When things work out, and when they don't...

I was working on a scene this week; a scene we shot the 2nd day of filming. It seems like so long ago, but watching that scene was interesting. Its funny... back then we had no idea what was going to happen. For all we knew back then, everything would fall apart at any minute. We got lucky. We passed that 2nd day and here we are now.

You never know what is going to happen. You can plan, and plan, and plan, but in the end you need to be able to adapt. For example, the initial screenplay called for a camp fire for the scene we shot in the woods. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) we shot in the summer. The woods were dry, and we couldn't start a fire without the very real risk of starting a much larger campfire than we had in mind. So, we adapted. I could be wrong, but I think I have to credit Bobby with the solution that saved us (I won't get into too many story points for fear of spoiling). Our lighting guy, Doug, created a lighting rig (and did an amazing job of it) and it fit the story!

Sometimes what was written on the page was filmed exactly as written, and sometimes it worked out very well. Sometimes it didn't, and I have had to cut some stuff that I had in my screenplay. Sometimes what was filmed went above and beyond what was in the script, and again... Sometimes it worked very well, and sometimes it did not. It's quite an experience going through all of the hours of footage, and shaping it into a movie. Seeing what worked, what didn't work... What surprised us, what disappointed us.

It makes the small stuff seem very small, knowing that the final product will be as good as it is. I have been slightly lazy with stills over the last two weeks, so below you will see a bunch of them.

Right now, the first cut of the movie is 1 hr and 10 minutes long. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Stay tuned!

Sam

Actor, Writer, Producer

"Blaming George Romero"

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Who Wants a Shirt?

It's getting cold outside, ain't it? What better prize than a tee shirt? And what better tee shirt than an official "Blaming George Romero" tee shirt?

Now, we have had minor contests in the past, but this one is going to be slightly more detailed. Ready?

We, at "Blaming George Romero" are artists, and we support the arts. So, we want you to do something artistic that is inspired by "Blaming George Romero." It can be anything from a painting, to a sketch, to a sculpture, to a cartoon, song, poem, short story, etc etc etc. If you want a BGR shirt, then be creative. Once you have created something, either post what you have created on the BGR Facebook Page or email it to me at splatizky@gmail.com.

I will assemble a panel of judges, and we will choose a winner who will receive their very own BGR shirt. If there are a number of great entries, then 2nd and 3rd place winners will receive a signed copy of the official "Blaming George Romero" poster.

Entries are due on October 31st at 11:59pm. If you already have a shirt you are ineligible.

Good luck!

Stay tuned,

Sam Platizky

Actor, writer, producer

"Blaming George Romero"

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BGR Related News

Here are just a few snippets of information that are related to BGR:

*We were all thrilled with the excellent work that Elizabeth White & Catherine Carlisle did on our wrap party cake. We were not the only ones. Their boss, Buddy, (who is also the boss of cakes apparently) liked the cake so much that he has put it in their display book of spooky themed cakes. What's more, at least one person has ordered it already! So, congrats to Liz and Catherine on having their beautiful work recognized by more than just the BGR family.

*Our very own DP, Raul Garcia, has completed work on a short film entitled "Crude Remains" that you can view here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16_NyF6GjZI.

*A significant portion of the cast/crew of BGR was involved in a production of "Play On" at the West Side Theatre in Jersey City over the last two weeks. I saw it last Thursday, and was very entertained. Congratulations on an excellent run!

*Below is a picture of the wonderful cake to remind you how great it looked, along with two pics that we are showing in honor of October and Halloween.

*Work continues both on the full cut of the movie (approximately at 53 minutes right now) and the "theatrical trailer." The goal for the latter is still to have it for your viewing pleasure within the month.

Stay tuned!

Sam

Actor, Writer, Producer

"Blaming George Romero"

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Excitement & Tedium... Making a movie.

When you're making a movie, things can go from incredibly exciting to downright tedious really quick. There is a lot of waiting around, before you can get to all the good stuff. Same with post. We have finished the first "Act" of the movie, and are going back through to adjust the audio so that it all matches, etc. Its all very necessary, but very tedious... And again, I am learning on the job.

But anyway, I've watched what we have of the movie several times, but today was the first time that I just watched it straight through and just watched instead of working on it... and I really like the movie. More, I am proud of it.

We are working on a full length, theatrical trailer now. I know that some of you may be confused at to what the movie is all about. Is it a horror? Comedy? Drama? Porn? If you've just been relying on the pictures, or the teaser trailer, I can understand why you would be confused. One of the things I am looking to do with this trailer is to give you all a taste of what this movie really is. After assembling some scenes for it (including some scenes we haven't edited yet), I am really happy with what the final product will be. In fact, I am so happy that below you will find some stills from the trailer. It is really exciting to see all of this footage come together. It makes all the stress and tedium that went along with the movie disappear.

Also, I get asked a lot: "When can I see the movie? Can I see it now?" No, you can't. The movie is not ready yet. We are working on it night & day (seriously, I am forgetting what sleep is like), and are creating the best possible movie that we can. Like I said before, 40 minutes are edited, and we are adjusting that to make sure it is polished before we jump ahead to the rest. I don't know when we will be done... I can tell you that I HOPE to have a first cut of the film finished prior to the end of 2010. Whether that is in November or December, I don't know... and it may take longer... But stay tuned to this blog, for information on future screenings.

The trailer, on the other hand, should be available within the next few weeks.

Stay tuned!

Sam

Actor, Writer, Producer

Blaming George Romero

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9/22/10 HAHAHAHA

You know what's fun? Writing a movie, sure that's fun. Somehow managing to get the people needed to take the movie from the page to reality. Yep, that's fun too. It's full of stress, but it was fun. What's fun at the moment is to take all of that... Over 24 hours of footage... And assemble it into a real, honest to God movie. "Blaming George Romero" is approximately 38 minutes right now. (Slightly less than a page a minute for any of those who are curious... Final draft clocked in at 108 pages.)

But yeah... it's one thing to be on set and act and have to deal with all the craziness that goes on set. But between all of that, it is easy to not see what is going on. Everything is so in the moment. But having seen 38 minutes of this movie... I really like it... It is a fun, funny movie. The entire cast is just amazing (I know, I know, its been said, but I'll keep saying it). And its the small things too... Its the subtlest facial gesture, line emphasis... The things that weren't in the script... the things that noone told anyone else to do. The things that the actors themselves don't even know they did, probably! It really is great. And then, as great as they are, through the magic of editing we are able to make things even better... even more funny! (Billy Dautrick has been at the top of his game this week in the editing sessions.)

So, we are moving right along. Some stills from the past week are below. Meg Zervoulis is working on our score as we speak... We will need some songs too, so in addition to our search if you or someone you know is a musician and is interested in having one of their songs placed in the movie, feel free to contact me. If you don't have my contact information, feel free to contact me through this blog, my facebook page, or through my website: www.SamPlatizky.com.

That is all for now.

Stay tuned!

Sam

Actor, Writer, Producer

"Blaming George Romero"

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9/13/10 Editing a mooooovie.

Above is the first official still from "Blaming George Romero." I figured out how to create stills, while I was syncing audio, and I figured it was about time to start posting them.

Few points to mention:

*Major thanks to Billy Dautrick and Sean Feuer for their priceless assistance in the editing process. Prior to working with them, I had absolutely no experience with Final Cut Pro 7, but I am much more comfortable with it now and actually like syncing audio, a prospect that frightened me mere weeks ago. I am really learning so much through this whole process, and really appreciate everyone who is teaching me.

*We have a rough edit of approximately 20-23 minutes of the movie. It still needs work, but what we have so far makes me very optimistic for our final product.

*Tee shirts should be in this week. If you donated $100 or more, you will be getting one. We will also be having a giveaway for one or two on the blog/Facebook/Twitter... so stay tuned for that.

*I am going to work on some more videos for the website, so look out for those. They should be fun.

*Can't promise when the next trailer will be ready. At the moment, top priority goes to making the best movie possible... That said, it would be really cool if we had one in time for Halloween...

So, stay tuned! More news, stills, videos, and giveaways are coming soon.

Sam

Actor, Writer, Producer

"Blaming George Romero"

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9/1/10 Happy September, Everyone!

Wow, now that we have finished filming things have slowed down on the blog front. Not too much to report, but there are a few things.

*We are hard at work editing the film, and the wonderful Meg Zervoulis is creating some great music for us. I don't have an exact date when the movie will be finished, but I will keep you informed.

*For those of you who donated $100 or more, your perks packages include a tee shirt and a short story. The shirts have been ordered and they should be in within two weeks. Once they are, I will send them out. I had a delay with the stories (writer's block, argh!) but I have recently begun to write again and am sending those stories out as they are written. If you are due one, you will receive it shortly. It is just a matter of time.

*We are going to have a few more giveaways that will be announced here, the FB page, and on the twitter page. Prizes will include WWBCD? Bracelets, Movie Posters, and Tee Shirts! More details to come soon.

Stay tuned!

Sam
Actor, Writer, Producer
"Blaming George Romero"

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