Focus and Hardwork on Filmmaking Process of 'Decay'

An Oscar means a lot of things because it is like the ultimate award for a filmmaker so it feels great. But I think you have to consider awards with some distance and not get obsessed with it. When you are creating you should not think about it.
 
Alejandro Amenabar


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Toronto Shines Light on Haunted Spots

Although Toronto is a relatively young city by international standards, we seem to have crammed a decent amount of murder and mayhem into our brief but vivid history. As Halloween draws near, we at Torontoist thought we would draw on a number of online sources (including our own Toronto Ghost Map from last year) to provide a compendium of the city’s haunts and haunters.

This list is meant only to serve as a reminder of how rich and strange Toronto’s history has been. We’ve tried to exclude private residences, but be aware that most business owners and employees are not keen to discuss unexplained goings-on. In particular, we discourage readers from intruding, trespassing, or otherwise breaking the law in their attempts to experience something supernatural. As creepy as it might be to be in the right place at the right time to hear or see a ghost, it would be far worse to inadvertently become one.

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Wonderful and Creative Ideas Await in 'Decay'

 

If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed.
 
Stanley Kubrick

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Can You Defeat Zombies?

“World War Z” won’t be invading theaters for another three weeks. But its official mobile game, which we told you about two weeks ago, has already been released by Paramount.

Unsurprisingly, based as it is on a zombie apocalypse film, the World War Z game features lots of zombies. Of course, you have to take down these zombies in order to survive the titular battle.

Offering a combination of combat and conundrum, World War Z spans 28 levels and has the following features:

• Action-packed story-based game
• Choose between different control schemes to suite your playstyle
• Over a dozen upgradeable weapons
• Listen to radio broadcasts and answering machines and read emails of other survivors
• Replayable challenge mode
• Chilling tense atmosphere
• Multiple forms of combat including hand-to-hand and ranged shooting
• Zombie Hordes

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Confidence in the Sucess of 'Beauty of Decay' Saga

You've got to believe as a filmmaker that if a movie's good enough, it is going to survive; and if it is not, well, it will not.
 
Sam Mendes




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Last Days on Mars Spread Possibility of Space Zombies

Ruairi Robinson, the brilliant mind behind the chilling bad robot short Blinky™, has made a space movie starring Liev “Sabretooth” Schreiber. Behold, the very first clip from Last Days on Mars.

This will be Robinson’s first feature-length film. He was was once attached to the live-action Akira but, thankfully, that was never made. The premise for Last Days on Mars is simple: “A group of astronaut explorers succumb one by one to a mysterious and terrifying force while collecting specimens on Mars.” It’s based on Sydney J. Bounds’ short story The Animators, and centers around the last few days of a six-month Mars mission.

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Filming 'Decay' Has Never Been More Certain Than Now

You can not second-guess yourself as a filmmaker.
 
Ralph Bakshi



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Zombies and Ghosts Travel to Phoenix ComiCon

 

The Phoenix ComiCon is the local convention that keeps on growing every year—like some sort of a sci-fi creation one cannot control! It just keeps getting bigger and better—more celebrities are making the Phoenix ComiCon a must do in their schedules. Local artists, writers, and paranormal experts are flocking to Phoenix ComiCon anxious to share their talents.

Whether you are into comic books, science fiction, horror, anime or costuming there is something for all of your friends and family to enjoy. Ghosts, zombies, and the time traveling Steampunk society were three big draws for ComiCon fans this year on May 23-26, 2013.

Several paranormal teams showed up to tell their ghostly adventures. The Phoenix based Arizona Paranormal Investigations (API) team held late night session on The Actuality of Ghost Hunting, How to Capture Audio Evidence While Ghost Hunting, and conducted an informative class on How to Research the History of Haunted Locations.

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'Beauty of Decay' Film Saga Hopes to Invoke Complex Emotions and Situations

There is no reason why challenging themes and engaging stories have to be mutually exclusive - in fact, each can fuel the other. As a filmmaker, I want to entertain people first and foremost. If out of that comes a greater awareness and understanding of a time or a circumstance, then the hope is that change can happen.
 
Edward Zwick


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Alabama Paranormal Association Goes on an Investigative Mission

 

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – The Alabama Paranormal Association is on a mission to try to explain the unexplainable.

The organization is looking to investigate and document historical stories and paranormal encounters at some of Alabama’s most well-known civil war battlefields.

APA Founder Dale Langella and Research Director Gini Brown said their team is touring the state, investigating paranormal activity for  a new book in the works titled Alabama’s Haunted Battlefields.

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'Decay' Will Be Crafted in Its Best

People say I pay too much attention to the look of a movie but for God's sake, I am not producing a Radio 4 Play for Today, I am making a movie that people are going to look at.
 
Ridley Scott


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Zombies Take Over Hopkinton Center for the Arts

 

Did you know that zombies are taking over the HCA? This summer, kids in grades 4 through 9 can learn to apply special effects zombie make up, create a zombie costume, have a zombie photo shoot, and have a zombie lawn party along with lots of other zombie-themed activities. Let your inner zombie shine! Register for this week-long, half day workshop, held August 12 through August 16 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., at www.hopartscenter.org.

Art happenings

ARTWORKS STUDIOS EXHIBIT – May 20 to June 4 Artworks Studios presents an exhibit of student work. A free opening reception takes place on Thursday, May 30 at 6 p.m. The exhibit is free to the public. Gallery hours: Weekdays, 1 to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.

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Filming 'Decay' Does Not Always Have to be in Every Detail

A lot of times you get credit for stuff in your movies you did not intend to be there.
 
Spike Lee


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‘Swimming With Monsters’ is Swimming With Hippopotamus

 

Monster Week continues on Animal Planet with Steve Backshall “Swimming With Monsters.” The wildlife expert and his crew traveled to southern Africa to get Steve the chance to swim with hippos.

The hippopotamus is one of the most terrifying animals for Steve, but he wanted to be one of the first research missions to get underwater footage of the animals. It was a dangerous mission as hippos can be unpredictable and very dangerous. If they feel their territory is being invaded, they’ll charge in an instant. And despite their size, they can move very fast.

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Sharp Decisions Made Daily in 'Beauty of Decay' Film Saga

You can not second-guess yourself as a filmmaker.
 
Ralph Bakshi





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Dying Light Shines on Zombies

Zombies are still in vogue, but it’s surprising to see Dead Island developer Techland move onto an entirely different first-person zombie game. While Dead Island could be described as an undead take on The Elder Scrolls, their new game, Dying Light, could be quickly summed as Mirror’s Edge with walkers.

Like in DICE’s first-person running game, you’ll very quickly run through the environment, leaping and vaulting over obstacles, and jumping onto poles, quite easily. However, you’ll have a greater repertoire of moves than Faith ever did. While we didn’t see any gunplay, we did see quite an impressive array of martial arts moves, with your character able to kick, jump kick, dodge to the side, and even perform a sweeping circular kick–all while remaining in first-person.

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Endless Possibilities for 'Decay'

Do not be told something is impossible. There is always a way.

- Robert Rodriguez


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Zombies Conquer Trenton?

 

Jeff Stewart has a simple dream: to shut down the “Trenton Makes” bridge for a couple hours and film a gory movie scene of the iconic structure being overrun by zombies.

“It would be awesome for the city and awesome for the movie,” said Stewart, a Trenton resident. “We’re excited about trying to pull that off.”

Realizing the dream has not been easy, however. He has until tomorrow to raise most of the $25,000 he needs to fund the project, and as of yesterday afternoon he was about $22,000 short.

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Exploring the Journey of 'Beauty of Decay' Film Saga

“It’s the duty of art to ask questions, not to provide answers. And if you want a clearer answer, I’ll have to pass.” 

– Michael Haneke



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Abandoned Mansion Shows Supernatural Forces

Every once in a while, we come across photos of abandoned mansions that have us shaking our heads. We find it difficult to believe that anyone would leave these gorgeous homes — often still totally furnished — to atrophy.

We stumbled upon photos of one such home in the Netherlands. Niki Feijen snapped photos of the house, whose carpets have been overrun by moss, thanks to a hole in the roof. Feijen told The Huffington Post, “Normally in The Netherlands a place like that would be demolished or re-occupied within months. The rain has been pouring inside for months and Mother Nature’s forces are relentless.”

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Constant Film Writing to Launch 'Decay'

“When screenwriting, be prepared to drop your pants and show your dirty laundry. If you can’t do that, better find yourself something more polite.” 

– Paul Schrader



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Heroes, Hangovers and Zombies Rise in the Summer

 

The summer movie season is starting earlier and earlier, with “Iron Man 3” already having officially kicked off this year’s blockbuster bonanza in early May.

But lots of big, loud, explosive and action-filled movies are still headed our way. Here’s a look at what’s in store as the weather heats up, with Hollywood hoping for an even hotter box office (release dates subject to change).

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Heart and Soul Within 'Beauty of Decay'

“I’m lucky enough to be able to make films and so I don’t need a psychiatrist. I can sort out my fears and all those things with my work. That’s an enormous privilege. That’s the privilege of all artists, to be able to sort out their unhappiness and their neuroses in order to create something.”

 – Michael Haneke


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Deadly Fascination on Zombies

I recently enjoyed a Weekend of the Living Dead. It began with Apocalypse Z – ”an immersive theatrical experience” which involved being chased around Auckland’s Aotea Square by zombies.

”Sit back and enjoy the spectacle… or step up and become a hero,” the promo material said. I spend unhealthy amounts of time day-dreaming about what I’ll do in the happy event that the zombie apocalypse finally arrives. Here was my big chance.

But I mistook ”immersive” for ”interactive” and went into the show believing I could influence the outcome. It took me a while to figure out that my attempts at injecting myself into the script – ”kill that guy, he’s going to infect us all!” – were being ignored by the actors.

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Loyalty and Perseverance Build Up 'Beauty of Decay' Saga

Eighty percent of success is showing up.

 – Woody Allen




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Ghost Sighting in New York’s Flushing Meadows Park?

 

This weekend two of New York’s noted paranormal investigators will be leading a group of adventure seekers on a ghostly investigation of the old World’s Fairs grounds in Queens NYC’s Flushing Meadows Park.

Pete and Stew Kandel (known as Dr. Pete and Dr. Stew) noted paranormal investigators and licensed NYC tour guides aka the “Ghost Doctors” say they have found signs of paranormal activity associated with the hulking relics that still stand from the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs.

“We have investigated this area in Queens NYC for quite some time and have found signs of paranormal activity especially from the remaining remnants of the two World’s Fairs,” says Dr. Stew.

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Unforgettable Movie Scenes Yet to Uncover for 'Decay'

“A good movie is three good scenes and no bad scenes.” 

– Howard Hawks



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Zombies Move on to Orchestra and Concert

 

It started with a suggestion for a “Zombie concert,” but Hillsboro Symphony Orchestra conductor Sharon Northe wasn’t sure she knew enough zombie songs to outfit a whole show.

She settled on music of mystery and suspense for their upcoming concert, “Things That Go Bump in the Night.”

The evening will begin with a bit of musical education. For the pre-concert Symphony Showcase, HSO pianist Dianne Davies will give a presentation about the piano and answer questions from the audience.

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'Beauty of Decay''s Plans to Invade Television

I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts. But I can’t stop eating peanuts. 

– Orson Welles



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‘Grimm’ and ‘The Walking Dead’ Bring Zombies Again

The zombies arrived on Tuesday night’s “Grimm” episode “The Walking Dead,” and they are ready to take down the city. These aren’t your typical zombies, however. No, these zombies are created by a fish. Meanwhile, Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) and Nick (David Giuntoli) begin a new journey together.

Juliette is sorry

Now that Juliette remembers everything, she’s feeling sorry for treating Nick like a door mat. Nick understands that it wasn’t her fault, but she feels at least partially to blame for being so aloof with him while he was clearly in pain for having lost the love of his life.

They kiss and agree to move slowly with their relationship. But first, Juliette wants to know why Nick had taken her to Monroe’s (Silas Weir Mitchell) house, and what Monroe was about to show her before she passed out from the cat scratch. Things just got complicated.

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Big Ideas Come First, Budget Comes Second With 'Decay' Saga

The lower the budget the bigger the ideas 

– Francis Ford Coppola


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Paranormal Activity Happening in Coweta Residence

Everybody loves a good ghost story. Some of us might even enjoy meeting a happy haunter like Casper the Friendly Ghost.

The problem is finding one.

Books and movies usually show supernatural beings hanging out in dark, deserted, creepy places like graveyards or abandoned mansions.

But that may not be the case.

Jan Stout suspects her north Coweta dream home might just be a spook-filled split level.

“People look at you funny when you mention ghosts,” Stout says. “Especially when it’s in a subdivision and not an old house. But some strange things have happened here.”

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Dedication and Hardwork Rule Over Shortcuts In 'Decay' Film Saga

The funniest thing is that all the things every director goes through, I thought I could shortcut, but there was no getting around those issues.

 –George Clooney


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Zombie Evolution

 

The term “zombie” has traditionally referred to a corpse that has been reanimated through supernatural means and rendered into an automaton that does its master’s will. Look it up in a dictionary and you will find the traditional definition firmly in place. But pop culture, of course, has its own definition.

The cannibalistic, free-agent zombies that come pouring out of comics, video games, novels, movies and television have little in common with their languid, sleepwalking predecessors. They come into being not through magic, but through a pernicious, fast-acting pathogen. Ceaselessly devouring the living, surging over the landscape like a plague, these hopped-up creatures have become pop culture’s designated agents of the apocalypse.

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Zombies From 'Beauty of Decay' Need to Tell Their Story

I’m a storyteller – that’s the chief function of a director. And they’re moving pictures, let’s make ‘em move! 

–Howard Hawks



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CSI Investigates Paranormal Activity

 

Erica Dasher makes a guest appearance on tonight’s all-new CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

The 25-year-old actress plays Carrie in the new episode, “Ghosts of the Past” where the team investigates the death of a ghost hunter, which leads to some spooky encounters in a slaughterhouse potentially involving the ghosts of young boys and they suspect a fellow ghost hunter committed the crime.

Greg (Eric Szmanda) remains skeptical of any paranormal activity, until one of the hunters, Carrie (Dasher), seems to discern a special gift in him that makes him decidedly uncomfortable.

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Great Risks Come With Great Rewards in Making 'Beauty of Decay' Film Saga

"As an artist, I feel that we must try many things – but above all, we must dare to fail. You must have the courage to be bad – to be willing to risk everything to really express it all."

–John Cassavetes


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Shakespeare Up Against Zombies

Actors Guild of Lexington’s artistic director, Eric Seale, is not usually impressed by zombie mashups like the recent Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

But when he came across the 2008 play William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead by John Heimbuch, he knew he had found a gem of a script that bucked the undead trend even as it seemed to play into it.

“It’s not a gimmick,” Seale says. “It’s a smart script, the plot’s great, the research is phenomenal.”
Closing out Actor’s Guild’s season, Land of the Dead, directed by Seale, opens this weekend and continues through May 19.

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Combined Beauty of Art Forms 'Beauty of Decay' Filmmaking

I mean, certainly writing, painting, photography, dance, architecture, there is an aspect of almost every art form that is useful and that merges into film in some way.

–Sydney Pollack


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Looking Through the Eyes of 'Beauty of Decay' Zombies

Anybody can direct a picture once they know the fundamentals. Directing is not a mystery, it’s not an art. The main thing about directing is: photograph the people’s eyes.  

–John Ford


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Zombies Among the Crowd

 

On the morning I turned, when boils erupted from my left cheek and bloody dirt dripped from my chin, I lurched onto the littered landscape of Hialeah’s Amelia Earhart Park.

I scanned for flesh. And there they scampered, hundreds of fresh souls, most wearing shorts and sneakers, others sporting camouflage and headbands.

They were nurses, accountants and college students. I chased them with fury — a cross-section of South Florida and beyond, flags tied around their waists, their wallets lighter for the delicious terror of being chased for 3.1 miles by the running dead.

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Surprises are Inevitable in 'Beauty of Decay' Film Saga

 For any director with a little lucidity, masterpieces are films that come to you by accident.

 –Sidney Lumet


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Mystery TV Shows: Paranormal or Simply Weird?

 

We’re all fascinated by mysteries and strange phenomena. But is the unexplained really unexplainable? William Shatner returns to television and once again he’s dealing with aliens. His new show “Weird or What?” first premiered on the History Channel in Canada. Other science fiction icons have hosted similar shows; John Noble’s “Dark Matters: Twisted But True” and Jonathan Frakes “Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction.” Pun intended, history will tell if Shatner’s version will develop the same cult following to stand the test of time.

Another noteworthy show this week is “Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius.” Ten really smart, generally young people are competing for $50,000 and a job with a design and engineering company, with eliminations each week based on how they perform on a high-concept challenge. The show celebrates ingenuity and innovation the same way “Project Runway” or “Top Chef” celebrate those same skills in fashion and food. One downside, the format duplicates one used on “King of the Nerds” (TBS) which premiered back in January.

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Success and Risks in Creating 'Beauty of Decay'

Most people don’t know what they want or feel. And for everyone, myself included, It’s very difficult to say what you mean when what you mean is painful. The most difficult thing in the world is to reveal yourself, to express what you have to… As an artist, I feel that we must try many things – but above all, we must dare to fail. You must have the courage to be bad – to be willing to risk everything to really express it all. 

–John Cassavetes


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Guns, Bras, and Zombies From NRA

 

HOUSTON — The political speeches get the headlines but most of the 70,000-plus people attending the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting are here to see an eye-popping extravaganza of guns and gun culture.

Nine acres of exhibits at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston show off guns, scopes, grips, holsters, targets, magazines, cabinets, safes and antiques.

And that’s just the beginning.
 
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Beautiful Cinematography Lies Ahead for 'Beauty of Decay' Film Saga

"I can't think how anyone can become a director without learning the craft of cinematography."

Nicholas Roeg


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A Weekend of an Iron Man, Iceman and Zombies

As another week at V.F.’s Hollywood Blog draws to a close, we’ve compiled the best entertainment-related content into one handy guide so that our readers can enter the weekend well informed of the relevant film releases, television events, and pop-cultural talking points. If, like Martha Stewart, you were peer-pressured into joining Match.com by Matt Lauer on national television this week, this Weekender goes out to you.

On the Marquee: After grossing nearly $200 million overseas, Iron Man 3 premieres in the U.S., starring Robert Downey Jr. and the most beautiful woman and Beyoncé song consultant in the world, Gwyneth Paltrow. To ensure generous receipts in China—the fastest-growing box office—Marvel released an alternative version of the film with exclusive footage.

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Joined Forces of Talented People Behind 'Beauty of Decay' Film Saga

"The directing of a picture means coming out of your individual loneliness and taking part in putting together a small world. A picture is made, you put a frame around it and move on."

John Houston


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Comedy and Zombies, Set to Rule this Summer?

 

Will 2013 be an unlucky summer at the movies? You wouldn’t want to accuse Hollywood studios of triskaidekaphobia, at least not with a mouthful of popcorn, but the numeral 2013 seems to have inspired an inordinate number of films about planet-killing assaults from aliens, pollution, war and zombies.

There is a ray of light in the darkness: Unlike last summer, when Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers put the competition in their shadow, this summer offers a wide diversity. Box-office prognosticators say that perhaps 20 movies may cross the $100-million mark, possibly topping 2011’s record summer. The list is led by blockbusters, including Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot (Man of Steel), Star Trek into Darkness and the neo-western, The Lone Ranger. Comedy, that other summer staple, brings back proven favourites (The Hangover Part III) and fresh pairings (Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock in The Heat). Family movies, animated in 3-D, of course, stick to the familiar, with sequels such as Monsters University, Despicable Me 2 and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.

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A Mixture of ‘Pride, Prejudice and Zombies’

Just like its main antagonists, “Pride Prejudice and Zombies” is a film that refuses to die, and looks like it may have risen again from the dead. Burr Steers is on board to direct with Lily Collins in negotiations to star in the adaptation of Seth Grahame Smith’s mash-up of the literary classic.
The book follows the tangled relationships between lovers from different social classes in 19th century England who are faced with a new challenge — an army of undead zombies. Collins would play the Elizabeth Bennet character.

Darko Entertainment and Panorama Media are producing with Panorama funding.

The project has been in development for some time, with David O. Russell eyed to direct, Natalie Portman starring and Lionsgate distributing. But the script took too long to develop the proper tone, leading to Russell and Portman exiting because of scheduling conflicts.

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