The Castle of Baron Finch - Gothic Horror Returns

cushing · October 17, 2018, 07:13:10 PM

My second short movie (my first was based on my personal struggles with PTSD), this will be shot on 16mm B&W, be silent with intertitles, and is based on a stage play I wrote and directed over 21 years ago. "The Castle of Baron Finch" is an independent production that has been in the works for over three years (while I was in pre-production for my first film) and I am trying to get it out in time for 2019 when the 25th anniversary of Peter Cushing's passing and the 10th anniversary of Paul Naschy's passing occurs.

Shooting on film is expensive, but it is something I have always wanted to do and it fits the subject matter perfectly. It is inspired by silents, Universal, Hammer, and Spanish horror and will be dedicated to the memory of Peter Cushing (whose film The Evil of Frankenstein got me interested in horror) and Paul Naschy (who showed me you can be an actor, writer, and director and make the films you love).

More info can be found here: https://igg.me/at/CastleOfBaronFinch/x/15280591 and the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/CastleBaronFinch. Long live Gothic horror!

cushing · October 30, 2018, 01:17:48 PM

Some super 8 footage I shot this past summer as "2nd unit" material. I love the iron gates and fencing around the graves as it reminds me of the opening scene of "Frankenstein".

https://youtu.be/RDdr1c_usqg

Mike Scott · October 30, 2018, 02:37:40 PM

Quote from: cushing on October 30, 2018, 01:17:48 PM
Some super 8 footage . . .

Man, what a creepy old graveyard! Even creepier in black and white!

the_horror_man · October 30, 2018, 04:45:27 PM

Quote from: cushing on October 30, 2018, 01:17:48 PM
Some super 8 footage I shot this past summer as "2nd unit" material. I love the iron gates and fencing around the graves as it reminds me of the opening scene of "Frankenstein".

https://youtu.be/RDdr1c_usqg

Awesome stuff! Good luck with this project. It looks like it could be very interesting. Especially seeing a movie shot in the style of the first classics.

thm

cushing · October 30, 2018, 09:00:47 PM

Thank you for the great comments. Shooting on film really brings out the nature of the classic look rather than digital. Here is some test footage I shot in the spring for a film grant (which I was rejected for). Quality is severely lacking in this clip due to compression; the raw does not have the artifacts.

https://youtu.be/OoaY-orqF3s

Haunted hearse · November 09, 2018, 10:57:26 PM

Film, especially Black and white film,has a certain moodiness that just isn't captured by digital.

cushing · November 10, 2018, 12:48:45 AM

CONTEST TIME!

For contributors of the crowdfunding campaign, the person who refers the most contributions (total dollars), will get a special bonus when their perk ships. If the goal is met, the winner will receive an autographed (by the cast) copy of the film poster with wonderful artwork by Ricardo Caballero AND a special lathe-cut vinyl lp of the soundtrack (only 1 will be produced). If the goal is not met, the winner will receive an autographed (by the cast) copy of the film poster.

NOTE: You must be logged into your Indiegogo account and use Indiegogo's share tools for analytics to track referral contributions.

17 days left, so ready, set, GO! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-castle-of-baron-finch-gothic-horror-short

cushing · November 21, 2018, 06:05:59 PM

Five days left of the campaign. Currently looking grim, but the film will still be made. Just may take a little bit longer...

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-castle-of-baron-finch-gothic-horror-short

cushing · November 23, 2018, 02:37:36 PM

A surprise on Thanksgiving was to see my project on the front page of the local newspaper. I think I was more excited to see Cushing and Naschy get mentioned more than myself!

cushing · January 23, 2019, 02:27:12 PM

While I wait to save up my pennies to start shooting the film proper, I managed to capture footage of a full moon on 16mm this past weekend. On another note, the artist that I hired to create the poster art for the film had done a marvelous job by using the script and costume test photos of the actors.

cushing · March 29, 2019, 04:24:14 PM

The first bit of filming commenced this past Tuesday on location. I now await for the film to arrive to the lab, be processed, then returned to me so I can check the footage. Here are some stills from the day.

cushing · October 11, 2019, 12:46:19 PM

It has been some months since I provided an update. So, here is where the project stands. I purchased a small amount of film stock, makeup, and took a day off of work and drove 3 hours one way to a great location with my co-lead. After three hours of blocking and rehearsing, we shot three hundred feet of film (about 8-9 minutes). I sent the film out for processing and then had a economy (CHEAP!) scan done. I edited the shot footage to resemble something coherent and have applied for a film grant. Not getting my hopes up after being rejected last year, but I think the 16mm footage is way better than the digital test footage I shot previously. Plus, I have Norwegian composer Andreu Jacob on board to score. He did a marvelous job composing for this short bit.

Anyway, decisions for the grant won't be made until December and I have to expect the worst...that I will not be able to proceed with finishing the project. Here is an early edit of the shot footage.

https://youtu.be/qPM95ewBI0U

Mike Scott · October 11, 2019, 02:37:07 PM

Wow! That music is really spooky! All synths, I'm guessing.

cushing · October 11, 2019, 02:50:33 PM

Quote from: Mike Scott on October 11, 2019, 02:37:07 PM
Wow! That music is really spooky! All synths, I'm guessing.

Some synth but also real string work and other instruments.

marsattacks666 · October 13, 2019, 11:32:31 AM

What Mike wrote. Wow!