The Jerome Foundation recently helped Insectula! out with a production grant, and we are very pleased with their assistance. They also had some very nice things to say about the samples of what they saw:
The panel that reviewed Michael Peterson's application requesting support of Insectula was very impressed by what they saw. They were all rather incredulous that they were seriously discussing a grant to a Sci-Fi comedy, since none of them had been attracted to supporting such a film before. But the very unique nature of this work, coupled with its wry sense of humor, really resonated with them. They found the work fresh and exciting. One panelist commented, "I really love this. He did exactly what he said he would do-it shows in the footage. He also has a lot of good people attached, which is comforting. But more than anything else, I like his very idiosyncratic approach to telling the story, which elevates this work to a whole different level of Sci-Fi filmmaking." The second panelist agreed and added, "This is a filmmaker to keep an eye on." The third panelist said, "I was a little doubtful of this at first, until I saw the work sample. I think it will be a very well done, tongue-in-cheek genre piece."
This funding came just in time to help out with the complex hive scene and other intensive shoots that would have taken far longer to accomplish without. Thanks again to the foundation and I’m certain the end product will exceed expectations.
The panel that reviewed Michael Peterson's application requesting support of Insectula was very impressed by what they saw. They were all rather incredulous that they were seriously discussing a grant to a Sci-Fi comedy, since none of them had been attracted to supporting such a film before. But the very unique nature of this work, coupled with its wry sense of humor, really resonated with them. They found the work fresh and exciting. One panelist commented, "I really love this. He did exactly what he said he would do-it shows in the footage. He also has a lot of good people attached, which is comforting. But more than anything else, I like his very idiosyncratic approach to telling the story, which elevates this work to a whole different level of Sci-Fi filmmaking." The second panelist agreed and added, "This is a filmmaker to keep an eye on." The third panelist said, "I was a little doubtful of this at first, until I saw the work sample. I think it will be a very well done, tongue-in-cheek genre piece."
This funding came just in time to help out with the complex hive scene and other intensive shoots that would have taken far longer to accomplish without. Thanks again to the foundation and I’m certain the end product will exceed expectations.
We gave the trailer to Horrornymphs a couple months ago and now got over 300K hits...not bad. The trailer was really for funding purposes when we had only about a third of it shot and made in a few hours, but we do get reactions which are fun to read. Here is a sampling...
Jayus is all I can say about this film. It's Indonesian for a joke so poorly told and so unfunny that one cannot help but laugh.
Da Faq? I wanna watch this. Is that Adam West Narrating?
OMG, this looks really funny. I hope this film rock´s my party. I love trash.
wtf
are we going back 1995 were the name graphics isn't invented yet
damn my grandma can make better graphics
3:21 that's disturbing o_o
Insextula
Lolwhat!?
Omfg.. Just wow lol
FUUUUUU
I just had a heart attack when I saw that girls face scrolling up
is this a comedy? because it made me laugh really hard
2SPOOKY4ME
ehm is that a joke ?
Laughed so hard
*looks at thumbnail* no blowjob for me thanks for offering tho :P
SkyFy channel ?
The thumbnail is FUCKING SCARY
I refuse to get a flowjob from her in the thumbnail @.o..
Is this a joke?
This shit is look like an Asylum production
what the fuck
tha fuck did i just watch?
that trailer is fucking priceless.
1:04 THAT MUSTACHE SHOULD MAKE IT OBVIOUS ITS MAINLY COMEDY GUYS
Seems like one of those movies back in '60 :D.
Wow. That was wierd AND unexplainable
Hey, they at least could afford CGI! ;)
I'd watch this only for the comedy :D
It seemed so stupid at first, but now I think it could be fucking awesome!
Even his mustache was fake!
Bitch! That old man warned you! He said "please don't go in the water" he even said please! Look at you now, all dead and stuff..
It's... the scary door.
is this movie made of papercraft of something ?
even the mustache on the guys face looks fake !
i wouldn't mind seeing this, a nice change up from another stupid as "silent night" movie would be good.
WOW! I dont know its its the worst trailer now to existence or Funniest b-Movie pardoy ever made!
Hahahahahaha...well, at least the photography is awesome!!! :D
you guys laugh at the budget, but someone will be laughing all the way to the bank
he style is so nostalgically fun XD...
FANTASTIC!, HORRIFYING!,AND FAKE!
This looks Awsome! Can't wait to see it. :)
IS THAT SERIOUSLY A STICK ON MUSTACHE!?!
so what night will this be on the SyFy network?
You guys just don't appreciate odd or weird. I think this looks interesting. It won't be a rehash of a million things already seen.
Looks like an old movie from the 50's. Am I right?
Looking forward to see it & yes it's very cheesy, but guys this is described in IMDB as a comedy & horror movie. So maybe it doesn't scary you, but it could probably make you laugh.
And so on... :D
At some point we will make a real trailer that WILL rock your world!
Jayus is all I can say about this film. It's Indonesian for a joke so poorly told and so unfunny that one cannot help but laugh.
Da Faq? I wanna watch this. Is that Adam West Narrating?
OMG, this looks really funny. I hope this film rock´s my party. I love trash.
wtf
are we going back 1995 were the name graphics isn't invented yet
damn my grandma can make better graphics
3:21 that's disturbing o_o
Insextula
Lolwhat!?
Omfg.. Just wow lol
FUUUUUU
I just had a heart attack when I saw that girls face scrolling up
is this a comedy? because it made me laugh really hard
2SPOOKY4ME
ehm is that a joke ?
Laughed so hard
*looks at thumbnail* no blowjob for me thanks for offering tho :P
SkyFy channel ?
The thumbnail is FUCKING SCARY
I refuse to get a flowjob from her in the thumbnail @.o..
Is this a joke?
This shit is look like an Asylum production
what the fuck
tha fuck did i just watch?
that trailer is fucking priceless.
1:04 THAT MUSTACHE SHOULD MAKE IT OBVIOUS ITS MAINLY COMEDY GUYS
Seems like one of those movies back in '60 :D.
Wow. That was wierd AND unexplainable
Hey, they at least could afford CGI! ;)
I'd watch this only for the comedy :D
It seemed so stupid at first, but now I think it could be fucking awesome!
Even his mustache was fake!
Bitch! That old man warned you! He said "please don't go in the water" he even said please! Look at you now, all dead and stuff..
It's... the scary door.
is this movie made of papercraft of something ?
even the mustache on the guys face looks fake !
i wouldn't mind seeing this, a nice change up from another stupid as "silent night" movie would be good.
WOW! I dont know its its the worst trailer now to existence or Funniest b-Movie pardoy ever made!
Hahahahahaha...well, at least the photography is awesome!!! :D
you guys laugh at the budget, but someone will be laughing all the way to the bank
he style is so nostalgically fun XD...
FANTASTIC!, HORRIFYING!,AND FAKE!
This looks Awsome! Can't wait to see it. :)
IS THAT SERIOUSLY A STICK ON MUSTACHE!?!
so what night will this be on the SyFy network?
You guys just don't appreciate odd or weird. I think this looks interesting. It won't be a rehash of a million things already seen.
Looks like an old movie from the 50's. Am I right?
Looking forward to see it & yes it's very cheesy, but guys this is described in IMDB as a comedy & horror movie. So maybe it doesn't scary you, but it could probably make you laugh.
And so on... :D
At some point we will make a real trailer that WILL rock your world!
Most of the FX on Insectula! are a combination of both CGI and practical (and there are TONS of FX). This allows me to do an effect for hundreds as opposed to thousands of dollars if I did it strictly one way or the other, plus I think it’s more convincing. It’s clear to me this is the future of FX and why we will defy our budget.
It also allows me to do something in a fraction of the time. For one recent shot I had a cutaway shot of a brain. Since this was just a cutaway used to establish mood, I didn't want to spend thousands on it, but I wanted the brain to pulse like blood was flowing to it. Using a combination of CGI and practical I was able to grab a brain from a Halloween store, paint it better and then create the pulsing in post. Doing this practically would involve many hours mounting bladders and the CGI only rout would have involved modeling and animating it in a realistic manner and then rendering, again many hours. In the end I was able to accomplish the effect in about ten minutes and it is very convincing, looking very practical and cost about ten dollars.
It also allows me to do something in a fraction of the time. For one recent shot I had a cutaway shot of a brain. Since this was just a cutaway used to establish mood, I didn't want to spend thousands on it, but I wanted the brain to pulse like blood was flowing to it. Using a combination of CGI and practical I was able to grab a brain from a Halloween store, paint it better and then create the pulsing in post. Doing this practically would involve many hours mounting bladders and the CGI only rout would have involved modeling and animating it in a realistic manner and then rendering, again many hours. In the end I was able to accomplish the effect in about ten minutes and it is very convincing, looking very practical and cost about ten dollars.
One thing I admire as much as creativity is resourcefulness. Actually it is just a different branch of creativity. That’s why I admire Robert Rodriguez even though I might not like his films that much. Gareth Edwards, Sam Raimi, Roger Corman and others also fall into this category, not just because they’re low budget, but because they were resourceful and were able to work around budget problems and come up with end products that rivaled their big studio counterparts.
The people I work with on Insectula! all have these qualities. Hopefully this will shine through as our budget is smaller than any of theirs but so far things are looking amazing for what we’ve had to work with.
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The people I work with on Insectula! all have these qualities. Hopefully this will shine through as our budget is smaller than any of theirs but so far things are looking amazing for what we’ve had to work with.
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The fun thing about the trailer is reading the comments. There are two types of responses that we get…they either love it or they hate it. This is exactly what I’m looking for. I don’t want “eh” or “it’s ok, but...” , I want extreme emotions. Even though I’m borrowing heavily from all kinds of movies, there has never been anything like Insectula, this I guarantee. The story has a very unorthodox structure using very common themes. Some people warn me that I’m giving away too many spoilers, however nothing could be further from the truth. There is no possible way to spoil the story even if I gave away all the elements. The structure is the story.
I think the reactions will be the most fulfilling aspect of this whole project.
I think the reactions will be the most fulfilling aspect of this whole project.
I like my Canon 60D and have shot the majority of Insectula! with it (the first third was shot with a Canon 7D, but I traded that for a 60D when that came out). I have been considering changing to a Panasonic GH2 because the Canon’s are notorious for their moire and aliasing at 1080 even with digital sharpening off, and are almost unusable at 720. It’s too bad because I have a lot of Canon glass and I like just about everything else about the camera. Shooting has been problematic though as my main character wears a suit which makes the sensor go batty and if there is anything like a screen door, tightly woven fabric or a brick building, colors and lines dance around causing me to tear my hair out in post.
The new anti-aliasing filter from Mosaic has saved my Canons’ life and pretty much solved the issue. I tested one on a 7D and am just waiting for the 60D version which will be released in a couple days. The filter is a huge step in usability for Canon cameras and for $325 it is a no brainer for me.
http://philipbloom.net/2011/09/13/moire-2/
The new anti-aliasing filter from Mosaic has saved my Canons’ life and pretty much solved the issue. I tested one on a 7D and am just waiting for the 60D version which will be released in a couple days. The filter is a huge step in usability for Canon cameras and for $325 it is a no brainer for me.
http://philipbloom.net/2011/09/13/moire-2/