When all's been said...

Dear Friends, Family, and Fans of Blaming George Romero,

Two years ago in June, I set out to produce my screenplay, Blaming George Romero. I had never produced a movie before; I had only acted and written unproduced screenplays. It was a massive endeavor, filled with all kinds of fun and headaches.

Today, two years later, I thought of this blog and how I said I would keep posting updates as long as there were BGR updates to post. We are finished with our festival attempts, and we are now self distributing the DVD to anyone who may be interested. Just go to Amazon.com and search for the movie, where you can buy it on DVD or as a download.

Beyond that, I think as BGR's journey is over, so too is this blog.

 I am not done creating however! Red Scare is still active on the festival scene. Our first festival will be this coming Friday, June 1st at 7pm in Voorhies Hall on the Rutgers New Brunswick Campus. We have the honor of opening up the Summer 2012 NJ IFF. So, come out to that and support us. You can follow Red Scare updates at http://redscarethemovie.blogspot.com/.

Beyond that, my group of amazing fellow film makers has just finished 2 out of 3 short films we had in mind, and are set to work on the third and begin work on a pilot for an all new webseries. To follow information on that and all other things we work on, go to: splatizky.wordpress.com. Keep in mind I am new to that site, so I haven't figured out how everything works.

I am extremely happy with Blaming George Romero. Is it perfect? No, not at all. But it is the movie I wrote, and the movie we set out to make, and I am very happy to say that it is my first produced screenplay. 

Finally, I just want to express my thanks to all of the people who made BGR possible (and by making BGR possible, Red Scare, and so on and so on):

My fellow producer who kept my feet on the ground: Brad Resnick
The director and one of the stars of BGR: Robert Lise
The DP of BGR: Raul Garcia
AD's of BGR: William Dautrick & Miriam Cortez
Makeup for BGR: Mandy Jo Reinier & Loarina Gonzalez
Sound Department: Joey Mosca
Head Gaffer: Doug Youmans
Lighting Design: William Dautruck
Best Boy: Sean Feuer
The cast of BGR: Loarina Gonzalez, Dan Gregory, Isaac Platizky, Ramy Shedid, Christina Garced, Anderson Johnson, Adria Firestone, Chris Lucas, Adam Lucas, John Trigonis, Myron Covington, Wanda Madleigh, Mike Cutruff, Julie Ann Colon, William Dautrick, Aaron Visco, Bill Marks, and all of the wonderful zombies of BGR.
The rest of the grips and crew on BGR
My parents. 

And all of the donors who contributed their hard earned money towards helping us make one damn fine film.
 

Thank you all for everything,

Sam
Actor, Writer, Producer
Blaming George Romero

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The BGR Cast & Crew: Updates

Last week, we had our latest festival... This week, I want to fill you in on some opportunities to see what the cast and crew of BGR are up to now. Most of the BGR cast/crew worked on Red Scare, which should see its premiere in January 2012, but that's not all!

Loarina Gonzalez & Miriam Cortez: will be ASM'ing and AD'ing "Status Quo Vadis" at NJCU's West Side Theatre October 27th-29th & November 3rd-5th at 7:30pm. Free admission!

Congratulations to Sound Maestro, Joey Mosca, upon the successful filming (and funding) of his short film, Dark Wings. Also in the cast are BGR's Dan Gregory, Aaron Visco, and myself. Look for this short film to premiere directly in front of Red Scare at the first Red Scare screening (January 2012).

2/4 of the band Nothing But Robots wrote songs for BGR, and 1/4 of the band helped to record some of that. They will be having two shows coming up. On October 29th, they will be playing at Digiorgios Bar in Bayonne at 10pm. On Thursday, November 10th, they will be playing at the Whiskey Bar. Go to their facebook page to give them a listen and to stay updated on upcoming shows: http://www.facebook.com/nothingbutrobots.

 Eva Visco will be performing in "Josefina & Minerva" 12/7 and 12/10 at 9pm and 12/11 at the Mnahattan Repertory Theatre. Check out www.manhattanrep.com for more details.

John Trigonis has been quite busy since BGR. His short film, Cerise, has been making the rounds at various film festivals throughout the world. He has just completed another short film, Mating Dome, which is in Post Production now. AND he has a book deal in "The Tao of Crowd Funding," a must read for anyone looking to crowd fund their projects. You can follow his adventures at http://johntrigonis.com/.

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The Golden Door International Film Festival

Another festival completed! The Golden Door International Film Festival is over, and as far as I am concerned, it was very successful. 

The weekend started with an Opening Night Gala at the Loews Theatre in Journal Square. What a beautiful space! I can't believe I have never been there before. It was a nice night, and well set up, and I got to meet Paul Sorvino. 

BGR screened on Sunday, and I was really happy with how it went. I actually haven't seen the movie in full since the February screening (I don't count the Bergenfield Film Festival, because it didn't play all the way through.) I gotta say, I was a little nervous... Not for crowd reaction, but for my own. I am far enough removed that I think I can give a pretty honest opinion of the movie now. And I liked it. I really do. Is it perfect? Not at all. I wish we had the cameras that we used on Red Scare when we filmed BGR; I think that alone would have made a much better movie. There are places I can nitpick, moments when I thought that I really could've trimmed a bit more of the talky talky, but those are just nitpicks. BGR is very much the movie I wrote for better or worse... and I like it. What's more, our crowd liked it too... And not just family and friends, but complete strangers... So, that is pretty cool, and a nice little validation of how we spent summer 2010. BGR is not for everybody, but it does have an audience that both appreciates and enjoys it. 

I have to thank everyone who made it out to see the film (some for the 3rd or 4th time). I know people are busy and life gets in the way, and some people just flat out don't want to attend events like this... But the people that do make it worthwhile.  I love making movies, but if there is no one to appreciate that, it kind of dilutes the whole experience.

Also, mighty big thanks to everyone at the Golden Door International Film Festival, specifically Bill Sorvino who put the thing together and did a fantastic job of things. I hope the GDIFF lasts for years and years to come, and I will gladly submit Red Scare in the hopes of getting into the fest again. 

That is two festivals down. We got rejected from some, and we have some more to hear from. Who knows what'll happen? Maybe we'll get into some more, maybe we top out at 2... I don't know. It's gonna be fun to see though.

A final thought on this and all festivals... I have met people along the way... Other film makers who are just happy to be doing what they are doing... And I have met film makers who think that an entire festival should be all about them and their movie. The latter is a bit sad to me... I know I only make films because I love it, want to share my ideas with people, entertain, and maybe (hopefully) get to the point where I can do this for a living. When I see someone who is in it just for the praise or attention? There is something profoundly wrong with that as far as I can see. Maybe that is naive of me, but that is where I am at.

Regardless, it has been a hell of a ride, and I am happy to enter this whole film festival scene without thinking that it is all about me and my movies, but rather about all film makers who are trying to do the same thing. We got in this because we love it... I did, anyway.

Th-th-that's all for now. 

Peace and also Love, 

Sam 

 

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Buy BGR Merchandise (Among other things.)

One of the things that I hear people ask me a lot post BGR is "where can I get a Blaming George Romero shirt?" We only made one order for everyone in the cast or who donated to indiegogo, so once we were out we were out. I felt bad, but I couldn't put in another order just for a few people at a time. So, I let it go, and moved on... Working on Red Scare, working on an upcoming webseries, etc... And then the thought occurred to me. What about cafe press? I had used the website to make gifts for people from time to time, and had always seen the option to sell your own merchandise, but I never used it. 

So, for the last two days, I have been designing a Cafe Press store for Narrow Bridge Films. Now, you can purchase BGR, Red Scare, and Loster merchandise! (Loster is the webseries, by the way.) And not just tee-shirts, but bags, hoodies, and all kinds of assorted goodies. 

We will get a small cut of the purchase, which will likely go towards future projects, but the main reason I wanted to put this store up was to give people the option to purchase stuff from our projects... Fans, cast & crew members, strangers. So, feel free to take a look at the page and buy stuff. Christmas is right around the corner: http://www.cafepress.com/narrowbridgefilms

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Golden Door International Film Festival: Buy Tickets Today!

Howdy, folks,

You can now purchase tickets to the GDIFF screening of BGR. BGR will screen on Sunday, October 16, from 3:15-4:45pm.

You can go to this link for a pdf of the full festival schedule, and click on BGR to reserve tickets: http://goldendoorfilmfestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/GDIFF-Schedule-9.92.pdf

OR you can just go to this link to purchase tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/200468

It should be a really great event. If enough people express interest, they may open up additional screenings as well, so reserve your tickets today!

Sam
Actor, Writer, Producer
Blaming George Romero

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Golden Door International Film Festival

Things have been quiet on the BGR Film Festival quest... A little too quiet. We had our memorable experience at the Bergenfield International Film Festival, and... that was it? Could our little movie have stalled so quickly? Would we be forced to admit defeat and end our journey with one festival acceptance? And that one festival acceptance would have been riddled with so many problems that the movie barely finished playing?!?!?

The answer to that question is no. No, we do not end our journey with one acceptance. If nothing else, we will have two! And that is thanks to:

The Golden Door International Film Festival (http://goldendoorfilmfestival.org/) was one of the earlier film festivals I remember submitting to, so imagine my surprise when I received the acceptance email today. It felt really nice.

The festival is in October, and it looks to be a really great one. I will post more details when I have them. People are always asking me how to see BGR... Well, this will be a wonderful way to see it on the big screen.

So, yeah... That was some nice news to wake up to. Does this mean that other festivals we haven't heard from still haven't sent out their acceptance emails? I don't know... why am I asking myself so many questions?!?

That's all for now. Wish us luck on getting into even more festivals and stay tuned for more details.

Yours,

Sam
Actor, Writer, Producer
Blaming George Romero

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Some late July BGR news

So, we are in late July right now. A year ago this Saturday, we wrapped principle photography on BGR. There hasn't been much news lately, but here are a few updates. 

*I have just submitted to Sundance & Slamdance, two pretty big festivals. No telling what will happen, but you never know. 

*Last week I was in San Diego for the 2011 Comic Con. It was a fantastic geek filled week, and I was extremely fortunate to be able to give a copy of BGR to Max Brooks (World War Z, Zombie Survival Guide), Joe Hill (Horns, Locke & Key), and Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead). Those have always been three people that I wanted to get the movie to, and it was so much easier handing it to them rather than trying to go through their "people." I don't know if they'll watch it. If they do, I don't know if they will like it. But at the moment, they have it, and that is enough for me. 

*I am always asked, how people can get a dvd of BGR. The answer is simply, wait a little bit longer. We are still going through the film festival period, but that will be over by the end of the year one way or the other. From there, we will have to decide how we want to proceed with distribution. So, stay tuned for that kind of information later in the year. 

*In Red Scare news, we just wrapped principle photography last week, and are delving into post production now. We still need help with the fundraising, so if you or someone you know is feeling generous, we could use the help. www.indiegogo.com/red-scare. There are a lot of fantastic gifts for donors, and we expect to have a brand new trailer out within the week! 

Yours, 

Sam 

Actor, Writer, Producer

Blaming George Romero

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