Big Wow! ComicFest 2012

Exciting news! Looks like I'll be speaking on my first panel ever this weekend at the Big Wow! ComicFest in San Jose, CA!

On Sunday, May 20, from 12pm-1pm, I'll be joining Miss Misery and other filmmakers to discuss the (artificial) blood and (very real) sweat and tears that go into making independent horror films. We'll be in room C of the San Jose Convention Center, Hall 2. (There's been a recent change to the schedule. We are indeed speaking Sunday, not Saturday.)

I'll be talking about the making of "Everything I Needed to Know About Zombies I Learned From the Movies." It should be a great time, so stop by and hear the war stories!

Sac-Con 2011

One last convention before the year comes to a close! I'll be at Sac-Con this weekend, reppin' Red Stylo Media as well as Everything I Needed to Know About Zombies I Learned From the Movies.

Sac-Con: Comic, Toy, and Anime Show

Sacramento, CA 

Sunday, December 11, 10am-5pm

Scottish Rite Center

6151 H Street

Sacramento, CA 95819

Come do some geeky X-mas shopping and pick up a copy of Poe Twisted if you haven't already! It's the perfect gift for that indie comic or horror literature lover in your life. 

Seems a bit appropriate that we end the year in Sacramento. It's the heart of California's gold country, which was the setting of Eldorado. Perhaps I'll see the ghost of the Rider and his horse in the hills...

Nightmares, Comics, and Travel Plans

Aside from waxing nostalgic for ’80s movies and updating my blog layout, there’s been quite a bit stirring in my corner of the world.

A Nightmare on Van Ness Street

Some of the most exciting news I received recently is that my film, Everything I Needed to Know About Zombies I Learned From the Movies, will be participating in A Nightmare to Remember International Horror Film Festival.


The fest takes place Saturday, June 18 at San Francisco's Opera Plaza Theater. Join us for three hours of indie shorts, trailers, and general horror movie shenanigans, all presented by Horror Hostess Miss Misery (an awesome woman I had the pleasure of meeting at Wondercon this year). If you can’t make it, please wish me luck!

Panel by Panel

In other horror-related news, I also spent a good deal of time working on my very first comic book project. I learned a huge amount about comic scripting in a very short amount of time thanks to an excellent, patient editor (Enrica Jang, who is a marvelous comic writer herself. Check out her comic Azteca).


At this point, it’s all in the (very capable) artist’s hands, and soon I’ll have a link to share. All I can say is that it involves zombies (natch) and a certain favorite storyteller of mine.

Summer Plans

As if a film festival and comic project weren’t enough, there’s some big news on a more personal front: the Professor and I are in the midst of planning our first international trip together! We’ll be spending two weeks this summer in beautiful Thailand (mostly in Bangkok), hosted by some very generous friends. It still feels very surreal, but incredibly exciting.

Photo by D.Alyoshin

We haven’t had an adventure of this caliber since…well, ever! So, any tips and tricks for these newbie globe-trotters is most welcome.

WonderCon 2011

I’m still feeling a bit loopy from a cold that’s had me on the ropes for a few days, so forgive me if I don’t make much sense. Today is my first day wearing real clothes (as opposed to pajamas) since Sunday.

So, aside from sniffling and coughing, what have I been up to? A little of everything: some crafting, some writing, some gaming, some good lifestyle changes. It’s been a busy time.

The pinnacle of the past few weeks was definitely San Francisco’s WonderCon. It boasts the same geeky spectacle as the huge San Diego Comic Con, but on a slightly more manageable scale.

I spent a glorious two days networking with other filmmakers, writers, artists, and crafters. I got to see some great costumes:

Potter Puppet Pals!

Repo! The Genetic Opera

Meet some interesting people:

Lloyd "Troma" Kaufman

The Mistress of the Dark herself.

And shop for some cool stuff:

Spoiled Cherry

The highlight of it all, though, was meeting Max Brooks.



He’s the man responsible for the Zombie Survival Guide, as well as World War Z (one of my favorite books). He gave a great talk. He’s funny, intelligent, geeky, and genuine. The kind of guy you want on your team for pub trivia night.

When I went to Comic Con last year, I gave him a copy of Everything I Needed to Know About Zombies I Learned From the Movies. Honestly, I had half expected he hadn’t watched it.

Imagine my surprise when he said that he had enjoyed it very much. It had creeped him out. It reminded him of an early Romero film, and he could see the passion of the cast and crew behind it. Gathering up my courage, I then asked if he’d be willing to give me a quote for the film. Right there, on the spot, he scrawled one out on the back of the DVD jacket:



Holy crap! My little six minute zombie comedy was not only watched by the man who helped revive the zombie genre, but actually endorsed. I’m still on cloud nine over that! Perhaps it's time for a cover redesign...

It was hard to top that. The rest of the Con was just gravy. Interestingly enough, the second I got into the car to go home Saturday, my voice gave out and I got slammed with the full cold. It's like my body knew it could finally give in and be sick after holding it back for days.

I'm slowly catching up on my writing and other projects. April is officially Script Frenzy month, and I am so far behind. Wish me luck!

Women in Horror Month at Fatally-Yours.com

February is many things to many people: Black History month, month of romance (or conversely, month of resisting corporate-packaged acts of affection), month of shadow-seeking groundhogs.

This year, February also marks Women in Horror month at Fatally-Yours.com...and guess who's part of the celebration?

Among the numerous interviews and articles about women working in all aspects of the horror genre -- from FX artists to horror romance publishers -- is a humble little interview with yours truly. I feel incredibly honored to be included among the ranks of hard-working horror mavens, and it's been really inspiring reading about other artists and professionals who share my fervor for fright.

Fatally-Yours.com also ran a pretty damn awesome review for Everything I Needed to Know About Zombies I Learned From the Movies a few months ago. So, I'm very much feeling the love from this site. Show 'em a little love back for me by checking 'em out!

Eye: My Kind of Town (Chicago Is)

We came...

We saw...

We screened a film!

In a nutshell, last weekend was a whirlwind of highs and lows, marvels and the mundane, and surprises and disappointments. There was never a dull moment, and I have to say, the Midwest can be one crazy place! All in all, I had a hell of a good time, and can't wait to have more than 48 hours to explore it.

Eye: Zombies heading to the Windy City!

Just got the news on Thursday, Everything I Needed to Know About Zombies I Learned From the Movies is playing in the 2009 Chicago Horror Film Festival!

The festival runs September 25-27 in Chicago, IL. Not quite sure when our film is showing (or quite where the venue is), so more info to come soon!

Eye: My Zombies Invade San Francisco!

My short zombie-comedy -- Everything I Needed to Know About Zombies I Learned From the Movies -- is having its West Coast Premiere at San Francisco IndieFest's Another Hole in the Head Film Festival this June!

We're opening for feature film Reel Zombies on:

Saturday, June 6, 7:15 p.m.
Wednesday, June 10, 5:00 p.m.
Roxie Film Center, San Francisco

Buy tickets here!

Come for the short, stay for the feature. You'll laugh, you'll scream...you'll get to watch the director (me) pass out in the theater! Good times!

*****

Seriously, folks, I am so flippin' nervous/excited I don't know where to begin. This is not only our West Coast premiere, but the hometown screening. HoleHead is probably my favorite film festival ever, so to be included in this year's line-up is an extra-special treat. Join us! First person to come up at the screening and tell me they saw this on my blog gets a free DVD copy of my film!

Hand: Vintage AYH Newsletter Embroidery

First, the bad news. Although it came in a solid third in views, Everything I Needed to Know About Zombies I Learned from the Movies was not the winner of the NYC Horror Film Fest competition. A big congratulations goes out to the cast and crew of The Lake Passage, whose beautifully shot film is well deserving of the win. Thanks to everyone who watched and cast their votes!

I also wanted to share a project that's been finished for some time, but I just haven't had the chance to post about. My organization, the Golden Gate Council of Hostelling International, is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year. Late last month, we had a fundraising luncheon with a silent auction.

When I was working on putting together a commemorative publication, I came across a copy of the cover for one of the organization's first newsletters, dating back to 1959. It was a simple line drawing, and of course, I thought "embroidery pattern!"

I couldn't help it. Even with the billion things I had going on, I volunteered to stitch it up, and offer it for the event's silent auction. I kinda underestimated how much time it would take, and I ended up staying up until 4 a.m. the night before the luncheon to finish it! But I think it was worth it! It pulled in $55 for the organization.

Everything framed nicely, with the original image for reference:


The embroidery before framing:


Detail of the sun and trees (my favorite part!):


Detail of the hiker and biker (I'm not sure about her...I think she looks a little like Mr. Bill!):


I'm sorry the pictures are so blurry and crappy...I took them at 4:30 am and wasn't as careful as I usually am (especially since I had to be up at 6:30 am to help with the event)! I hope you get an idea of how detailed this was. It was honestly a lot of fun.

Except for the bicycle. That sucked.

Mind: Help send my zombies to The NYC Horror Film Festival

It's finally time! The online contest for the New York City Horror Film Festival has begun, and I need your help!

Please watch and vote for Everything I Needed to Know About Zombies I Learned from the Movies on IndieFlix.com. All you have to do is take a couple of minutes to build a free account (no worries, you can easily opt-out of email spam), and download their player. Then you sit back and enjoy six minutes of zombie comedy.

The contest ends on Monday, November 3, and the film that gets the highest viewer vote score will be screened at the NYCHFF before a premiere feature film. Please help send my zombies to NYC!

Film Synopsis:
Trapped in a dingy office basement by shambling zombies, three disgruntled co-workers try to devise a scheme to get past the living dead lurking outside their door. When brains and brawn fail, it's up to useless movie trivia to save the day. But are these zombies really out for blood?

Enjoy the film!

Mind: Jeezy Creezy...

This is how I've felt the past three weeks: like I'm fending off a horde of zombies who are having way too much fun tormenting me.

Hello, yes, I am still alive and well, thanks! It's been a rather full set of weeks, more full than I have wanted, in places.

The biggest time-cruncher was a writing opportunity I took on, but then had to let go as work responsibilities ramped up and I couldn't keep up with the other gig the way they deserved. I'm a bit sad it didn't work out, but at least the increase in responsibilities at my actual job came with a good review and raise in pay. Hooray!

I've also been stitching like crazy on a rather unique piece that I'm hoping to offer up for a silent auction my organization is holding this Sunday (yeep!), and also getting in some Halloween stitching courtesy of Annie Oakleaves' awesome free patterns (the spider is too flippin' cute!). I have some plans for those, so I'll be sharing soon...like, "after the event this Sunday" soon.

Finally, the big news...Everything I Needed to Know About Zombies I Learned from the Movies has been selected for the New York City Independent Horror Film Festival's online short film competition! If we get enough votes in the three-week contest period, our film gets to screen before a premiere feature film! The competition starts on Oct. 24, and I'll post more details when I have 'em. I am excited and nervous and excited again.

This means, though, I've been scurrying around trying to get together my contest package (which is in addition to the package I sent to NYC originally), on top of trying to get the duplication finished (now that the DVD covers are done -- thanks Xander!) and possibly put together a screening. Oy. I wanted to be a filmmaker again why?

Crafts here again soon! I promise!!!

BTW: Photo credit goes to Alexander Kent. That was the zombie actors' celebration once we wrapped the shoot.

Mind: Catching Up

So, my promise to myself to blog here more often all came to naught when I was slammed back-to-back with a hellacious cold and an even more hellacious work week. All is finally calmer, but I feel like I'm sitting in the eye of the storm, waiting for the next wave to hit.

Most of that is my nervous jitters about applying to the NYC Independent Horror Film Festival, who's deadline is right around the corner. My film is finally done, the press packet written, and a cover/sticker image created...now all I have to do is print, package, and send. Wish me luck...this is my first time submitting anything to a real film festival. Fingers crossed.

This is the cover for the DVD, as created by my brother, Xander (who was also our on-set photographer). He's an incredibly talented designer, IMHO, especially since he's still a student. If this is what's he's making now, I can't wait to see what he'll do once he's gotten more training under his belt!

I've sadly had little time for crafting this week, though I did complete a large part of my current "big" embroidery project while trapped on the couch by the sniffles last weekend. I'm so friggin' close to finishing, and it's just sitting there in its hoop, silently mocking me. Maybe I'll get a chance to do some work on it today. At this rate, it's doubtful I'll have my Craftster.org challenge entry ready by the deadline, but I'm not giving up yet!

I also have a big announcement to make (part of my busy-ness this past week), but it's totally deserving of its own post. I'll share very, very soon...and yes, for real soon. Not two-weeks-later soon.

Mind: Thoughts on Filmmaking

It's been a hell of a few weeks. It's oscillated between the good (seeing many films for free with friends at the Another Hole in the Head Film Festival and the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival) and the bad (surprise root canal)...but at least it's never been boring.

My short film, Everything I Needed to Know About Zombies I Learned From the Movies, is in the final stages of completion. It's so close I can taste it, but there's been some major, discouraging setbacks this week.

Brian battles zombies in the basement.

I'm not going to go into the details, just that's been hard to keep my spirits up about it...or even to focus on any new projects, be they on paper, canvas, computer, or film. I think I'm learning I'm not really enjoying being a producer...though I dig the shit outta being a screenwriter and director. Baby steps, learning processes.

Looking at pictures of the shoot does cheer me, though, which is why I thought posting them may help me. It was a seriously amazing time, almost a year ago (yipes!), when everything just gelled perfectly in two days. The right mix of people, energy, creativity, and dedication...it moved like clockwork. I was so lucky to have the cast and crew I did. Never in my life have I been so excited and willing to wake up at 4:00 a.m. three days in a row.

That's why post production has been so weird for me. I got so used to getting my hands dirty, being involved in everything, that when time came to hand the footage off to the editor and sound designer I felt like a mom dropping off her only child for his first day of kindergarten.

The zombies having good, creepy fun on set.

I'm not quite sure I'm over the feeling yet, especially since the child is flunking in coloring (though it's an awesome speller and singer). It's taking more time than I thought. But then again, what creative project doesn't? I just need to grit my (root canaled) teeth and put my head down until this baby is locked and loaded, which hopefully will be very, very soon.

Very soon.

Pictures in this post by my brother, Xander Kent.