Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Premiere Follow-up

Last Thursday night's screening went very well. Better than I had expected. I'm so appreciative of the 200+ who came out to show their support for all of us involved in the creation of Horror House. DVDs should be available real soon, and as soon as they are, we will share a link here and on the HH website (www.horrorhousemovie.com).

I'd also like to thank Fearless Filmmakers and Oak Street Cinema for hosting the event. The screening would not have happened without their support.

Onward and upward from here with future projects! Look for a new blog soon.

~ Justen

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Premiere

Roughly 16 months after shooting, Horror House is ready to be released.

Theatrical Premiere:

Thursday, October 30
9:00pm
Oak Street Cinema
309 Oak Street SE
Minneapolis, MN


Q&A with myself and others involved in the movie will follow the screening. DVD release will be simultaneous with copies available at the screening, just in time for Halloween! Hope you can make it!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Still Kicking

Katie Hnida chronicles her journey in becoming the first woman to play Division I college football in the book, Still Kicking.

Only the title of the book has relevance here. Horror House is still kicking after being "in the can" for more than a year. We have signed with a sales representative and indications are that a Twin Cities theatrical premiere could be in the works for October along with DVD release shortly after. Nothing is guaranteed, but in this industry, nothing ever is. The important thing is we're moving ahead.

On a personal note, I have a handful of other projects brewing and I plan to start blogging on a more regular basis at a different blog location. I will be sure to post the new link here so the millions who read this blog can continue to absorb my consummate profundity each and every third month.

On another personal note, I am saddened that the Rogers Super Target no longer carries Totino's Party Pizzas. Why, cruel world? Why?!

~ Justen

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Anniversary

Hard for me to believe, but this day twelve months ago marked the first day of principal photography for Horror House. My stress level is considerably lower this year, but I miss the excitement of embarking on an ambitious project. Many small projects are on my immediate radar, but no features until at least next summer. If it were up to me, I think I'd do a feature a year or more. My stomach probably wouldn't appreciate it, but I've got an itch that needs to be scratched.

Reflecting today, I am certainly not where I hoped to be a year after we started shooting, but I'm further along than many, or dare I say most, who think they have what it takes to walk down this path. I say that humbly recognizing it is not just talent that got me this far, but my unwillingness to give up.

The Horror House audio problems have been remedied (Thank you, Adam!), and the color is fixed. The movie is ready for release, so now it is just a matter of convincing a distributor to release it! Things are looking good and I will update when there is news on the release front.

By the way, those who visit the website may wonder why the news tab is so outdated. I wonder that, too, and hope to have it fixed soon. :)

Happy summer to all!

~ Justen

Friday, March 28, 2008

Forging Ahead

The updates have been rather mundane the last couple months so I've chosen to withhold blogging. That's not to say things aren't moving ahead with the movie. They are. Just in a mundane fashion.

I've been working hard with Jim, my sound guy, to finalize the audio mix. We finished last week, but there was a problem with the export so now it's troubleshooting time.

I continue to make tiny adjustments with the color of the movie. This is, perhaps, the mostest mundanestest part of post-production. That's quite an honor considering the stiff competition. I have learned an important lesson with color correction: Always do it in a dark room. I have made adjustments during the day only to be appalled by the look of said adjustments when the big yellow sphere commutes to China.

To complete the trifecta of glamourous happenings with the movie, I am researching and contacting distribution companies, hoping to find the right home for Horror House.

With a little luck, the movie will screen sometime in the next few months. Start checking the website for updates in May. I'll update here, too, of course.

I'm anxious to shoot the next movie...

~ Justen

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Happy New Year

No updates from the festival circuit. I've submitted to a handful since Sundance and Slamdance, but haven't received word from any as of yet and probably won't receive word for another month or so. In the meantime I am sending screening copies to distribution companies and sorting through the myriad other film festivals out there. My biggest goal is to simply sell the movie and I like my chances of doing so in 2008.

The movie, incidentally, is still not 100% complete. Jim Morgan (sound) and I plan to get together this month to finalize the sound mix, and I am still working on color correction, though I took a couple months off from Horror House for sanity purposes. I have self-diagnosed ADD and need to work on several projects simultaneously to stave off mental breakdowns. My success in doing so is debatable.

I will continue to update the blog sporadically as news warrants.

~ Justen