests (www.johncosper.com/books.html if you want to take a look). The issue here is location, and soon as Denny can nail that down, we're a go.

 

"Chasing Leia" was the first real film project I ever took on. The original version can be seen online: www.righteousinsanity.com/film/leia.html. Last night proved to be an interesting one regarding this project, which takes place in 2002 and spoofs Star Wars, Star Trek, and Chasing Amy. Denny's got an interesting take on the film, and we're going to make some changes that will make the new version not only more current, but much more funny. Sometimes projects have to wait for their time and proper inspiration. I am hopeful "Leia" has reached that point.

 

While I plan to act as producer and help with the promotion and back side of the film. Denny has both films, shooting and editing, if he wants them. He's got a real eye for visual storytelling, and I am very excited to give him the chance to try his hands at film making. Not bad for a guy I met while teaching band camp who couldn't march and never learned the school fight song.

Fluffy 3 Update - 12-7-09

Wow, it's December already?

 

Seems like only yesterday it was early fall. I had just started my second and final semester of student teaching, just cast a production of "Get Smart" at Christian Academy, and "Fluffy 3" was well into production. Now "Get Smart" is a month past, I just passed Student Teaching (and twenty months of school!), and "Fluffy 3" is... umm, still in production.

 

Not that we've had major delays or massive re-shoots. We haven't. Only one scene out of twelve had to be re-shot for continuity sake. The bonus that came out of that was the addition of two cast members: Eric Butts from "Zeppo the Movie," and actress/ professional wrestler Roni Jonah.

 

Speaking of additional talent, Louisville's own Rhyan Sprague has contributed an original song to the movie. Rhyan's got a solid rock sound to her music and her voice that has been compared to Courtney Love. Not bad for being eight years old. We're very proud to have this talented actress/singer play a small (off camera) role in the film.

 

There remains one scene to be filmed, added at the last minute (i.e., about two weeks ago). I wrote a new beginning for the film to clarify some of the jokes in this one and also set the stage (for those who missed Fluffy 1 and 2.) Once that is officially in the can, the final editing can begin in earnest.

 

The Fluffy website is now updated with all sorts of goodies, including the official trailer for "The Last Temptation of Fluffy" (the full title for Fluffy 3) and some promotional stills. You can also watch the first two Fluffy films, download the devotional study guide (for those who are interested in the spiritual side of Fluffy), and watch some extras like the bloopers and scream reels from F2. Check everything out now at www.fluffythemovie.com

 

Final comment: be on the lookout for my latest science fiction novel, coming soon. Martian Queen is the title for the thrilling adventure in the vein of the John Carter of Mars series. Stewart John Jones is a modern day slacker/gamer who gets whisked away to the planet Mars, where he does battle with evil mountain men and insect-like Underworlders on a quest to save the girl - and save the world. Look for it on Amazon.com and www.johncosper.com very soon!

Fluffy 3 Update

I once had a youth group send me a copy of the play "The Pizza Boy" on a DVD. The youth group had chosen to begin the play with a slide show that set up a lot of the characters, and they made just an awesome choice for the theme music: "Something to Believe In" by Poison.

 

When you see someone take something you wrote and bring it to life who really "gets it," it's a thrill and a blessing. The same can definitely be said for all the footage I have seen thus far on Fluffy 3.

 

Maybe it's the previous experience several of these folks (Bob, Erica, Denny, Herschel, Jason) have had with working on Fluffy sets, but the spirit of Fluffy is definitely alive. Ten scenes are now on the computer, assembled, with three more to go. (One scene is in the can; one is being re-shot; and a third, written this week, has yet to be filmed.)

 

We're definitely adding to the great legacy of Fluffy screamers. Sarah Driver's death scene is one of the loudest yet. Leslie Rodgers, Katie Stanley, and Kayla Perkins have also provided some nice "scream your lungs out" moments. All in all, the body count is higher than ever. And hey, there's even a little blood this time around!

 

With a few scenes still in the works, I'm not even gonna speculate on a completion date, much less when and where we might premiere the final piece of the Fluffy trilogy. My plan this time is to send it around to the film festivals around the region, then release a DVD by next fall with the entire trilogy and a bunch of extras. In other words, no mass Internet release this time, so if you want to see it, you gotta get out to the film festivals where it's playing.

All About Fluffy 3

When I first began work on the first Fluffy script, I never dreamed I'd one day be working on a second sequel. Fluffy was a stand alone piece, and there was never even supposed to be a Fluffy 2. But as I've stated before, after meeting and working with Erica Goldsmith, I had to go there again. Erica IS Trish Angel, the heroine of all three films. She's the actress I needed the first time around. F2 was essentially the next best thing to a do-over, with the same themes as the first film.

Fluffy 3 is an extension of those themes, building particularly on the theme of sexual sin (and the wages of sin) and extending it to the myth of "safe sex" as well as marital fidelity. I can't say more on the themes without giving away too much plot. But then again, the plotline of Fluffy 3 looks very much like the first two: people think Fluffy is a harmless little critter. But soon as they get too close, it eats their faces off.

Fluffy 3 picks up after F2, with another strange outbreak of people being slaughtered by Fluffy. This time, the story broadens, and we see the president's alien czar, Dave Priest, working on suppressing the Fluffy menace. The idea for the alien czar came straight out of today's czar-happy administration. It only made sense that we have an alien czar, since we have czars for everything else, and our alien czar is played by none other than Len Cella, the creator and star of "Moron Movies." Len was a big hero and inspiration to me a few years back, and his influence is particularly strong in films like the Adam and Eve shorts. Len was very gracious in giving his time and talents to our little film, and we're proud to have a cult movie icon like him in the cast.

Of course part of the military force called in to take down Fluffy is Trish Angel, who leads a squad of commandos into the woods to find the alien. The commando squad includes professional wrestler Ben Wood, a former Ohio Valley Wrestling TV champion; Denny Grinar of the upcoming slasher film "Girl Number Three;" and newcomer Darrien Phillips, one of my former students at Christian Academy.

Darrien's not the only former student in the film. Actress named Sarah Driver makes her film debut as Julie, a teenage girl who witnessed a Fluffy attack. Sarah's just one of many young actresses set to join the ranks of Katy Wheeler, Colleen Mooney, and Stacey Smith, who made the first two Fluffy films famous for their screaming. Kentucky sweetheart and fan fave Kayla Perkins also makes her debut in a Fluffy film, along with Katie Stanley, Leslie Rodgers, Bethany Reul, Jenny Ansman, and Sarah Bohannon, a terrific actress I discovered over the summer at Hayswood Theatre.

The cast includes a few other staples of Kentucky's slasher film scene, including producer Belinda Cooke and actors Cory Stringer, Claude D. Miles, and Sonny Burnette. And actor/ director Herschel Zahnd III will also be returning as the venerable military man turned astronaut turned small town sheriff, Stone Brockman.

One big difference from this film and the others is that I will not be behind the camera for any of it. Bob C. Cooke, our resident "Obi Wan" on the Fluffy films, is taking the helm for our primary shooting dates. Assisting Bob is his wife Belinda. Assisting them on the set is Jerry Williams of Kentucky’s Goat Boy Films, and covering the second unit shoots is another Fluffy veteran, Jason Dixon. Erica Goldsmith and Denny Grinar have also taken on some producer duties for this final Fluffy chapter.

There's no immediate plan for a release date, but once the film is completed, it will be making the rounds at horror fests all over Kentucky, Indiana, and the Midwest. Once production wraps in October, you can expect to see a trailer by November. We hope to have a projected release date set by some time in December.

Fluffy 3 will not be immediately available on the web, as past Fluffy films have. The plan is to make it available on DVD and at film festivals first. As with the first two films, a guide for youth ministers and others will be available on Fluffy's website once the DVD is released. The DVD will include a director's cut of Fluffy, F2, and as many extras as we can dig up.

Righteous Insanity Films - Fall 2009 Update

Just a quick update on Righteous Insanity's fall film projects.

 

First of all, if you haven't heard, we're making a sequel to a couple little movies we made about a fluffy little alien. Principal photography for "Fluffy 3" goes down this Sunday in Shepherdsville, KY with an all-star cast, including Erica Goldsmith, Claude D. Miles, Sonny Burnette, Denny Grinar, and the recently added Ben Wood, a former OVW TV champion. Second unit is nearly done as well, with Kentucky scream queens Kayla Perkins, Katie Stanley, and Leslie Rodgers all making appearances. And if you haven't heard, the creator and star of Moron Movies LEN CELLA will also be featured! Just a few scenes will be left to shoot after Sunday, including a special appearance by the incomparable Herschel Zahnd III, then we're good to go.

 

Speaking of one scene to do, that's exactly where the short film "Bots" currently resides. Comedian Marty Pollio has most of the film shot and cut and hopes to have the film wrapped and finished some time this fall.

 

A few more shorts are also on the way, including the long in development documentary on people with the spiritual gift for turning the music pages for piano players in church. A lot of the "Midsummer" cast from Hayswood has chipped in on this one, which should be a lot of fun. I'm also hoping to finally put the wraps on "Open Window," a short but powerful dramatic piece.

 

There's been some progress on a sci-fi project I wrote called "Med 814." I have several of the 14 segments in production now, from Florida to California, but there are still some good chunks of material to be filled in. Probably looking at Winter 2010 for a release on that. I'm also planning to finish the puppet series "The Sensitive Christian Man" at that time, and I'll be shooting a follow up to the Easter flick "I Don't Want to Dye" entitled, "Dye Hard."

 

And at long last, Prunella Douglas is preparing to make her video debut on getyoked.net. Crystall Goodhall has been cast in the role, and her video blogs will be online by the end of 2009, along with a few new video personals for all you pathetic, loser singles out there.

 

There's plenty more on the way, but that's enough teaser for now. Gotta call the Seelbach in Louisville and make sure they received Fluffy's rider contract. You think J-Lo has a lot of demands when she's on location? You should see Fluffy's!

New videos online

Just added 3 new movies to the Righteous Insanity Films site! 

Crush No More is a script I wrote with my best friend Tyler. It's a fake commercial for anyone who ever lost a friend to a jerk of a boyfriend/girlfriend. The film was produced and directed by Eric Anderson, an actor and film maker I had the pleasure of directing in "Midsummer." (He was Flute/Thisbe, and the Princess Leia metal bikini costume was his idea.) You can find this film on the Extreme Channel. 

Also, the first two Sensitive Christian Man films are online on Channel One. These two scenes are from a series written for men's ministry. (The scripts are available at http://shop.righteousinsanity.com

 You can view - and use - these films and more at our film website: 

www.righteousinsanity.com/film

Casting News: Len Cella of "Moron Movies" to appear in Fluffy 3

Righteous Insanity is thrilled to announce that cult movie icon Len Cella, the creator and star of "Moron Movies," will appear in the third Fluffy film, "The Last Temptation of Fluffy." Len will appear in the role of Dave Priest, the president's "alien czar" responsible for alien activity in America. 

For those too young to remember, the Moron Movies were featured on TV'S Bloopers and Practical Jokes back in the 1980's. They were short films, ranging from 5 to 30 seconds on average, with titles like "How to Aggravate People," "The Near-Sighted Mugger," "The Mean Doctor," "How to Clean Behind the Fridge," and "Door to Door Fridge Salesman." Len was the only cast and crew on all of these films. His deadpan delivery and bizarre sense of humor made him an instant cult favorite. 

I remember my Dad telling me about the Moron Movies when I was a kid. He even taped a few. But it was years later that I found a used copy of "More Moron Movies" that I became a true fan. Len's work not only made me laugh hard, it inspired me. In fact Moron Movies was to my filmmaking what The State was to my sketch writing. I was just starting to dabble in film making when I found that tape, and the short, one-joke style of Moron Movies became the model for several Righteous Insanity films, including "Adam and Eve" and "Desperate Housewives of the Bible." 

Len is still making short films, and he has a Myspace page where he connects with fans and sells DVDs of his films. (Note: His newest film, "Crap," is much more profane than his older work. Moron Movies and More Moron Movies are more innocent, PG rated material.) I'm very excited to have him playing a part in the final installment of the Fluffy series, and very grateful he would take the time to help us out. 

Casting for film

There are 2 ways to cast for films. The first is what I would call "pre-production" casting. This is when the film is in the planning stages, with no schedules or deadlines. Without those constraints, the director is free to look at headshots, resumes, video, auditions, etc until they find the perfect match for each part. Once a perfect match is found, you stop looking for the one role. You continue until you have an idea, "perfect" cast in place and production begins. 

The other mode is "production" casting. This is when the goal is to get somebody - any body - on set in time to shoot. Idealism goes out the window. You have a deadline, and a cast and crew that has already arranged to be in place. 

In most of my film projects, I go through both phases. Take the Fluffy movies. Right now, I am in pre-production mode for Fluffy 3. Slowly but surely, all but two roles of the film were cast. Some were responses to cattle calls. Some were old friends, or actors from previous shoots. Some are folks I am working with at Hayswood - including 2 former students. 

I'm in no rush to cast the remaining two roles, but if the right matches come along, I will cast them as well. 

Odds are, though, someone will drop out before we go to shoot. At that point, production mode kicks in. It did with Fluffy and F2. The actress scheduled to play Amanda in Fluffy failed to show for her call time. I called the one other actress whose phone number I had. She was there in 30 minutes, and wrapped in an hour. And strangely enough, we got a better actress than we had originally. 

Denny Grinar was originally going to be Mike in F2. But Denny had a schedule conflict, and Corey Long got the part - and did a bang up job. You can still see Denny in F2, though, as he got back from vacation early. Denny's the guy rolling down the hill in a sleeping bag. 

I've been lucky. Maybe you will to. Odds are you'll experience the same thing with your film/video project. Expect the unexpected, never panic, and never give up!

Fluffy 3 Now in Production!

It's official: Fluffy 3 is now in production.

The third and final (and this time I do mean final!) chapter in the Fluffy saga is now under way. When we last left Trish Angel, she had been called to duty once more to put down the cute and fuzzy killers from outer space. As part three begins, a new breed of Fluffy is on the rise, more ravenous than ever. Trish is sent into acton by the United States' alien czar Dave Priest. But when she runs into her former comrade - and estranged husband - Stone Brockman, she soon discovers an insidious plot behind the latest Fluffy outbreak. Can she and Stone patch things up long enough to stop the latest Fluffy threat?

Fluffy 3 got a jump start thanks to Jason Dixon, a photographer and film director who worked with me on Fluffy 1 as well as God Told Me to Break Up with You. Bob Cooke also returns as our associate producer and "resident Obi Wan" of the movie set. Erica Goldsmith ("Dead Moon Rising") and Herschel Zahnd III (director of "Girl Number 3") are slated to return as Trish Angel and Stone Brockman. The remainder of the cast reads like a virtual who's who of Kentucky independent film scene: Kayla Perkins, Sonny Burnette, Katie Stanley, Leslie Rodgers, Cory Stringer, Shawn Dolphin, Emily Wesley, Belinda Cooke, Shauna Tackett, and RI favorite Denny Grinar. Newcomers Sarah Bohanon and Sarah Driver of Corydon, Indiana have also been cast.

There's also a surprise guest star we're keeping under wraps for now. He's one of the great cult comedy figures of the last thirty years, and one of the inspirations behind many RI films. More on that later.

There's no official release date because right now, there's no target for completing production. But by the time 2010 comes around, you can expect Fluffy will be back on the prowl at film festivals around the Midwest, seeking whom he may devour.

Film camp for young filmmakers

Got this in an email today, and I thought it worth passing along. The camp will be in Louisville, KY.

City on a Hill Productions Announces our First Ever
DRAMATIC FILM MAKING CAMP! 
We will be conducting a Dramatic Film Making Camp from 9am-5pm, August 3rd-7th for interested High Schoolers (must be going in to 9th-12th grade).
All participants will be exposed to every aspect of film making through hands-on demonstrations and have an opportunity to help create a short film. 
We will have a Premiere Party and Awards on Friday night for the participants and their families. 
There will also be the opportunity to experience more in-depth training in one of two specific tracks:
Technical: Camera operation, Sound, Lights, Editing
Participants in the Technical track will have extended hours on Thursday for editing
Creative: Acting, Directing
Participants in the Creative track will have professional headshots taken
Total cost for the 5-day camp, including all supplies and lunch daily, is $250.
We have 15 openings for the Technical track and 10 openings in the Creative track.
Applications will be accepted on a first come first served basis.
Please fill out the attached application and return it to City on a Hill Productions.
If you have any questions, please call Martha Frazier at 245-2425 or email her at martha.frazier@ cityonahillprodu ctions.com
Lunch will be provided.
Travel and lodging will not be provided. 

©2009 City On A Hill Productions. Louisville, KY.